The portuguese woman in the 60’s and her place of speaking in the romance Triunfo, by Sara Beirão

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze the novel Triunfo (1965), by Sara Beirão, in order to discuss the representation of Portuguese women in the 1960s and their potential to break with the tradition that limited their rights. The plot presents the Gamboa family and their financial problems. Of the five “orphan” brothers, Raquel becomes the guide in search of solutions for the family’s financial situation. During the course of the plot, the forms of manifestation of the protagonist’s intelligence were highlighted, at the time, considered to have no space for time and voice. Through the demands presented in the novel, both by the character Raquel and by some of her interlocutors, it is possible to observe that the authorial voice emphasizes female autonomy, although it is still a patriarchal context. As a theoretical contribution to this study, the discussions were guided by critics and theorists, such as Chatarina Edfeldt (2006), Célia Rosa Costa (2021), Fabio Mario da Silva (2014), Gayatri Spivak (2010), Heleieth Saffioti (1976), Isabel Lousada (2015), João Esteves (2001), Manuela Tavares (2008), among others.