ILLNESS AS CHARACTER IN EVELYN SCOTT’S ESCAPADE

Abstract This paper aims to reflect on the metaphorical process established inEscapade(2019[1923]), Evelyn Scott’s modernist autobiographical narrative written during her self-imposed exile in Brazil from 1914 to 1919. More specifically, we are interested in examining how, through metaphorization (Leite, 2007), Scott’s autobiographical self places illness in three dimensions: awareness of the possibility of contracting illnesses in Brazil, anxiety facing the reality of having become ill, and utmost desire of dying. The qualitative analysis draws from a small sample of quantified data that shows the significant frequency of words associated with the semantic field of illness. Based on these data, we chose appropriate excerpts from the book to develop the analysis. Results indicate that Evelyn Scott approaches illness as a character, portraying it alternately as a threat and as a journey companion.