A lyrical subject “out of him/herself”?

The Interweaving of “us” in the poem “Para a menina”, by Conceição Evaristo

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17851/2358-9787.34.2.50-61

Keywords:

lyrical subject, out of itself, collective us, Conceição Evaristo, “Para a garota”

Abstract

In poetry, the lyrical subject undergoes significant transformations throughout time, especially in the 20th century, when the critical thinking on the centrality of the subject and the totalizing thought about the constitution of identity began to be challenged. Instead of a fixed and centralized identity, new ways of thinking about the subject emerge, positioned as a fragmented entity in constant transformation. These developments of the paradigm shift in philosophy and literature are also perceived in contemporary poetry, where the figure of the lyrical subject is rethought. Based on this discussion and through a critical-interpretative approach, this work aims to analyze the poem "Para a menina" (“To the Girl”), by Conceição Evaristo (2017), considering Michel Collot’s (2004) concept of a "subject lyrical ‘out of itself’”, as well as understanding its constitution based on its relationship with language, with the other, and with the world. Through this analysis, we observe the dilution of the lyrical subject into a “pluralized self'” that does not cease to exist, but calls for a “collective ‘us’”," with a comprehension that intertwines various elements of recognizing the subject in the other

Author Biographies

  • Gisana Karen Araújo Costa Lira, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) | Natal | RN | BR

    Master's  student in Comparative Literature (PPgEL/UFRN). Specialist (Postgraduate Lato Sensu) in Literature and Teaching (IFRN).Continued education course in English Language (PDPI) at San Francisco State/USA (CAPES/Fulbright scholarship). Graduated in Letters – English (UFRN). English Language Teacher at the state of Rio Grande do Norte (SEEC/RN). gisanakarencosta@gmail.com, Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9546-004X;

  • Tito Matias-Ferreira Júnior, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN) | Natal | RN | BR

    Holds a PhD in Comparative Literature at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), with an inter-university exchange Doctorate at Duke University/USA (Fulbright Scholarship). PostDoc in Literature at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Buenos Aires (IFRN Scholarship). Permanent Professor of the Postgraduate Program in Language Studies at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (PPgEL/UFRN). Associate Professor of Language Studies at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN). tito.matias@ifrn.edu.br, Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8933-0927.

References

COLLOT, Michel. O sujeito lírico fora de si. Terceira Margem, Rio de Janeiro, Ano IX, n. 11, p.165-177, 2004.

EVARISTO, Conceição. Poemas da recordação e outros movimentos. Rio de Janeiro: Malê, 2017.

EVARISTO, Conceição. Gênero e Etnia: uma escre(vivência) de dupla face. In: MOREIRA, Nazilda Martins de; SCHNEIDER, Liane (Org.) Mulheres no mundo: etnia, marginalidade e diáspora. 2. ed. João Pessoa: Editora do CCTA, 2020.

HALL, Stuart. Quem precisa da identidade? In: SILVA, Tomaz T. (Org.) Identidade e diferença: a perspectiva dos estudos culturais. Petrópolis: Vozes, p.103-133, 2000.

HALL, Stuart. O nascimento e a morte do sujeito moderno: descentrando o sujeito. In: HALL, Stuart; ARANTES, Antonio Augusto (Org.) A questão da identidade cultural. Tradução: Andréa Borghi Moreira Jacinto e Simone M. Frangella. 3. ed. Campinas: Textos Didáticos, n. 18. p. 26-36, 2003.

KILOMBA, Grada. Memórias da plantação: episódios de racismo cotidiano. Tradução: Jess Oliveira. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Cobogó, 2019.

MALLARMÉ. Stéphane. Crise de verso. In: Divagações. Tradução: Fernando Scheibe Florianópolis: Editora UFSC, p. 157-168, 2010.

SOUZA, Heleine Fernandes de. A poesia negra-feminina de Conceição Evaristo, Lívia Natália e Tatiana Nascimento. Rio de Janeiro: Malê, 2020.

SISCAR, Marcos. Poetas a beira de uma crise de versos. In: SISCAR, Marcos. Poesia e crise: ensaios sobre a “crise da poesia” como topos da modernidade, Campinas: Editora da Unicamp, p. 103-116, 2010.

Published

2025-07-08

Issue

Section

Dossiê: O lugar do sujeito na poesia brasileira contemporânea