Women, literature and culture in the Portuguese-speaking world

This collection of essays encompasses articles on Portugal, Brazil, Angola and Cape Verde. An introductory section examines the changing roles of women since the 19th century in the context of Portuguese culture. Subsequent sections include both discussions of representations of women in the works of well known male writers such as, Machado de Assis and Juandino Vieira, as well as new readings of several prominent women writers such as, Florbela Esparica, Clarice Lispector and Maria Velho de Costa. Several of the contributors draw on current feminist research and on insights from psychoanalytical and poststructuralist analyses.