Dress and Female Intelligence: Intertextuality in "Esau and Jacob"
Published 2016-09-20
Copyright (c) 2016 Portuguese Literary and Cultural Studies
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Abstract
Abstract: Within the Brazilian tradition, Esau and Jacob invites comparison with Joaquim Manuel de Macedo’s Memórias do sobrinho de meu tio, a satire describing the life and career of a politician. With regard to the larger Western tradition, the novel parallels Balzac’s Le père Goriot. In Machado, as much as in Macedo and Balzac, we can see the recurrence of similar metaphors around the use of dress, which is used to signal a willingness to compromise ideals whenever political and economic benefits can be derived from it.