Echoes of modernity

romantic volatility in Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas

Abstract

Currently, it has been observed that relationships are almost always volatile and ephemeral: couples engage in relationships without commitment, moving away from traditional roles that aimed at genuine and lasting commitment. Therefore, this study aims to identify traces of the fragility of romantic relationships in the work Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas (Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas) through the relationships of the character Brás Cubas. Regarding methodology, we opted for qualitative research and, in relation to technical procedures, we used the bibliographic method. To achieve this, we sought support in the basic instruments of Bauman (2001, 2004), Bosi (2006), Bourdieu (2007), Gomes and Barros (2019), Leal (2022), Ramos (2003) and Silva (2018), among others. We start from the hypothesis that, even though it is a novel written in the 19th century, it can reflect on timeless themes, such as interpersonal relationships and human issues, which always deserve reflection. The intention is to investigate traces in the narrative that demonstrate this volatility in romantic relationships and correlate them with the concepts of sociologist Zygmunt Bauman, since Machado’s novel serves as a harbinger of the precepts defended by Bauman. Thus, bringing to light discussions about instability in romantic relationships and also enabling reflection on the anticipation, in Machado’s narrative, of Bauman’s view on the fluidity of relationships contributes significantly to the scientific community that turns its gaze to Brazilian literature. The discussions presented here are organised into two sections, in addition to the pre-textual and post-textual elements, namely: “Fluidity of relationships” presents some discussions about the fluidity  of relationships; the second section presents the data analysis, entitled: “The emptiness of affection: symbolisations of love in Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas”.