O eco nas águas silenciosas: uma leitura pós-colonial e decolonial de Vasto Mar de Sargaços

Abstract

This work analyzes the novel Vasto Mar de Sargaços (1966), by Jean Rhys, from the perspectives of postcolonial theory and decolonial thought, with the aim of understanding how literary rewriting can function as an instrument of resistance and replacing of historically silenced subjects. The narrative of Rhys revisits the character Bertha Mason, of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847), giving her a voice and subjectivity, before denied by the European literary tradition. To this end, the research dialogues with authors such as Edward Said, Aníbal Quijano, Gayatri Spivak and María Lugones, in order to discuss the notions of coloniality, alterity and gender in the context of postcolonial literature. The analysis shows how Rhys transforms the “madwoman in the attic” into a symbol of the colonized woman, silenced by the intersection of patriarchy, racism and Eurocentrism. Thus, the work asserts itself as a counter-narrative that anticipates decolonial reflections by exposing the multiple layers of oppression on non-white women. Finally, the study highlights the relevance of literature as a means of rewriting history and promoting epistemic justice, reaffirming the power of feminine and Caribbean discourse before colonial hegemonies.