Reasons for “Úrsula”

Abstract

This text weaves a literary and sociological reflection on the female condition and slavery in 19th-century Brazil, taking the novel Úrsula (1859) by Maria Firmina dos Reis as a starting point. The narrative analyzes the silencing imposed on women, drawing a parallel between the titular character, Úrsula, and the enslaved Susana, both subjugated by patriarchal violence and the slave-holding system. The essay highlights female writing—also evoking the figure of Nísia Floresta—as an act of resistance and rupture against invisibility and prevailing morals. By revisiting the pains and escapes of these characters, the work discusses the legitimacy of Black female authorship and literature as a tool of memory and freedom against historical oblivion.