Abstract
This article explores the tradition of oblivion in Western culture in general, and particularly in three novels by Machado de Assis (The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas, Counselor Ayres' Memorial and Dom Casmurro). In doing so, it evokes the Aeneid and The Divine Comedy, as well as some Shakespearean plays, Sir Thomas Browne's Christian Morals and one essay by Charles Lamb, the latter being a victim of the Brazilian author's own, perhaps deliberate, forgetfulness.
Keywords:
oblivion; Shakespeare; Thomas Browne, Charles Lamb, Machado de Assis' fiction