This thesis proposes that the ancient Greek novels theorize their readers from within themselves. The novels self-consciously promote and construct a reader who is curious, or polypragmôn, and lead this reader towards a recognition of that fact. The reader becomes aware of his or her experience of reading as a process. Drawing on Plutarch's suggestion that the best way to turn curiosity into a force for good is to turn it on oneself, this thesis puts forward the idea that the novels lead a curious reader to engage with his or her encounter with the text, to identify him or herself as curious, and in so doing come to a position of self-analysis. Attention is drawn to the experience of reading, and the lessons that can be learnt from it, by the embedding of narratives within the novels. Embedded or partial narratives can suggest alternative storylines and encourage the curious reader to pry and collaborate with the narrator. The experience of interior space maps the reader's encounter with the novel, constructing him or her as curious as s/he is encouraged to peep through gaps in doors, follow the narrator through doors, and think about his or her status as voyeur and eavesdropper. Deceptive narratives lead the reader to follow suggested storylines and to interrogate the text to try to discover the 'truth' that may lie behind the narrative. Finally, the presence of female characters incites the curious reader to find out what s/he can about them, pushing the narrative to its limit. In going through this process of interrogating the text and actively striving to find out more by reading between the lines, the reader becomes aware of reading as a process, and of his or her curiosity, thus becoming able to analyse him or herself. The novels thus promote a theory of how their readers approach them.

Submitted by Fabiano Vassallo (fabianovassallo2127@gmail.com) on 2017-05-08T18:23:22Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) 1 DISSERTAÇÃO DEFINITIVA FABIANA SETEMBRO 2016.pdf: 1271837 bytes, checksum: 05333a0f342232ec0a357b9ed1667485 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Josimara Dias Brumatti (bcgdigital@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-05-23T20:17:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) 1 DISSERTAÇÃO DEFINITIVA FABIANA SETEMBRO 2016.pdf: 1271837 bytes, checksum: 05333a0f342232ec0a357b9ed1667485 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-23T20:17:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) 1 DISSERTAÇÃO DEFINITIVA FABIANA SETEMBRO 2016.pdf: 1271837 bytes, checksum: 05333a0f342232ec0a357b9ed1667485 (MD5) / Na Dissertação de Mestrado Escrita e identidade feminina no romance L’Enfant de sable de Tahar Ben Jelloun, estuda-se a metáfora literária como lugar de (re)construção de memórias e identidades culturais. O jogo de (re)construção identitária é analisado através do diálogo entre as múltiplas vozes narrativas que cruzam o romance como forma de reconstituição da “verdadeira” história da personagem central da obra, identificada como Ahmed-Zahra. Na (re)construção das memórias de infância, a personagem Ahmed, protagonista da narrativa, em busca de sua verdadeira identidade, procura conhecer-se, uma vez que, tendo nascido mulher, foi criada como homem. Essa memória é construída e revivida ora pelas páginas escritas do diário de Ahmed, personagem, ora pelas narrativas feitas pelos contadores de histórias que reivindicam para si, cada qual, a verdadeira história da protagonista do romance, fazendo ressoar na obra diversas vozes narrativas que compõem o enredo de L’Enfant de sable. A dupla identidade de gênero é tensionada no confronto das diferentes versões veiculadas pelos diferentes narradores que requerem para si a verdadeira versão da história de vida da protagonista do romance. A construção da identidade da personagem central ganha forma no “entre-lugar” conflituoso e crítico da intertextualização entre as múltiplas vozes narrativas. Na tessitura da trama narrativa desenvolve-se a história do nascimento de uma menina que tem sua verdadeira identidade furtada como forma de proteger a herança familiar e o legado da família. É a partir dessa farsa familiar que se constrói o enredo do romance, uma vez que a busca da identidade de Ahmed-Zahra passa pela busca da verdade sobre si mesma. Como homem, a personagem assume a identidade de Ahmed, imposta pelo pai e, como mulher, identifica-se com o nome de Zahra, que ele/ela mesma escolheu para si. Vivendo assim, “entre dois mundos”, o mundo da Medina, destinado aos homens, e o mundo do oikos, destinado às mulheres, Ahmed-Zahra possui o passaporte que lhe permite transitar por esses dois espaços culturais tão diferentes. O resgate da memória de Ahmed-Zahra, através da escrita, nada mais é que a busca da verdadeira identidade da protagonista que, ao escrever, tenta se descobrir e se inserir como ser na sociedade do Maghreb 1. Para ele/ela separar esses dois mundos é algo impossível, porém,a necessidade de se conhecer e de se fazer conhecida levará a personagem a uma “odisseia” de vida. Nas múltiplas vozes narrativas do romance, insere-se a cultura do Norte da África, onde se destaca a prática da narrativa oral como fonte de preservação da tradição de seu povo. Ao fazer uso da prática narrativa, a personagem revive a tradição de contar histórias como resgate de sua própria identidade / This written Master’s Dissertation "the Female Identity in the novel L’Enfant de sable de Tahar Ben Jelloun," is a study of the literary metaphor as a manner of (re)construction of cultural memories and identities. The play of identity reconstruction is analyzed behind the dialogue of multiple narrative voices which cross the romance as a form of reconstitution of the "true" history/story of the central character of the work, who is identified as AhmedZahra. In the reconstruction of childhood memories, Ahmed, the protagonist of the narrative, in search of his true identity, seeks self-knowledge (because) although having been born a woman, she was raised as a man. This memory is (re)constructed and revived in the pages written in Ahmed's diary, character whose narratives are related by story tellers who relate for themselves with every story the true history of the novel´s protagonist, resulting in various resounding narrative voices which comprise the story of the L’Enfant de sable. The double identity of the gender is tense in its confrontation of different versions by different narrators who utilize the true story of the protagonist. The construction of the identity of the main character takes on a form in a conflicting study “between places “and criticism of the inter-textualization between multiple narrative voices. In the texture of the dramatic narrative there is developed a narrative of the story of the birth of a girl who has her true identity stolen as a way to protect the family inheritance and legacy. Beginning with this familiar farce is constructed the plot of the novel, a true search for identity of Ahmed-Zahra in search of himself. As a man the main character assumes the identity of Ahmed, imposed by his father and as a woman assumes the name of Zahra that he/she himself/herself chooses .Living between two worlds, “the world of Medina, destined to men, and the world of oikos, destined to women,” Ahmed-Zahra thus possesses a “passport” which permits him/her to enter two different cultural spaces. The salvation of memory of Ahmed-Zahra, via the the written word, is nothing more than the search for true identity of the protagonist, to write and try to discover and insert himself/herself into society of Maghreb (northeastern Africa near Morocco). For him/her to separate these two worlds however is impossible. The necessity to know oneself and to make oneself known leads the protagonist to undergo an odyssey of life. 11 In multiple voices narrated in the novel, insert themselves the culture of North Africa, where the importance of the practice of oral narrative revives a tradition to tell stories as a rescue of one´s proper identity