ABSTRACT
The purpose of this paper is to understand the discourses that compose a mistress's social-historical condition. We reflect on how a woman in an extramarital relationship ethically and discursively constructs the society's view on her love life. Within the scope of Applied Linguistics, we interpret the historicity of discursive acts and the repercussion of such acts on the representation of subjectivities, by analyzing the involving discourses in such subjectivities. Accordingly, we consider the studies on the dialogic relationships of the discourse and on the active responsive understanding of the so-called Bakhtin Circle. The findings point to a discourse that resumes the notion of a mistress who is subservient, dependent, guilty, and a homewrecker. Despite these connotations, the interviewee demonstrates a relevant degree of active responsiveness when she renames and, consequently, re-signifies her condition as a mistress.
KEYWORDS:
Involving discourse; Dialogic relationships; Discursive ethics; Active responsive understanding; Mistress