PLCS 13/14 (2005)
Novel

Absence of Time: The Counselor's Dreams

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  • Pedro Meira Monteiro
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62791/sgq9mh04

Published 2017-03-16

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Abstract

Abstract: This article aims to explore the narrative focus of Machado de Assis’ last novel, suggesting that engagement with the concrete history of men goes hand in hand with the narrator’s gross indifference in relation to the goings-on of the world around him. Counselor Ayres’ diary may provide a clue to a better understanding of a well-known paradox in Machado’s work: how can a narrator who distances himself from the world reveal it so profoundly? Lastly, might not this engagement/indifference binarism hold a key to understanding our current interest in Machado de Assis?

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