The book approaches the image of women in Western Judeo-Christian culture, using as a counterpoint the figures of Eve, the sinner, and Mary, the redeemer. Starting from antiquity and the medieval times, it analyzes several feminine figures present in literature and society to show the whole process of construction of the image of women throughout history and, how these representations reached Colonial Brazil. In this way, the book becomes an important tool for the history of women in colonial letters.