O grotesco na Sátira Medieval Portuguesa: um estudo sobre as representações femininas nas cantigas de Escárnio e Maldizer.

Abstract

The social place of women in the Middle Ages can be understood in various ways, with interpretations heavily influenced by the weight of the dominant religion and aristocracy of the time. This medieval scenario profoundly shaped the discourses of the Christian Church regarding the roles of each sex and the construction of genders, particularly in the marital aspect. The lyrical productions of the literary period known by the troubadours´s art was preserved in the Songbooks (Cancioneiro de Ajuda, Cancioneiro da Biblioteca Nacional, and Cancioneiro of the Vatican Library) and selected as being of amigo (masculine voice), amor (feminine voice), and escárnio e maldizer (satirical songs). This study is interested in the comedic aspect of this compilation, as it is believed that there are still some aspects not fully explored: the grotesque forms in the representations of the female body in satirical songs. Starting from the reading of the investigated corpus, there are, therefore, two main objectives: to analyze the traits of Bakhtinian grotesque in the representations of the female body present in medieval Iberian Peninsula’s songs, within the framework of gender studies, and also to identify how these traits shape a misogynistic discourse. In methodological terms, this is a research study with a bibliographic approach, based on the assumptions of Bakhtin (1993, 1999, 2011); Bourdieu (2014, 2002); Macedo (2000, 2002); Moisés (2012, 2022) and Vieira (1987). . The analysis indicated that these grotesque representations reinforce a misogynistic discourse, in which the feminine being is redefined as a caricatured figure, devoid of value and dignity, considering the medieval setting. Therefore, by linking these songs to the concept of carnivalesque grotesque, it becomes evident how the troubadours employed comedic language to validate female inferiority and consolidate gender prejudices. The songs reflect and simultaneously contribute to the maintenance of male domination, while also exposing the power dynamics that permeate the cultural and social landscape of that period.