Abstracts Category : Other

"Is this lifetime supposed to be only about duty?"

by Regiane Maria Lelinski

Abstract : This present study has the objective of investigating the construction of the narrator?s female identity in Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert, during her journey across Italy, India and Indonesia. After a turbulent divorce and a love disappointment, Gilbert decides to travel in search of what she calls ?everything?. Within this context, for being in touch with other people, the narrator undergoes significant transformations that lead her to ponder about her life, personal relations and her behavior. Travel, as a transforming agent, can be considered as a ?ground zero?, and provides Gilbert with the opportunity to rebuild her identity (Blanton 29). There was a time when people traveled to discover new places, to conquer distant lands and to gain recognition for their deeds. These activities were usually led and carried out by men, who were also in charge of documenting these travels. From the XIV century, travel writing expanded beyond providing the reader with information about unknown places and peoples. With the idea of the world land area has already been covered, the author of travel narratives returned to an inland territory and, thereby, displacement became part of an even more special search: the search for oneself. Within this context, this study presents a brief overview of travel literature and its development, including travel narratives through the perspective of women taking into account the works of theoreticians such as Youngs, Pratt, Blanton and Bassnett. Furthermore, this study observes Gilbert?s travels as a facilitator for the narrator to develop her ?provisional identities?, according to each place visited (Smith and Watson 33). Furthermore, it also points to privilege and cultural encounters issues and discusses how these elements add for a ?mediating consciousness? between the narrator and the transformation of the self (Blanton 4). ; Esta dissertao consiste em investigar a construo da identidade feminina da narradora em Comer, Rezar, Amar de Elizabeth Gilbert, durante sua jornada pela Itlia, ndia e Indonsia. Depois de um conturbado divrcio e uma desiluso amorosa, Gilbert decide viajar em busca do que ela chama de tudo . Dentro deste contexto, por entrar em contato com outras pessoas, a narradora passa por transformaes importantes que a fazem refletir sobre a vida, sobre suas relaes pessoais e seu comportamento. A viagem como um agente transformador; pode ser vista como um marco zero , e d a Gilbert a oportunidade de reconstruir sua identidade (Blanton 29). Houve um tempo em que as pessoas viajavam para descobrir lugares novos, conquistar terras distantes e ganhar reconhecimentos por seus feitos. Estas atividades eram geralmente lideradas e executadas por homens, os quais tambm eram responsveis por registrar e documentar as viagens. A partir do sculo XIV, a escrita de viagem se expandiu para alm de somente trazer ao leitor informao acerca de lugares e povos desconhecidos. Com a ideia de que as terras do mundo j eram conhecidas, o/a autor/a de narrativasAdvisors/Committee Members: Beck, Magali Sperling (advisor).