WORTHY SINNER: GENDER PERFORMANCE AND THE WILL TO REDEMPTION ● UMA NOBRE PECADORA: A PERFORMANCE DE GÊNERO E A BUSCA PELA SALVAÇÃO

The purpose of this essay is to investigate elements of theatricality within East Lynne, a sensation novel written by Ellen Wood. Through analyzing how the processes of both sinning and redemption are portrayed in the novel, it is possible to perceive the influence of Christian and Medieval values related to bodily punishment, death and forgiveness embedded in the narrative. In order to support the analysis, we opted for theories related to the Victorian theatricality and natural acting, such as Litvak (1992) and Voskuil (2004). The relevance of conduct literature in prescribing social acting is acknowledged, especially to Victorian noble women. Therefore, we aim at establishing a comparison between the conduct literature of the time (STICKNEY ELLIS, 1839; PATMORE, 1891) and the behaviour adopted by the novel's protagonist. By close reading East Lynne, it was possible to verify how the protagonist deconstructed gender imposed values and the punishment she received for her sinful acts. The religiosity in sensation novels is emphasized by the treatment of the character with medieval concepts of sexuality and adultery. Isabel is physically punished and suffers from constant pain as a reminder of her previous acts, until her sin is forgiven and she can rest in death. Punishing the protagonist also reinforces the conduct literature by serving the purpose of exemplifying