A efígie escrava: a construção de identidades negras no romance Úrsula de Maria Firmina dos Reis

Abstract

This work has the goal to analyse the construction of black identities in the novel Úrsula, by Maria Firmina dos Reis. We leaned on the mode how the afro-descendant author weaves the black identities of the characters in this book. Moreover, we observed the antislavery thought of Maria Firmina dos Reis, which has allowed us to line her to the textual net of Afro-Brazilian literature, that along with other black literati, such as Luiz Gama, Cruz e Sousa, Lima Barreto made use of their writings as an instrument of consciousness of black subjects, or even faked a literary production oriented to discuss about black people in society. Thus, the opening of this research contemplates the foundations of Afro-Brazilian literature, we cross the current discussions that permeate it, beyond themes as the denial and there cognition of Afro-Brazilian aesthetic and its precursors. However, in the literary panel of Brazilian literary system during XIX century, predominated the representation of black people full of prejudice, racist stereotypes, and also seen as a livestock, aspects that are analysed in order to comprehend the construction of the black figure in the literary universe of white authors in the 1800s.The firminian text configures itself as an artistic creation different from the main literary writings of its time, for in its narrative organizations the black voices from the slaves‟ quarters echo, showing the point of view of the slave in the production of this novel.