Document Type
Essay
Publication Date
10-2024
DOI
10.1353/mlr.00001
Publication Title
Modern Language Review
Volume
119
Issue
4
Pages
431-455
Abstract
This essay traces the formation of the myth of Portuguese Love, and demonstrates both its transcultural reach and its importance for literary history. Sparked by the tragic love of Pedro and Inês de Castro, the notion of Portuguese Love was crystallized in seventeenth-century France by Lettres portugaises, influenced European letters for centuries, and became an enduring myth in Portuguese culture. Anchored by Roland Barthes’s critique of the contemporary disparagement of sentimental love, the essay argues that Portuguese Love’s continued affirmation, from nineteenth-century literary iterations to current manifestations, demonstrates the power of a discourse of genuine feeling to counter ideological appropriation.
Rights
Open access:
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© Modern Humanities Research Association 2024
Original Publication Citation
Mourão, M. (2024). ‘More love letters, please!’: Portuguese love and the literary legacy of sincere feeling. Modern Language Review 119(4), 431-455. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/mlr.00001.
Repository Citation
Mourão, Manuela, "‘More Love Letters, Please!’: Portuguese Love and the Literary Legacy of Sincere Feeling" (2024). English Faculty Publications. 216.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/english_fac_pubs/216