BATISTA, K. F.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/9754676705974044; BATISTA, Keliane Ferreira.
Abstract:
The social roles of individuals of different sexes are defined by a number of social forces
involved around men and women, since these forces are designed by a cultural based structure
in many societies. Having this in mind, this work aims at analyzing the gender relations in the
novel Persuasion (1818), by the British writer Jane Austen, establishing parallels between the
narrative and the English patriarchal society of the 19 th century, once it prescribed distinct
functions for each sex, thus, showing important questions defended by Austen in favor of the
feminine cause through the use of irony. This research will also debate about the inferior
condition of woman in different social scenarios through a chronological line, highlighting the
patriarchal cultures that inflicted all this to women, showing their fight in search for equality
of rights, as well as a study on aspects of feminist criticism research lines. This work will also
provide a history of important episodes about Austen’s life, in order to promote a better
understanding of her work, besides dealing with aspects of her poetics. All these points are
meant to show the hardness of women’s condition throughout history and it will bring about a
context for a better understanding of Austen’s novel, since it presents powerful female
speeches that criticize the situation which is imposed on them by the androcentric society in
which they are inserted.