The concept of "moral insanity," adultery, and gender in Mujer rota (2020) by Irma del Águila; [Le concept d'« insanité morale », l'adultère et le genre dans Mujer rota (2020), d'Irma del Águila]

Susti A. · Boletin de la Academia Peruana de la Lengua (2026) · DOI: 10.46744/bapl.202601.008

Resumen

This paper examines the portrayal of the protagonist, Sofía Carlota, Duchess of Alençon, in the novella Mujer rota (2020) by Irma del Águila (1966), in the context of the ideological and cultural context of the era. In this regard, attention is given to the concept of "moral insanity" and its application in the field of psychiatry in the nineteenth century to justify, from a medical standpoint, the confinement in sanatoriums and asylums of adulterous women whose behaviors were considered reprehensible from a medical and moral perspective, as well as the treatments to which they were subjected to "expel the libido" from their bodies, as is the case with the protagonist. © (2026), (Academia Peruana de la Lengua). All Rights Reserved.

Instituciones: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú