THIS ESSAY deals with the challenges and changes in parameters that Machado de Assis' literature placed upon 19th century critics, destabilizing the literary concepts in effect at the time and questioning the strict application of prevailing theories and doctrines. The essay shows that criticism of Assis really takes hold upon the publication of Quincas Borba, when the triad Romero-Araripe-Veríssimo arose, and focused on issues such as the novel's humor and its representativeness of the national mood, which had an important influence on future studies of the work of Machado de Assis.
