“Maria, das muitas que rolam pelo mundo”:

‘Maria, among the many who wander through the world': The luminous/obscure poetry of Leodegária de Jesus and Cora Coralina.

Abstract

Through an approach guided by the sociology of literary collections, this study aims to explore the trajectories and strategies employed by Cora Coralina and Leodegária de Jesus seeking their insertion and recognition in the literary scene of Goiás throughout the 20th century. Using the theoretical and methodological procedures outlined by Pierre Bourdieu and Clovis Carvalho Britto, we identified peculiarities and tactics often adopted by these poets. The analysis of literary collections allowed the reconstruction of relationships fostered in support of the poets, highlighting hierarchical connections between their trajectories and the records produced in the pursuit of distinction in the literary universe. The visualization of various positions and attempts at professionalization unfolded in a context characterized by a pronounced process of cultural commodification. Discussions about literature authored by women and gender issues, grounded in feminist criticism in its various manifestations, assume a highlighted importance. The interpreted poems highlight, in the referential context, anthropological, sociological, gender, and cultural aspects, elucidating challenges in the Goiás cerrado. Additionally, the analysis addresses the conventional structure of the submissive woman, adherent to the patriarchal precepts of the Church tradition, present in the subtext of the poems.