O kitsch em Os Maias, de Eça de Queirós, e em Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas, de Machado de Assis

Abstract

This study proposes a critical reading of the novels Os Maias by Eça de Queirós and Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas by Machado de Assis through the lens of kitsch, a term of German origin that refers to a form of aesthetic expression marked by emotional superficiality, the repetition of stylistic conventions, and a pursuit of easy and ornamental sentimental effects. By identifying the presence of kitsch in the works of Eça and Machado, the thesis investigates how these authors incorporate, question, and parody this sensibility in their narratives, creating characters and settings that reflect the cultural dilemmas of their time. This approach is grounded in the works of theorists such as Abraham Moles, Umberto Eco, Greenberg, and José Guilherme Merquior on kitsch, as well as the critical contributions of Carlos Reis, Roberto Schwarz, Raymundo Faoro, and Dirce Côrtes Riedel on the literature of Eça de Queirós and Machado de Assis. The central aim of the research is to demonstrate how kitsch functions in these novels not merely as an aesthetic element but as a key for interpreting character construction, social critique, and the crafting of a literary discourse that reflects, ironizes, and interrogates the values of bourgeois modernity