A outra cortazariana: o gênero feminino nos contos de Final del juego

Abstract

The research´s main objective is to analyze the female characters on the short stories of the book End of the game, by Julio Cortázar, from the feminist perspectives drawn on Simone de Beauvoir´s The second sex: facts and myths and The second sex: the lived experience; Virginia Woolf’s Professions for women, The feminine note in fiction, Women novelists and The intellectual status of women, as well as other books and essays. Such analysis leads to a conclusion that some of the selected short stories picture – with no agreement from the author – a sexist perception from male towards female characters and it shows how the latter react to this unequal genre treatment, eventually indicating a possible cause for it. The search reveals a part of Western culture that during millennia perpetuated voices like those of Aristotle, Plato and Catholic Church thinkers, among others, that praised men and lowered women. Based on the dialogue built with the author, the survey highlights some aspects of his work which helped the critical reflection over the ancient sexist aesthetic concepts and women´s role in society.