LESBIAN EROTICISM AND MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE: A READING OF PERFIS DECADENTES, BY JUDITH TEIXEIRA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1984-1124.v0i20p108-123Keywords:
lesboeroticism, body, metaphysics, female authorshipAbstract
This paper aims to present a close reading of Perfis decadentes, published by portuguese poet Judith Teixeira in her first book, Decadência (1923). Only recently recognized as an important name in Portuguese Literature, Teixeira remained forgotten for more than seven decades, having been involved in the polemics around Sodoma divinizada – when Decadência was accused of immorality due to its lesboeroticism. I argue that, in Perfis decadentes, the lesbian eroticism is deeply related to a non-metaphysical mystic experience, which is rooted in a singular reconfiguration of the female body. It allowed Teixeira to free herself from the moralizing constraints that, in her time, restricted lesbian expressions, creating an emancipatory discourse.Downloads
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