O teatro de Machado de Assis - 1860 - 1870: uma alternativa na dramaturgia brasileira

Abstract

This research aimed to analyze the theatrical work of Machado de Assis, from 1860 to 1870. Although this author is well-known for his fictional works, more specifically short stories and novels, little is known about his other literary facets, mainly that of a poet and playwright. Despite the lack of knowledge surrounding his performance in the theatrical field even today, Machado de Assis was a critic, a translator, a censor at the drama conservatory, and the author of several plays. This intense activity allowed him to be an attentive observer of the Brazilian Theater in Rio de Janeiro in his day and to play a major role in the theatrical renovation process that took place, in the mid-nineteenth century, in the Brazilian court. For these reasons, Machado de Assis' dramatic work represents an important source of knowledge that provides a better understanding of the dynamics of Brazilian theater in the second half of the nineteenth century.