De Eça a Machado, ou Um diálogo entre concepções de representação da realidade

Abstract

This comparative study works with two types of literary works. The novels The cousin Basílio and Posthumous Memoirs Of Brás Cubas are related through the literary criticism on the Portuguese novel published in Brazil in 1878. Among the critics, there was Machado de Assis. The text examines various elements of the novel by Eça de Queirós, among them there are Realism, narrator and character construction. Besides that, it is analysed how the novel by Eça de Queirós was received by literary criticism in Brazil in 1878, especially by Machado de Assis, whose critical text became famous. In this essay, the Brazilian author invokes elements of moral and aesthetic nature against the Portuguese novel, thus revealing elements of what could be named as Ars poetics of Machado de Assis. The text also evaluates the changes tried by the Brazilian novelist in addressing issues and elements present in the Portuguese text. Thus, it proposes the idea that reading The Cousin Basílio influenced the production of Posthumous Memoirs Of Brás Cubas.