Abstract

Ana Plácido (1831-1895) was a Portuguese writer whose literary contributions remain largely overshadowed by her infamous trial for adultery and her relationship with Camilo Castelo Branco. Despite societal constraints on female authorship in the nineteenth century, Plácido used literature as a means of self-expression, autonomy, and intellectual freedom. This thesis employs spatial theory to analyze her collection of texts Luz Coada por Ferros (1863), written during her imprisonment, to explore the interplay between physical confinement and artistic freedom. By examining the symbolic and psychological dimensions of space in her work, this study highlights how Plácido navigated themes of female agency, religious devotion, and social oppression. Recognizing her novel as an essential part of the literary production of her era provides a more comprehensive view and revised perspective on the essentiality of women's expression through narrative, written in paradoxical contexts and spaces, as well as a profound contemplation on the physical, mental, spiritual, and social spaces women inhabited. Plácido positions herself within a genealogy of female authorship, becoming a pioneer and challenging the power structures that sought to silence women's voices, but most importantly demonstrating how her works and specifically Luz Coada por Ferros transcends personal narrative to engage with broader themes of identity, space, and autonomy.

Degree

MA

College and Department

Humanities; Spanish and Portuguese

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2025-04-23

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd13607

Keywords

Spatial theory, Ana Plácido, light and darkness, women writers, physical confinement

Language

english

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