Ad maiorem gloriam . . . feminae: Enlightened Women and the Introduction of Models in Portugal During the Second Half of the Eighteenth Century
2004; Modern Humanities Research Association; Volume: 20; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/port.2004.0009
ISSN2222-4270
Autores Tópico(s)Historical Gender and Feminism Studies
ResumoAd maiorem gloriam. . . feminae: Enlightened Womenand theIntroduction of Models inPortugal DuringtheSecondHalf oftheEighteenth Century ELIAS J. TORRES FEIJÓ This paper,whichderivesfroman ongoingresearch projecton EnlightenedPortuguese womenoftheeighteenth century and reflects theresults so farobtained,is not to be regardedas conclusive.1 Our purposeis to offer some comments on the relevanceof thesubjectand the aims envisagedin the projectand how it can be focused,indicating some methodological toolsthatmight helpus to understand it better. On the basisofthedata currently available,we proposesomelinesofresearch fora subjectwe considerof particular interest, and whichhas hitherto received verylittle attention. Thereare manywaysinwhichtheEnlightenment can be approached. We are,however, particularly interested inconsidering itas a répertoriai combination ofnormsand modelsofa cultural, political, socialandeconomicnature , providing a meansforunderstanding theworldandhowto actin it.This is whatEven-Zoharhas called'activeand passivetools'.2 Whilepresentation of a universally applicablereform programme was common totheEnlightenment project, thisdidnotimply a homogeneous corpusbutrather a complexand contradictory one,whoseformulation andusewaslinked totheinterests ofthegroupsandagents involved. This resulted inequallyvariouswaysofchannelling theprogramme according to theobjectivesof theagentsconcerned and thepossibilities open to them. 1Seepapers byRaquelBelloVázquezandEvaLoureiro Vilarelhe, oftheGalabraGroup, presented at /Congresso Internacional Mulheres Más - Percepção e Representação da Mulher Transgressora no MundoLuso-Hispânico, Universidade Fernando Pessoa,Porto, 26-28June 2003:'Dá umarisadaquandoouvires. . . transgressão e ocultamento em Teresade Mello Breyner (1788)';and'A penitência de umatransgressora: o processo à autoria de Máximasde virtude e formosura by TeresaMargaridada Silva e Orta'. See also LoureiroVilarelhe, 'Pioneirismos esquecidos e esclarecer o Esclarecimento: o casodeTeresaMargarida da Silvae Ortae Máximasda Virtude e Formosura (or Aventuras de Diófanes)';and BelloVázquez, 'Feminismo e aristocracia no projectoilustrado dumteatronacional- Teresade Mello Breyner', presented at Vil Congresso da AssociaçãoInternacional de Lusitanistas, Providence, RI, 1-6July 2002.Thesepaperscontain specific references to theexamples indicated inthe present paper. ItamarEven-Zohar, 'La literatura como bienesy comoherramientas', in Sin Fronteras: Ensayos de Literatura Comparada en Homenaje a ClaudioGuillen, ed. byDaríoVillanueva, Antonio MonegalandEnric Bou(Madrid: Castalia,1999), pp.27-36,andhttp://www.tau.ac.il/ ~itamarez/papers/lit-b-h.htm [accessed June 2003]. 74 ELIAS J. TORRES FEIjÓ The introduction of a new répertoriai programme for a groupor community always impliestransgression. Raphael Bluteau's famous Dicionário,compilednot long beforethe PortugueseEnlightenment, defines'to transgress' as 'Passar além/Transgredir hua ley,hum mandamento , etc.;não observar, quebrar,violar'.3Bluteaucomments: 'Não acho em autoresclássicosexemplosde Transgredi nestesentido'.The reasonitwouldbedifficult tofind suchexamples isthatforBluteau'classicalauthor 'means'autorde bomnome,boa nota' (i,278).Onlytowards theend of theseventeenth century did theword 'transgredir' come to mean 'goingbeyondtheestablished norms'.As forthe corresponding noun, 'transgression', Bluteaudefinesit as: 'acção de transgredir, no sentido moral'. Years later, in the revised Diccionario da lingua portugueza, publishedduringthe mostactiveyearsof the Portuguese Enlightenment, we findthedefinition of 'transgredir': Tassar forados termos, metasou balizas'; 'transgredir as leis:estarcontraellas'.4There areclearly shadesandnuancesthatcannotbe ignored. TheJesuit Bluteau seestransgression as meaning breaking or violation.Sixtyyearslaterthe reviser, Moraes Silva,a fugitive fromthe Inquisition who had sought refuge in Parisand England,takesup themeaning of 'transgression' as 'going beyond limits' (and not only physicallimits),but does not introduce anymoraljudgement on thisact. The wordsused to characterize a phenomenon, theirmeaningsand thosewho use them,are revealing. In thecase underconsideration the meaning thatcameto predominate intheEuropeanworldsuggested 'an advance,a progress'. Thisis nota lexical-semantic game,noris resorting toauctoritates inordertoimposea particular viewpoint. On thecontrary, we arereferring to variousconceptions oftransgression intheeighteenth century, bothimmediately before andat theheight oftheEnlightenment, inordertohighlight theviewpoint weconsider appropriate fortheanalysis and understanding of our research project.We are notinterested in limiting ourselves to seeingtransgression as a sinagainstthedominating religion and morality (ifthiswerethecase we wouldofcoursetakethis intoaccount).Nor do we wantto limitourselves to thepersonaltransgression of theindividualist romantic myth(one of manyof thiskind) elevated to a substantive category as a rupture thatonlyfinds itslogicin individual practice and is abandonedwhenthere is anyriskofcollective action,sincetheindividual seeksseparateness rather thansharing. What 3 Raphael Bluteau, Vocabulario portugueze latino: autorizado com exemplos dos melhores escritores portuguezes, e latinos , io vols (Coimbra: Collegio das Artesda Companhia de Jesus, 1712-28),viu. António de Moraes Silva, Diccionario da lingua portuguez) composto pelo Vadre Kafael Bluteau; reformado, e accrescentadopor Antonio de Moraes [sic] Silva (Lisbon: Officinade Simão Thaddeo Ferreira,1789), p. 482. ENLIGHTENED WOMEN IN 18TH-CENTURY PORTUGAL 75 interests us is programmatic transgression, whichaimsto go beyondthe dominance ofestablished rulesinthefield considered (scientific, academic or literary). This does not implythatall transgression is prompted by peripheral elements; on manyoccasionsitisthesamedominating classor groupthatpromotes...
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