Félix and Bento: Two Cases of A-relational Masculinity in Ressurreição and Dom Casmurro

Authors

  • Miquel Bota California State University, Sacramento

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1344/abriu2019.8.8

Keywords:

19th-century Brazilian literature, Machado de Assis, gender studies, Rainer Maria Rilke, masculinity, a-relational man

Abstract

This article presents a new reading of two works by Brazilian author Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, his first novel Ressurreição (1872) and the later Dom Casmurro (1899). It reflects on two male protagonists, Félix and Bento, and the relationships they develop with their female partners, Capitu and Lívia. Through an exploration of the psychological abuse these two men inflict on their partners and how these men conform the concept of “a-relational man” by Rainer Maria Rilke, it highlights the relevance of gender violence criticism in Machado’s works.

How to Cite

Bota, M. (2019). Félix and Bento: Two Cases of A-relational Masculinity in Ressurreição and Dom Casmurro. Abriu: Estudos De Textualidade Do Brasil, Galicia E Portugal, (8), 153–164. https://doi.org/10.1344/abriu2019.8.8