The Sexual Being in "Charneca em Flor"

Abstract

The SexualBeingin CharnecaemFlor MARIA DA CONCEIÇÃO LOPES DA SILVA In form, FlorbelaEspanca's literary workis incongruously traditional, mostly composedofsonnets ofstandard Italianform whichcontrast with the thematic freedom expressedin theirwriting: a deliberateattempt perhapsbythepoetultimately to confine herself within familiar, formal boundaries through which,therefore, she is able to dominatebothher poetry and itssubjectmatter. It is precisely thisthematic freedom, with particular emphasis onitsexpression ofsexuality, whichmakesitpossible to classify Florbela'sworkas beingintothree distinct phases. The first, whichincludes'Livrode Mágoas' (1919),'LivroD'eie' and 'Livrode SororSaudade'(i923), exposesa passiveattitude towardslife, emphasizing thesubject'sinteraction withtheOther,bothinthewayshe expresses herself and herattitude towardslifeand herlatentsexuality.1 Mainly because of the influence of AntonioNobre's poetry,Florbela adoptsa stancebroadlycharacterized bya 'call fordeath'.2 The second phase is encapsulatedin 'Charneca em Flor' (1931), undoubtedly themostrevolutionary ofthepoet'sworks.Itmarksrebirth as onlyachievable through sexualawakening: God abandonstheconvent to takerefuge in nature, and thepoetbecomesone withnatureat times oftotalcorporealsatisfaction. 'CharnecaemFlor' also evincesa fundamental shift as regards theOther.The passivebeingyieldsto a vigorous, merciless predator, unwearyingly in pursuitof what it craves- pure sadomasochismthat,at its best,objectifies men. Finallyshe accepts herself as a womanwhilst paradoxically beginning to displaythekindof sexualbehaviour onlyattributed to menat thetime,andno longer limits herself to beingwiththeone forwhomshemayhavea nobleaffection, heronlyaspiration being'Amarsó poramar- Aqui . . . além. . . | Mais Este e Aquele,o Outro e toda a gente. . .'.3 However,it is precisely thisdissociation between sexand affection thatis to haveill-fated consequencesbothin regardto themes exploredin herpoetry and,tragically, theauthor'sbrief existence. Therefore, thelastphaseis entrenched inthe mostprofound disillusionment, notonlywithherownself, butalso with 1SeeFlorbela Espanca, PoesiaCompleta, ed. byRuiGuedes(Lisbon:Quixote, 2001).'Livro D'eie' isa collection ofpoemsposthumously included inthecompilation ofFlorbela's work. 2 PunnhainAntonio Nobre, So (Porto: TavaresMartins, 1969), pp.43-50.Herethesubject adopts a masochistic attitude ofself-sacrifice, characterized byinertia andcoldness towards the outside world. Itisa kind ofhomophilic poetry inwhich identification with thefeminine shines through, which isappropriated byFlorbela. Amar! , inKuiGuedes,p. 322.Allpoemsreferred to or quotedinthetextarefrom this edition. 124 MARIA DA CONCEIÇÃO LOPES DA SILVA others.In 'Reliquiae',4 thereis a prevailing senseof nostalgiaand the impossibility ofre-encountering thelovedone,although an openinvitationtohimforhertobecome 'Dentrodele,nele,iguala Deus' ('Dentrode ti,emti,iguala Deus!') remains.5 Itis memory, as opposedto body,that keepsphysicaltouchalive.Her poetictrajectory is cyclic,as illustrated bythesonnet'Ultimosonhode "SororSaudade'",inwhichthereligious imagery re-emerges (p. 384). Finally,in thepoemconceivedjustbefore committing suicide, Florbelaelliptically confesses thatonecan onlycome aliveas oneis abouttodie,giventhattoliveistobe ina permanent state ofenchantment (p. 388).6 It is my aim to focuson Florbela'smiddlephase, withparticular emphasison themanifestation of sexuality embeddedin 'Charnecaem Flor',whichwas first published in 1831,theyearoftheauthor'sdeath. Thiscollection ofpoemsrepresents theturning pointinherliterary work as,ontheonehand,itcontains thebroader trajectory ofherwholepoetry whilst, ontheother, itisa lively testimony ofthemostvibrant expression ofsexuality. Colouris embedded innature andthefivesensesarepresent through a useoflanguagewhichis stylistically richinordertoemphasize therebirth ofthepoetwho,havingrejected thesocialand psycho-sexual confinement to whichsheis subjected, decidesto castoffthemantleof SororSaudadeand actively pursuelife.As a result, shebeginsto explore hersexualbeingtoitsfullpotential, revealing initsutmost femininity the predator, a paradoxbetween frailty and aggressiveness. Thematically, these poems have a non-linearstructure. Her selfperception as a singular being,heightened bytheabsorbing egocentrism thatis herfocalattribute as a poeticsubject, is contradicted in'Mendiga' (p. 315)and'A minhapiedade'(p. 338),poemsinwhichherproneness to nihilism, as wellas a lessconventional typeofmasochism, areconveyed. Sheisperfectly awareoftheriskherundertakings involve and,therefore, of how she is boundto hurtherself in following thepaththeirpursuit entails.Be it in physicalor psychological terms, the whole experience causes pain,yetit inducesan odd senseof satisfaction, as it carriesa real,palpablefeeling, theabsoluteproofofbeingalive- paradoxically, masochism becomestheindisputable affirmation oflife.Another important aspect is religiosity, articulatedthroughprayerthis is counterbalanced by blasphemousstatements expressing the sexualizationof Christian faith.Whilethisfaithcould easilybe associatedwithSoror Saudade'sincarceration inthefirst phase,in'CharnecaemFlor'ithasthe oppositemeaning, as itironically hintsat a sexualcontent. One example isthechalice,symbol ofthebloodofChrist intheriteofthemass,which inthemiddlestageofherpoetry alludesto thebloodofthewomanwho 4Firstpublishedin 'Charneca em Flor'. 5 'Blasfémia',p. 369. 6'A morte',p. 388. THE SEXUAL BEING IN CHARNECAEM FLOR I25 offers herself as a sexual being.It is important to bear in mindthat Florbelawas actively writing whenSalazar's dictatorial regime - and intrinsically religiousideology- was at its height, a factwhich,to a certain extent, canaccountfortheinevitability ofmaking reference tothe Catholicfaith, and inparticular itsrites. Whatis paramountin thisstudyis how sexuality is expressedfrom threedifferent perspectives: nature,therelationship betweenthepoetic subjectand thelover,and thesexualactperse. Firstly,an overwhelming pantheismis prominent, which can be appreciated insonnets suchas 'Árvores do Alentejo'(p. 336),'Panteísmo' (p. 340)and 'Passeioao Campo' (p. 306).The 'Charnecarudea abrirem flor'(p. 299)alludestounploughed...