"Moreninhas": a mulher ideal oitocentista

Abstract

The object of this article is to study the book "A Moreninha", wich was published in 1844 and written by the novelist Joaquim Manuel de Macedo. In this sense, an investigation was carried out regarding the ideal of female behavior that was presented in the novel, based on the concept of representation proposed by Roger Chartier. Thus, from the identification of aspects of female morality that were valued or not by Macedo in the book, literature was considered as a source of access to these characteristics. In this way, they were inserted in a context of national formation, where some works of Brazilian Romanticism, such as "A Moreninha", were written with the aim of educating the readers. Finally, it was concluded that Macedo represents an ideal of conduct linked chastity and purity