About carnivalization and sexuality in the novel “The woman who wrote the Bible”, by Moacyr Scliar

Abstract

This study analyzes the novel “A Mulher Que Escreveu a Bíblia” by Moacyr Scliar (1999), focusing on four key concepts: Jewish humor, intertextuality, irony, and carnivalization. Jewish humor, as discussed by Spalding (1997), Niskier (1994), and Scliar, Finzi, and Toker (1990), is interpreted as a form of cultural resistance and an expression of the complex Jewish identity. Intertextuality, explored by Samoyault (2008) and Seixas (2018), is essential to understanding how the text engages in dialogue with previous literary works, enriching the narrative with multiple layers of meaning. Irony, according to Duarte (1994) and Hutcheon (2000), is used as a strategy to question established truths, expanded through Eco's (2003) concept of intertextual irony. Finally, the concept of carnivalization, based on Bakhtin (1993), allows for interpreting the novel as a space where hierarchies are inverted and authorities are challenged through humor, subverting expectations about gender, authority, and religion. Thus, it is concluded that Scliar employs these elements to encourage critical reflection on dominant narratives and ideologies in a culturally significant way.