A narrativa de crime brasileira: a representação do assassino em série e do matador de aluguel em obras de Rubem Fonseca e Patrícia Melo

Abstract

This thesis investigates the complex representations of violence and the criminal psyche in the works Acqua Toffana (1994) and O Matador (1995) by Patrícia Melo, and O Seminarista (2009) by Rubem Fonseca. The study focuses on the characters Rubão, Máiquel, and the “Specialist” (José), seeking to understand the nuances of their killer personas – a serial killer in Rubão’s case, and hired assassins for Máiquel and the Specialist, respectively. The analysis is conducted through an interdisciplinary approach, utilizing character theory to unravel their narrative constructions and psychoanalytic theory – specifically the concept of the double ( doppelgänger ) – which proves particularly relevant for understanding their fragmented personalities, where the social persona clashes with the dark and violent “self”. Structured in three chapters, this study seeks to identify the defense mechanisms, projections, and drives (Triebe ) that propel their actions, revealing the psychological complexity behind each act of violence. This thesis aims, therefore, to illuminate how contemporary Brazilian literature approaches the figure of the murderer, moving beyond the mere representation of criminality to explore the intrinsic relationships between violence, morality, madness, and the abysses of the human mind. Ultimately, this work intends to contribute to a deeper understanding of the construction of the criminal figure in fiction and to the debate regarding the psychological aspects underlying the most extreme manifestations of human conduct.