This study examines the female protagonist Petra von Pahlen in Agnes von Krusenstjerna’s novel Den blå rullgardinen (The blue blind). The aim of the study is to make a stylistic examination of narrative perspective, relations, and agency in several text passages from the novel, to find out how the language of the text shapes Petra von Pahlen as a female character. To see whether the linguistic choices and functions of the text form Petra as an active or passive person, her relation to four other characters in the novel are examined. The material consists of 39 passages of text taken from 10 chapters of the novel, all of which dealing specifically with Petra’s part of the story. Literary theories used for the study are narratology and systemic-functional grammar. The applied methods for analysing the passages are a selection of syntactic and semantic markers compiled by Staffan Hellberg (1985) for stylistic analysis of narrative perspective in Swedish literary texts, and a selection of the tools for investigation of transitivity and ergativity in texts available through the systemic-functional theory of grammar by Michael Halliday (2014). The results show that the narrative perspective used in the text passages are mostly internal focalization, and that the most frequently used stylistic markers are expressions for perception and reflection, similes, metaphors, and words expressing value. The results also show that Petra is most frequently realized through the participant roles of Senser in mental processes, and Goal in material processes. In the ergative analysis Petra is most frequently realized in non-ergative clauses through the participant role as Medium, both in terms of first and second participant; she is seldom realized as Agent. From the quantitative results of the study, Petra can be viewed as a passive character, however an argumentation based on previous research from the fields of literary science and feminist literary stylistics also suggests an interpretation, where the context and themes in the novel, together with an awareness of the different ‘meanings’ of linguistic features, provide a less powerless position for Petra.

[pt] O estudo focaliza o gênero Literatura Mulherzinha em tirinhas cômicas da série Mulheres Alteradas da cartunista argentina Maitena Inés Burundarena. Atualmente, especialmente a partir dos anos 90, muitas obras consideradas pela mídia como literatura de auto-ajuda das mulheres modernas vêm sendo publicadas. Do surgimento ao apogeu do Movimento Feminista na década de setenta é que encontramos o boom das publicações sobre o discurso feminino. Tratar das tirinhas da obra de Maitena nos possibilita fazer uma reflexão crítica sobre esse imaginário feminino que se torna cada vez mais popular. Com os pressupostos teóricos do discurso de opinião e a partir de uma abordagem de leitura como prática social procuro articular como se dão as leituras deste gênero, representado pelas tiras de Maitena. A leitura e interpretação das tirinhas é realizada, também, em uma relação dialógica com as teorias sobre gênero/sexo e a lingüística feminista. Os resultados apontam para diversas feminilidades em conflito nas tirinhas de Maitena, que se apresentam ora nos parâmetros das teorias essencialistas, ora nas construcionistas. É interessante perceber que Maitena aponta para tais feminilidades, em grande parte, a partir de recursos de indiretividade que acionam o deboche, a dissimulação e a ironia em seu discurso de opinião através do humor em suas Mulheres Alteradas. / [en] The study focuses the literary gender Chick Lit in comic strips series Women on the Edge by the Argentinean cartoonist Maitena Inés Burundarena. Nowadays, especially since the 90s, a lot of literary writings, considered by the media as literature of the modern women`s self-help, have been published. Since the appearance to the acme of the Feminist Movement in the decade of the seventies we can see the boom of publications on the feminine discourse. Discussing the strips of Maitena`s work it gives us the possibility to carry out a critical reflection on that feminine imaginary which becomes more and more popular. From the theoretical presumptions of the opinion discourse and starting from a reading approach, as social practice, I try to articulate, as the readings of this gender happen, presented by Maitena`s comic strips. The reading and interpretation of the strips is also done in a discourse relationship with the theories on gender /sex and the feminist linguistics. The results show us several aspects of the female universe in conflict, which we can be seen in Maitena`s strips, sometimes they are shown as parameters of the existentialist theories, sometimes as constructionists. It is interesting to notice that Maitena points out such femininities, mainly, based on resources of indirect approaches that awaken the mock, the dissimulation and irony in her opinion discourse through the humors in Women on the Edge. / [es] El estudio enfoca el género Literatura Mujercita en cómics de la serie Mujeres Alteradas de la humorista gráfica argentina Maitena Inés Burundarena. Actualmente, especialmente a partir de los años 90, muchas obras consideradas por la midia como literatura de autoayuda de las mujeres modernas están siendo publicadas. Del surgimiento al apogeo del Movimiento Feminista en la década de setenta es que encontramos el boom de las publicaciones sobre el discurso femenino. Tratar de los comics de la obra de Maitena nos posibilita hacer una reflexión crítica sobre ese imaginario femenino que se torna cada vez más popular. Con los presupuestos teóricos del discurso de opinión y a partir de un abordaje de lectura como práctica social procuro articular como se dan las lecturas de este género, representado por los cómics de Maitena. La lectura e interpretación de los cómics se realizan, también, en una relación dialógica con las teorías sobre género/sexo y la lingüística feminista. Los resultados señalan para diversas feminidades en conflicto en los cómics de Maitena, que se presentan unas veces en los parámetros de las teorías esencialitas, otras en las construccionistas. Es interesante percibir que Maitena señala para tales feminidades, en gran parte, a partir de recursos indirectos que accionan el escarnio, la disimulación y la ironía en su discurso de opinión a través del humor en sus Mujeres Alteradas.