“the imaginative means that nature has to extract one’s life” – representation of the aged body in a máquina de fazer espanhóis

Old age and the condition of the old in contemporary society are important themes in the Valter Hugo Mãe’s novel A máquina de fazer espanhóis (2012). Set in a nursing home, this narrative makes, by means of the experiences of the protagonist, Mr. Silva, a complex reading of the interaction of the old man with his personal memory and his participation in the social history of his time. In the analysis, we propose to observe some nuances and details  of the representation of the aged body, understanding the meanigs of the old age nowadays. We use the Michel Foucault’s concept biopower as theoretical support.

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22409/abriluff.2017n18a395