Orientador: Wilton José Marques / Coorientador: Tânia Pellegrini / Banca: Márcia Valéria Zamboni Gobbi / Banca: Maria Dolores Aybar Ramirez / Banca: Fabio A. Durão / Banca: Rejane C. Rocha / Resumo: Neste trabalho, que tem como corpus dois romances históricos contemporâneos, a saber, Videiras de Cristal (1990), de Assis Brasil e Amrik (1997), de Ana Miranda, propomos uma análise que envolve a criação de personagens femininas por autores de sexo diferentes, na tentativa de responder a uma questão bastante frequente na literatura de mulheres e nos textos da crítica feminista, porém pouco estudada, se haveria realmente alguma diferença na escrita de homens e mulheres no que diz respeito a esse tema. Se sim, como cada um deles trabalharia então com a ficcionalização da mulher. A partir desse questionamento, estudamos a criação de personagens femininas, analisando se a mulher-autora cria "mulheres de papel" de maneira diferente do escritor do sexo masculino, uma vez que esses representam todo o cânone literário, por terem sido os únicos a possuírem voz ao longo dos séculos. Se essa diferença existe, como ela se constitui e o que representa / Abstract: At this work, in which two contemporary historical novels are the corpus, namely Videiras de Cristal (1990), by Assis Brasil and Amrik (1997), by Ana Miranda, we propose an analysis that involves the creation of female characters by authors of different sex in an attempt to answer a question quite frequently in the literature of women and in the texts of feminist review, although not too much studied, if there would be any difference in the writing of men and women regarding this issue. If yes, how each of them would work then with the fictionalization of women. From this question, we studied the creation of female characters, analyzing whether the woman-author creates "women made of paper" differently than the male writer, since the latest represents the entire literary canon because they were the only ones to possess voice over the centuries. If this difference exists, how it is and what it represents / Doutor

The aim of this study was to examine the changing image of women in the oeuvre of Francis Imbuga. Focusing on seven stage plays and two novels published between 1976 and 2011, the study examines the depiction of female characters within the social, cultural and political contexts of post-independence African societies. The depiction of female characters in literature has attracted the attention of numerous scholars globally, particularly with regards to negative female stereotypes in male authored works. This study explores Imbuga’s attitude towards female stereotypes and gender inequalities in literary texts. Using an eclectic framework that includes feminist criticism, feminist stylistics, gender theory and the formal strategies of literature, the study examined gender relations in these texts through the analysis of language and discourse of characters. Further, the study uses the interpretive methods of textual analysis to categorize these works into three phases based on their portrayal of female characters. This method reveals a systematic transformation in the characterization of women from disadvantaged positions in the patriarchal society to more prominent positions in the contemporary society. The study demonstrates that Imbuga makes a positive response to feminism and devices a unique perspective on feminism that celebrates both the domestic and public roles of female characters. In this sense, the female characters contribute to the moral content and aesthetic values of Imbuga’s works. The study concludes that Imbuga views the transformation of female characters in literary texts as part of the broader social change that is desirable in the society. Ultimately, this vision involves shifting focus from the preoccupation with gender inequalities to concern for the welfare and dignity of the human person. Based on the conclusions, recommendations for further study include investigation into the educative and social role of the performing arts as a means of raising consciousness on issues such as HIV/Aids, use of indigenous knowledge in solving contemporary issues, incorporation of African morality and traditions in contemporary literature and a comparative study of Imbuga’s feministic vision with that of other writers.

The thesis explores the making of nationhood, and its contestation, in narrative representations of women during the South African transition. This temporal span extends across the first decade of democracy and the first two terms of governance following the historic 1994 elections. The transition is a fertile temporal zone in which new myths and symbols are generated. My interest lies in the new national symbols and myths that emerge from this historical moment and the ways in which they have been figured through images and appropriations of women and their bodies. Women's bodies, I argue, are the contested sites upon which nationalism erects its ideological edifices. I engage with the mutually informing productions and performances of gender and nation, and the re-membering of a previously divided and divisive South Africa as a unified 'rainbow' nation. I proceed by tracing narrative acts of memory and repression, with a specific focus on the re-memberings and dismemberings of women's bodies as they are reconstituted as ideal vessels for a national allegory. Includes bibliographical references (pages 211-238).

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