Abstract

SANCHEZ-GODOY, Rubén A. FINISHED, UNAVOIDABLE, AND IMPOSSIBLE JOURNEYS: THE LITERARY REFRAMING OF THE EUROPEAN JOURNEY IN MACHADO DE ASSIS' COUNSELOR AIRES' MEMORIAL. perifrasis. rev.lit.teor.crit. [online]. 2017, vol.8, n.15, pp.77-93. ISSN 2145-8987.

This essay proposes an approach to Machado de Assis' last novel, Counselor Aires' Memorial (1908). In this novel, counselor Aires, a former Brazilian diplomat, narrates the story of a young couple that, after a long decision-making process, decides to move from Brazil to Portugal against the will of their protectors. The essay examines the relevance of the abolition of slavery in Brazil in 1888 for their decision to leave the country, and to what extent abolition promotes a new understanding of the relationship between metropolitan centers and periphery as well as a reflection about the causes of sadness.

Keywords : Machado de Assis; Counselor Aires' Memorial; travel; slavery; nostalgia.

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