José Martiniano de Alencar

A critique of marriage of convenience, Senhora clarifies universal truths as one-time lovers reconcile as husband and wife. The poor orphan Aurlia is devastated when her true love, Fernando, breaks their engagement for the financial rewards of a marriage of convenience to another. But Aurlia unexpectedly inherits a fortune and plans her revenge. Winning marriage to Fernando with a large dowry, she stuns her lover on their wedding night by imposing a marriage of convenience until the dowry is returned. The marriage descends into one of hate more than convenience, until both recognize the errors of their ways.

Senhora

José de Alencar

"It is a truth universally acknowledged . . ." that a single woman in possession of a good character but no fortune must be in want of a wealthy husband—that is, if she is the heroine of a nineteenth-century novel. Senhora, by contrast, turns the tables on this familiar plot. Its strong-willed, independent heroine Aurélia uses newly inherited wealth to "buy back" and exact revenge on the fiancé who had left her for a woman with a more enticing dowry. This exciting Brazilian novel, originally published in 1875 and here translated into English for the first time, raises many questions about traditional gender relationships, the commercial nature of marriage, and the institution of the dowry. While conventional marital roles triumph in the end, the novel still offers realistic insights into the social and economic structure of Rio de Janeiro in the mid-1800s. With its unexpected plot, it also opens important new perspectives on the nineteenth-century Romantic novel.

SENHORA

Mayra Melo

I first read this book when I was fifteen, and to this day it has been one of my favorites. Aurelia is one of my most beloved heroines, siding closely with Lizzy Bennet and Matilda. The story is so effortless and strong, so timeless that it has inspired dozens of adaptations, not only here in Brazil, but abroad also.

And by the way, José de Alencar writes so beautifully it makes me proud to be Brazilian and speak Portuguese.

Senhora

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