Machado de Assis, leitor de Musset

Abstract

This study analyzes two of Machados comedies: O caminho da porta (1862) and Lição de botânica (1905), in the light of the explicit dialogue he maintains with the comedy II faut qu une porte soit ouverte ou fermée, by Alfred de Musset The loans and appropriations at a number of levels are described: that of the comic genre which has been chosen — the dramatic proverb; that of the language; and that of the creation of the characters and dramatic situations. The study also attempts to explain Machados aesthetic choice of the dramatic proverb, both in his youth and his maturity