Abstract
Analysis of the sequence of the chapters in Machado de Assis's novel, Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas, with a focus on the relationship between Brás Cubas and Marcela. The protagonist's passion is in opposition to Marcela's material interest. Illusion, pragmatism, deception, interest. The deceased Machadian narrator swings between the distance produced by giving his account and the quest for recovering the feelings he experienced. Furthermore, the construction of the novel's feminine character's personality is similar to commentary regarding the behavior of nineteenth-century women featured in Machado de Assis's chronicles published by Gazeta de Notícias. The novel and the chronicles confirm Machado de Assis's skepticism even concerning relationships between men and women.
Keywords:
Machado de Assis; Brás Cubas; chronicle; feminine characters