Gênero, opressão e horror cósmico: a caracterização de Lavinia Whateley em O horror de Dunwich, de H. P. Lovecraft

Abstract

In The Dunwich horror, cosmic horror novel by H. P. Lovecraft, we can notice the opression suffered by Lavinia Whateley, imposed by her father, Old Whateley, and her son, Wilbur Whateley. Female, albino and deformed, Lavinia is deprived of social equality, manipulated to accept a religion based on adoration of horrifying monsters, and offered, by her own father, to gestate Yog-Sothoth’s offspring. In view of the issues mentioned above, the purpose of this article is to analyze the symbols that structure three contexts in which the disparity, between female and male genders, is evidenced, so as to highlight Lavinia Whateley’s negative characterization. Our theoretical framework consists of authors such as Gilbert Durand (1995; 1998; 2002), Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant (2017), H. P. Lovecraft (2007), Michelle Perrot (1991a; 1991b), Pierre Bourdieu (2012) and Simone de Beauvoir (1980a; 1980b).