Abstract
In a 1963 article, poet, fictionist and essayist Lêdo Ivo analysed Machado de Assis's short story "Her Arms" and related it to other short stories written by the author, namely "Midnight Mass." In this grouping he notes the representation of the sphere of the imaginary and the role it plays in the game of eroticism. Ivo concludes by proposing "the drama of the spirit that craves the absolute" as a Machadian hobby horse.
Keywords:
Machado de Assis; "Her Arms "; "Midnight Mass "; Imaginary; Eroticism