O feminino na literatura de Shirley Jackson: uma análise de “The Haunting of Hill House” (1959)

Abstract

This dissertation proposes to reflect on the work of the American writer Shirley Jackson (1916 – 1965), focusing on the study and analysis of the novel The Haunting of Hill House (1959). Our objective is to understand how Jackson's literature configures gender issues and uses aspects of Gothic literature, based on its production context, the American society of the 1950s, the decade in which the book was published. To do this, we seek to identify and examine the themes related to the feminine figured in the novel, based on a joint analysis between the narrative structures, especially the female characters and the narrative space, and the production conditions of the work. Our study is based on a bibliography that addresses authors such as Antonio Candido (2006), whose thought supports the integrative analysis between work and the social environment, Silvia Federici (2017) and Betty Friedan (1971) to deal with the female experience from a historical vision, Fred Botting (2005) and Júlio França (2017) who focus on gothic, as well as researchers who dedicate themselves to the study of female gothic and Jackson's literary creation. Finally, we conclude that the author is able to question, problematize and present moments of relief for the oppression and violence of patriarchal society, but is not able to realize in her narrative a reality in which the protagonist is totally free from these constraints.