This thesis is an examination of how the themes of adultery and regeneration are interwoven and explored by selected English novelists in the first half of the twentieth century. It is essential to establish that Ford, Lawrence, Waugh and Greene do not adhere to the ‘archetypal' pattern of the adultery novel established in the nineteenth century and, in fact, turn that pattern on its head. Ford's The Good Soldier and Parade's End provide two differing perspectives. The first uses adultery as a metaphor for the disintegration of English society, mirroring the social disintegration that accompanied the First World War; Parade's End, however, presents an adulterous relationship as being a regenerative force in the post-war society. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover also uses an adulterous relationship as a means of addressing the need for social, and national, regeneration in the inter-war years. Waugh's A Handful of Dust presents a woman's adultery as the ruin of not only a good man, but also civilisation in general; Brideshead Revisited is more religious in tone and traces the spiritual regeneration of its central character, whose conversion, ironically, is made possible through his adulterous relationship. Similarly, Greene's The Heart of the Matter and The End of the Affair portray the process of spiritual regeneration; in both novels this movement towards salvation is intertwined with an exploration of adulterous love. The ultimate question probed in this thesis is how the twentieth century novel of adultery overturns the traditional literary approach to the subject. Adulterous unions and illegitimate children are no longer presented as being exclusively socially destabilising or subversive in these novels; most intriguingly significant is that, in some of these novels, the illegitimate child becomes a symbol of hope, and, indeed, of regeneration.

Esta tese explora relações entre o adultério e a política romana em torno de questões acerca da sexualidade feminina e da violência contra a mulher. Temos como objetivo compreender o contexto próximo à Lei Júlia sobre adultério, promulgada por volta do ano 18 a.C., por Augusto, primeiro imperador de Roma (31 a.C.-14 d.C.). Esta lei, voltada para a aristocracia, fez parte da reforma política empreendida por este imperador no período de transição da República para o Império Romano. A lei determinava o exílio, em ilhas diferentes, para ambos os acusados, e fixava os limites de ação no que diz respeito as práticas punitivas de adúlteros, principalmente aquelas exercidas diretamente por pais e maridos. Uma de nossas hipóteses é que antes da Lei Júlia havia uma disputa pela legitimidade de algumas práticas punitivas, que tinham como garantia parcial a realização dos conselhos domésticos organizados pelos homens ofendidos, ou seja, os homens do grupo familiar da mulher acusada de adultério. Esta garantia era parcial porque as práticas necessitavam ser validadas por esse conselho, que, por sua vez, também tinha a sua validade questionada. Em torno destas validações permeavam costumes e discursos marcados por uma noção da expurgação da mulher adúltera da sociedade. Esta noção habitava o ideário romano e é notável, por exemplo, em narrativas sobre episódios importantes da história romana relacionados ao desenvolvimento político dessa sociedade, e também em aspectos da religião. Além disso, esta noção se relacionava com o poder sobre vida e morte dos tutelados, que poderia ser exercido pelo pater familias. Entretanto, este poder específico sofria graves questionamentos quando exercido de forma arbitrária, de modo que o pater familias tinha como dever expor as causas e circunstâncias da morte perpetrada. De certo modo, o adultério feminino era tido como causa aceitável para a morte da mulher. Contudo, discutia-se quem deveria ou a quem caberia tal ação: pai, marido ou governo. Neste sentido, esta tese identifica e analisa um debate, apresentado pelas fontes literárias do final da República e início do Império, a respeito da relação ideal entre a res publica e as mulheres no quesito da punição. Este debate demonstra como a aristocracia masculina pensava e discutia os limites da jurisdição privada e pública sobre as mulheres. E, também, revela a natureza da reação da aristocracia contra a Lei Júlia, entendida por este setor como interferência do governante no poder doméstico e privado do pater familias. Além disso, esse debate nos mostra de que forma, em uma sociedade patriarcal, a castidade feminina era vinculada a uma ideia de harmonia política e social. / This thesis explores some relationships between adultery and Roman politics related to questions about female sexuality and violence against women. The aim is to understand the context of the \'Julian Law on Adultery\', enacted around 18 B.C., by Augustus, the first emperor of Rome (31 B.C.- A.D. 14). This law was aimed at the aristocracy and formed part of the political reforms undertaken by Augustus during the transition from the Republic to the Roman Empire. The law prescribed the exile, to different islands, of both defendants in cases of adultery and set limits concerning the punishments of adulterers, notably those that were administered directly by fathers and husbands. The thesis hypothesises that before the Julian Law, there were disputes over the legitimacy of certain punishments for adulterers. The existence of these punishments was partially guaranteed through domestic councils that were organized by the offended men. These were men from the family of the woman who was charged with adultery. This guarantee was partial because some forms of punishment needed to be validated by this council, which, in turn, was also threatened. It shows some customs and discourses supporting the idea of excluding the adulterous woman from the society. That idea is present on some aspects of the roman ideology, for example, in narratives of important episodes of the roman political development and also in the religion. This idea was related to the power over life and death that could be exercised by pater familias over daughters and sons. However, this specific power was seriously questioned when exercised in an arbitrary manner. The pater familias was required to disclose the causes and circumstances of the death that he was responsible for. Female adultery was regarded as an acceptable reason for the woman\'s death. In the meantime, it was discussed who ought to enact this punishment: father, husband or government. In this sense, the thesis identifies and analyses a debate evident in late Republican and early imperial literary sources regarding the ideal relationship between the res publica and women in terms of punishment. This debate demonstrates how the male aristocracy thought about and discussed the limits of private and public jurisdiction over women. It also reveals how the aristocracy reacted against the Julian Law, regarding it as interfering with the domestic and private power of the pater familias. In addition, this debate shows us how a patriarchal society linked female chastity to the idea of political and social harmony.

The Sephardic ballad collection contains ballads of varying themes, many of which have been forgotten in Spain, where they were originally sung by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. A popular theme within this genre is that of women committing adultery and transgressions which in many of the ballads is punishable by death. A brief history of the Sephardic Jews and their literary and oral tradition is included. An emphasis is placed on women's role in ballad tradition and the importance of transculturation and mimesis within the oral tradition, both significant to the survival of a tradition that has been continued for over five centuries, encompassing various regions around the world. The analysis focuses on two ballads in particular ; the "Celestine Romance", which shares a similar plot to La Celestina, written by Fernando de Rojas, and the ballad of "The Adulteress", a popular ballad within several traditions. / by Inbal Mazar. / Abstract in English. / Signature page unsigned. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2008. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Mon sujet de thèse a porté sur les nombreuses figures du couple dans l’œuvre romanesque et théâtrale de Jean Giraudoux. La lecture des œuvres de cet auteur m’a conduit naturellement vers cette problématique. Nous retrouvons dans les pièces de théâtre et dans les romans, différentes représentations du couple qui questionnent la relation conjugale. Les personnages mis en scène par Giraudoux cherchent à déconstruire la représentation traditionnelle et à imposer de nouveaux rapports. Ma thèse reprend tous ces enjeux et se présente en trois parties. La première offre une vue assez large sur la notion de couple. J’y traite notamment de la question des origines et je reviens sur les influences qui ont pu marquer notre auteur. Cette partie définitionnelle a été capitale pour circonscrire notre problématique mais aussi pour évoquer la culture de l’écrivain. Dans cette partie, j’interroge aussi le langage du couple, j’y analyse le discours ainsi que les mots qui ont tendance parfois à se transformer en véritable maux. Enfin, dans cette partie, j’évoque la relation de l’altérité en montrant ses points d’application au sein du couple. Dans la deuxième partie, la réflexion se précise, j’analyse essentiellement la rupture du couple, les facteurs déclencheurs. Par ailleurs, pour comprendre la déroute que vit le couple, il était nécessaire de revenir au contexte de l’époque. En effet, la relation classique entre l’homme et la femme a subi un changement dû à un mouvement d’émancipation féminine accentuée par la fin de la seconde guerre mondiale. L’adultère se lit alors dans tous les comportements. Après avoir été conçu mentalement, il est revendiqué par les femmes qui entendent mettre fin à toutes les supercheries. Je m’interroge aussi dans cette partie sur la position même de l’auteur qui est quelquefois ambigüe. En effet si Jean Giraudoux est un fervent féministe, c’est aussi un écrivain conservateur qui pense que la guerre des sexes ne peut aboutir. La position de Giraudoux est donc beaucoup plus nuancée que celle d’un Margueritte, par exemple. Dans la troisième partie, j’élargis ma problématique à la question du bonheur qui est aussi une thématique intrinsèque à celle du couple. Je montre qu’il y a tout d’abord dans l’œuvre un conflit entre le plaisir et le bonheur. Ce dernier est une pure façade qui accule les personnes à vivre ensemble. Les hommes sont d’ailleurs particulièrement attachés à leur bonheur, ils se l’arrachent comme du gibier. La femme quant à elle, fière et digne, se moque et se détourne de ce bonheur fait de prosaïsme et célèbre un art de vivre qui se fonde sur la jouissance totale. Elle abroge le système de valeurs revendiqué par les hommes qui veulent notamment en faire une figure sacrificielle. L’œuvre est à ce titre iconoclaste à plusieurs niveaux, elle bouscule les repères traditionnels et rend compte de nouveaux comportements qui sont un écho des mutations que connaît la France à cette époque. / My thesis focused on the figures referring to the couple in the romantic and theatrical work of Jean Giraudoux. Reading the works of this author has naturally led me to conduct this study. We find in the plays and novels, different representations of the couple who question the relationship. The characters portrayed by Giraudoux seek to deconstruct the traditional representation of the couple, and to impose new reporting figures. My thesis takes all these issues, and it is presented in three parts: The first part provides a broad view of the concept of torque. It deals with the question of origins and come back on the influences that have marked our author. This definitional part was crucial to define our problem but also to evoke the culture of the writer. In this section, I also questioned the language of the couple, I analyze the speech and words that sometimes tend to turn into a real pain. Finally, in this section, I mentioned the relationship of otherness showing his application points within the couple. In the second part, thinking becomes clearer, I analyze essentially marital breakdown and the triggers. Moreover, to understand the rout that saw the couple, it was necessary to return to the context of the time. Indeed, the classical relationship between man and woman has undergone a change due to a female emancipation movement accentuated by the end of the Second World War. Adultery, then reads in all behaviors. After being mentally conceived, it is claimed by women who intend to end all frauds. I also wonder in this part of the same position of the author is sometimes ambiguous. Indeed, if Jean Giraudoux is a staunch feminist, is also a conservative writer who thinks the war between the sexes cannot succeed. Giraudoux's position is much more nuanced than that of Marguerite, for instance. In the third part, I expanded my problem to the question of happiness, as it is also intrinsic to the couple's theme. I show that it is first implemented in a conflict between pleasure and happiness. The latter is a pure facade which Corners people to live together. Men are also particularly attached to their happiness, they tear off like a game. The woman on the other hand, proud and dignified, mocks and turns that happiness is prosaic and celebrates a lifestyle that is based on the total enjoyment. It repeals the system of values claimed by men who want to make such a sacrificial figure. The work is as such iconoclastic several levels, it upsets the traditional benchmarks and realize new behaviors that are an echo of the changes experienced by France at that time.

In the context of a changing political landscape, where shifts in state boundaries and socio-economic structures deeply affected the Italian peninsula and its people, this thesis analyses women and the law in action in the years from the Restoration up to the enactment of the Pisanelli code (1815-1865). It does so with particular reference to the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. These years also saw a number of changes in the legal system with various new laws instituted. The quick succession of these legal acts testified to the new ideas, behaviours and perceptions that began to take form in the period in question, but which the patriarchal and hierarchical nineteenth century society - so reliant on strict class stratification to perpetuate its status quo - resisted fully accepting. Within this context, women began to redefine their sense of self and to think of themselves as having an identity which went beyond their traditional domestic roles of mother, wife or daughter. This work aims to describe this process by focusing on women's attitudes towards the law and their interactions with the legal system. The thesis is structured in the following way: the first part focuses on the Ottocento context, the ideals promulgated about women in public discourse and the legal framework of the Italian peninsula. In the second part attention turns to relevant case studies from the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, brought to light by first-hand examination of archival documents and court proceedings preserved in legal journals of the time. Each part is subdivided into three chapters. After an examination of the social, political and economic context of the nineteenth-century Italian peninsula (Chapter one), the discussion presents a picture of contemporary views about women according to scientists, theorists, moralists and jurists (Chapter two). Chapter three is devoted to the law in force in the pre-unification states with regard to women, paying close attention to the institution of dowry. Chapter four deals with a selection of case studies concerning marriage promises, seduction, and extramarital relations. What emerges from the investigation is the intrusiveness of authorities and the reach they extended into people's private lives in an effort to maintain social order and exercise power within a society founded on hierarchy, immobility, and obedience. Chapter five examines lawsuits questioning dowries and wills. These acts show the families' choices to preserve their wealth, often inevitably paving the way to future discord, with women initiating lawsuits to obtain more money from their relatives. Finally, Chapter six analyses widowhood and separation, two possible moments in a woman's existence that had important implications in terms of both their intimate sphere and the devolution of wealth. In particular, the chapter traces widows' actual access to inheritance, and women's requests for separation, focusing on the reasons that drove them before a court to relate issues pertaining to their very intimate lives, such as contracting diseases. Through the analysis of the law in action and women's use of the law itself, this thesis will recover the forgotten voices and lives of those ordinary women, who, in their everyday life, reacted against the limitations and constraints imposed upon them by society and decided not to passively accept their status.

日治時期台灣於法律體系經歷了很大的轉變，傳統中國法與現代西方化的日本法於此初次交會了。在現代西方法的刑事、民事分類上，台灣人民就刑事事項上，很早便透過律令依用的方式，依照日本刑法的規範；然而在民事事項，尤其是台灣人身分規範的親屬與繼承方面，殖民當局卻始終以「舊慣」來作為國家實體法的依據。如此一來，國家實體法與民間習慣在台灣社會的落實與互動情況就成為筆者欲探討的議題。本文以「通姦罪」為切入點，除了著眼在刑法通姦與民事婚姻的密切相關外，更藉此探討日治時期台灣法律社會的實況。 在討論日治時期台灣「通姦罪」之前，有必要先了解日本殖民以前，台灣社會與明治政府各自對通姦行為的規範，而殖民者與被殖民者這兩種規範下的邏輯思維與文化脈絡，在進入日治時期後，對台灣的通姦規範又有何影響？ 在這個脈絡下，第二章，以清治時期台灣官府制定法與民間習慣下對通姦行為的規範為主題；第三章，以明治政府從現代法經驗出發，探討其在現代西方法繼受過程中，如何將傳統禮教下的「姦」轉化到現代刑法「通姦罪」，與這種繼受經驗對殖民台灣的政策與方針的影響；第四章，以日治時期台灣國家法規範下的通姦罪為主軸，以法院判例分析國家實定法在社會的實際運行情況，特別是西方現代法與台灣民間習慣的衝突；第五章，以內地延長政策下「通姦告訴特例」的實施分析其背後意義；第六章為結論。 / Under Japanese rule，the Legal System of Taiwan encountered a big change from the first intersection of traditional Chinese laws and modern Western-oriented Japanese laws in Taiwan. 　　In criminal matters, Japanese criminal codes were applied directly through orders of the Taiwan Governor. On the other hand, in civil matters, especially in the normative identity, the colonial authorities have always been using "old customs" as the basis of the National Substantive Law. This kind of application brings interesting situations of the interaction between the National Substantive Law and the regional old customs in the Taiwanese society. For Adultery is closely related to both criminal norms and civil norms, it is rather suitable to take Adultery as a start theme for discussing the operation of the law society in Taiwan under Japanese rule. Fisrt ,I have to trace back before 1895 to understand the norm of Adultery in Taiwan during the Qing dynasty and that in Meiji Japan. That would make it much easier to analyze how norm of Adultery actually worked in society of Taiwan under Japanese rule. Therefore, in Chapter II, norms of Adultery in Taiwan during the Qing dynasty were firstly discussed. And in Chapter III, the focus was on norms of Adultery in Meiji Government. Chapter IV is on the norms of Adultery in Taiwan under Japanese rule. Chapter V talked about the exception of Special case of proceedings for adultery. And finally, Chapter VI took the dispute of Adultery in the draft Criminal Code as the conclusion.

Making a successful Christian marriage is a major challenge that faces the Seventh Day Adventist church (SDA Church) of Malawi. The colonial government of Nyasaland (Malawi) created weak marriages, promoting high divorce rates by its own practices during its era, which have remained to this day. The failure of secular marriages endangers the success of SDA Christian marriages. Little has been done by the Church to educate its members concerning successful Christian marriage. This study focuses on educating the church to deal with the problems that cause marriage failure in the SDA Church. The Malawi government is another tool that the church could use to address marriage failure. I have used the Bible, and scientific research methods to suggest workable solutions for Christian marriage. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)

Esta tese explora relações entre o adultério e a política romana em torno de questões acerca da sexualidade feminina e da violência contra a mulher. Temos como objetivo compreender o contexto próximo à Lei Júlia sobre adultério, promulgada por volta do ano 18 a.C., por Augusto, primeiro imperador de Roma (31 a.C.-14 d.C.). Esta lei, voltada para a aristocracia, fez parte da reforma política empreendida por este imperador no período de transição da República para o Império Romano. A lei determinava o exílio, em ilhas diferentes, para ambos os acusados, e fixava os limites de ação no que diz respeito as práticas punitivas de adúlteros, principalmente aquelas exercidas diretamente por pais e maridos. Uma de nossas hipóteses é que antes da Lei Júlia havia uma disputa pela legitimidade de algumas práticas punitivas, que tinham como garantia parcial a realização dos conselhos domésticos organizados pelos homens ofendidos, ou seja, os homens do grupo familiar da mulher acusada de adultério. Esta garantia era parcial porque as práticas necessitavam ser validadas por esse conselho, que, por sua vez, também tinha a sua validade questionada. Em torno destas validações permeavam costumes e discursos marcados por uma noção da expurgação da mulher adúltera da sociedade. Esta noção habitava o ideário romano e é notável, por exemplo, em narrativas sobre episódios importantes da história romana relacionados ao desenvolvimento político dessa sociedade, e também em aspectos da religião. Além disso, esta noção se relacionava com o poder sobre vida e morte dos tutelados, que poderia ser exercido pelo pater familias. Entretanto, este poder específico sofria graves questionamentos quando exercido de forma arbitrária, de modo que o pater familias tinha como dever expor as causas e circunstâncias da morte perpetrada. De certo modo, o adultério feminino era tido como causa aceitável para a morte da mulher. Contudo, discutia-se quem deveria ou a quem caberia tal ação: pai, marido ou governo. Neste sentido, esta tese identifica e analisa um debate, apresentado pelas fontes literárias do final da República e início do Império, a respeito da relação ideal entre a res publica e as mulheres no quesito da punição. Este debate demonstra como a aristocracia masculina pensava e discutia os limites da jurisdição privada e pública sobre as mulheres. E, também, revela a natureza da reação da aristocracia contra a Lei Júlia, entendida por este setor como interferência do governante no poder doméstico e privado do pater familias. Além disso, esse debate nos mostra de que forma, em uma sociedade patriarcal, a castidade feminina era vinculada a uma ideia de harmonia política e social. / This thesis explores some relationships between adultery and Roman politics related to questions about female sexuality and violence against women. The aim is to understand the context of the \'Julian Law on Adultery\', enacted around 18 B.C., by Augustus, the first emperor of Rome (31 B.C.- A.D. 14). This law was aimed at the aristocracy and formed part of the political reforms undertaken by Augustus during the transition from the Republic to the Roman Empire. The law prescribed the exile, to different islands, of both defendants in cases of adultery and set limits concerning the punishments of adulterers, notably those that were administered directly by fathers and husbands. The thesis hypothesises that before the Julian Law, there were disputes over the legitimacy of certain punishments for adulterers. The existence of these punishments was partially guaranteed through domestic councils that were organized by the offended men. These were men from the family of the woman who was charged with adultery. This guarantee was partial because some forms of punishment needed to be validated by this council, which, in turn, was also threatened. It shows some customs and discourses supporting the idea of excluding the adulterous woman from the society. That idea is present on some aspects of the roman ideology, for example, in narratives of important episodes of the roman political development and also in the religion. This idea was related to the power over life and death that could be exercised by pater familias over daughters and sons. However, this specific power was seriously questioned when exercised in an arbitrary manner. The pater familias was required to disclose the causes and circumstances of the death that he was responsible for. Female adultery was regarded as an acceptable reason for the woman\'s death. In the meantime, it was discussed who ought to enact this punishment: father, husband or government. In this sense, the thesis identifies and analyses a debate evident in late Republican and early imperial literary sources regarding the ideal relationship between the res publica and women in terms of punishment. This debate demonstrates how the male aristocracy thought about and discussed the limits of private and public jurisdiction over women. It also reveals how the aristocracy reacted against the Julian Law, regarding it as interfering with the domestic and private power of the pater familias. In addition, this debate shows us how a patriarchal society linked female chastity to the idea of political and social harmony.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2018-05-10T12:04:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 tatiananunesdacruz.pdf: 692783 bytes, checksum: 4ccf94a52df4feb8981664165dd6f693 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2018-05-10T12:06:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 tatiananunesdacruz.pdf: 692783 bytes, checksum: 4ccf94a52df4feb8981664165dd6f693 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-10T12:06:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tatiananunesdacruz.pdf: 692783 bytes, checksum: 4ccf94a52df4feb8981664165dd6f693 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-16 / PROQUALI (UFJF) / O presente trabalho dissertativo tem por finalidade demonstrar de que forma a temática do adultério feminino – abordada nos contos A cartomante, de Machado de Assis, e A dama do lotação, de Nelson Rodrigues – aponta para a metamorfose do discurso identitário feminino no decurso de aproximadamente um século, descortinando a influência das mudanças próprias da evolução da sociedade (tanto no âmbito jurídico, como no campo da moral e dos costumes) na ficção literária trazida a efeito pelos autores nos referidos contos. Em decorrência da riqueza temática do corpus literário elegido para análise nesta pesquisa, e no intuito de investigar a evolução do discurso identitário feminino em relação ao histórico do crime de adultério no ordenamento jurídico pátrio, desponta a necessidade de utilização de um referencial teórico interdisciplinar para subsidiar as reflexões concernentes ao processo de construção/transformação da identidade feminina, ao adultério (em especial o praticado pela mulher) e à relação entre o Direito e a Literatura. A partir de tais reflexões, fundamentadas no aporte teórico de autores como Antonio Candido, Arnaldo Sampaio Moraes de Godoy, Michel Foucault, e Simone de Beauvoir, dentre outros, pretende-se demonstrar que as escritas empreendidas por Machado de Assis e por Nelson Rodrigues em A cartomante e A dama do lotação, respectivamente, sugerem certa consonância com os panoramas social e jurídico em vigor no Brasil nos diferentes períodos em que os textos foram produzidos. Finalmente, mediante a análise das tramas desenvolvidas no corpus literário em questão, busca-se, ainda, explorar a factível ideia de que o processo inventivo de seus autores terá sido influenciado pelo olhar social lançado à figura da mulher, no passado subordinada à dominação masculina e hoje potencialmente mais liberta e independente. / This paper aims to demonstrate how the female adultery issue, that appears in the tales: A Cartomante, by Machado de Assis, and A dama do Lotação, by Nelson Rodrigues – reveals the transformation of the female identity discourse during almost a century, showing that the authors’ tales were influenced by the society changing and evolution, both in the legal and in the moral and manners field. Due to the richness theme of each tale and in order to analyze the evolution of the female identity discourse related to the historical adultery crime on Brazilian legal System, it was observed an interdisciplinary theoretical framework to guide reflections on aspects related to the female identity construction/transformation; adultery (mainly those committed by women) and the relationship between law and literature. Based on these reflections, supported by the work of several authors like Antonio Candido, Arnaldo Sampaio Moraes de Godoy, Michel Foucault, Simone de Beauvoir, among others; the paper aims to demonstrate that the literary works developed by Machado de Assis and Nelson Rodrigues in A Cartomante and A dama do lotação, respectively, suggest a certain level of conformity with the social and legal context established in Brazil at the time the texts were produced. Finally, analyzing the plots developed in the literary corpus under consideration, it is possible to explore the perfectly feasible idea that the authors creative process have been influenced by the way the society looked at the woman – in the past subjected to male domination and now potentially more independent and free.

This dissertation examines the intersection of the prosecution of criminal justice, sexual morality and the family at the parlement of Paris, which was the highest court of appeal in France, during the height of its power and influence in the kingdom from 1564-1655. This dissertation argues that in its adjudication of the crimes of seduction, infanticide, adultery, and bigamy the parlement of Paris interpreted the law according to a paternal theory of state by prioritizing family integrity and patriarchal honour in its decisions. In so doing, it presents a unique synthesis of statute and published legal opinion with a systematic survey of judicial decisions, based on archival findings, relating to these sex crimes in early modern France. It concludes that these judicial decisions were ensconced in the concepts of family, the king’s justice, and sovereignty, which were foundational to the interconnected theories of state and society in early modern France. The parlement tended to separate elite and modest appellants according to the socio-economic priorities of lignage and ménage, or the protection of the integrity of elite lineages and the stability of artisanal households within broader networks of family and community. Ultimately, this study exposes the expectations and values that gendered authority placed on men and women in early modern French society, reveals the ways that the most powerful judges in France interpreted the law according to these values, and unveils the narratives that women and men crafted when they confronted these expectations before these powerful judges. In so doing, this dissertation sheds new light on the relationships between gender and the law, gender relations in state and society, and the lived experience of marriage in early modern France. / Graduate / 2022-08-09