Cassandra Rios, Dissident Bodies, and the Representation of Trans Characters in Brazilian Literature: Some Topics

Abstract

This paper aims to highlight the significance of Cassandra Rios—an author whose books became a major popular publishing phenomenon in the mid-twentieth century—in the construction and consolidation of the representation of dissident and trans bodies in Brazilian literature. Drawing on the writer's works and placing them in dialogue with those of other authors from different historical periods, the study seeks to develop a queer historiography that foregrounds the issues of violence and gender permeating LGBTQIA+ narratives, particularly in contexts of historical setbacks that expose and reinforce attempts to marginalize, repress, and regulate dissident bodies.