Toward an enunciative-discursive analysis of the column “Correio feminino – feira de utilidades” by Helen Palmer (pseudonym of Clarice Lispector): observations on the discursive ethos and the scene of enunciation

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze, from an enunciative-discourse perspective, the column Correio Feminino – Feira de Utilidades written by Helen Palmer (pseudonym of Clarice Lispector). Following the studies of Dominique Maingueneau, the concepts of discursive ethos and scene of enunciation are mobilized to carry out the analyses. The analysis shows how the ethos of the enunciator emerges in the three enunciative scenes (enclosing scene, generic scene and scenography): (i) the first analytical path seeks to show the values of typically feminine ethos that emerge from the encompassing scene (female press); (ii) the second analytical path shows how the generic scene is typically constituted by discursive genres of incitement to action, giving rise to an expert counselor ethos; (iii) in the third and final path, we analyze how the scenography brings out the ethos of the clever woman.