A mulher e o enigma. Caminhos e descaminhos da feminilidade.

So what does a woman want? This article is not intended to answer that question, but to reflect on the reasons that make the question so popular both inside and outside the psychoanalytic field. The notion of femininity expressed by Freud throughout his work is discussed here, both in its conservative aspect of patriarchal morals and its uniqueness, pinpointing it as the origin of the human psyche in its condition as helpless. The image of the little girl lost in the forest in fairy tales is evoked to support and broaden this reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]