SOUZA, Meirilândia de.
Resumen:
Literature plays an active role in influencing and shaping social perceptions and
representations. From this perspective, lesbian literature, particularly when written by women,
plays a crucial role in representing and identifying lesbian women, challenging social control
over their sexuality and bodies. Denying this importance perpetuates power patterns that
marginalize these experiences. Despite having been silenced for a time, lesbian literature has
gained recognition in traditional spaces, such as literary awards. Thus, with the desire to
contribute to the debate and growth of LGBTQ+ literature, the present study has established
its main objective as comprehending how lesbian identity is portrayed in the short stories “Vó,
a senhora é lésbica?” and “Marília acorda”, authored by Natalia Borges Polesso. Our aim is to
analyze the representation of the theme of homoaffection in old age and the aging of the
female body within the fictional context, and how this relates to societal conceptions and
stereotypes of lesbianism and aging. We have adopted an exploratory-descriptive research
methodology, of a basic nature, with a qualitative approach, based on bibliographic technical
procedures. The study is grounded in theories published by Woolf (2014), Gilbert & Gubar
(2000), Facco (2003), Bailey (1999), Beauvoir (2018), Bosi (1994), Xavier (2007), among
others. In summary, we perceive that the author sought to authentically represent the lesbian
experience by choosing to portray elderly lesbians in everyday situations. Natalia Borges
Polesso breaks stereotypes and offers a hopeful perspective for readers seeking representation
in literature.
