In pursuit of the<i> Sibyl:</i> reading domestic space in Agustina Bessa-Luís

Abstract

This work argues that the domestic narrative space in A Sibila, by Agustina Bessa-Luis, constituted by the house of Vessada, is constructed in the novel as one of the structures which supports the strength of the female characters. This study that reads the novelist's central work from the perspective of the value of domesticity, showing how this main narrative space in the author's work relates to other narrative categories, such as time, and the constitution of characters. To further support our thesis, we also analyze passages from other novels by Bessa-Luis: Fanny Owen (1979), A Corte do Norte (1987), Eugenia e Silvina (1989), Vale Abraao (1991) and A Ronda da Noite (2006).