Intertextuality and Interdicursivity in “Na arca: três contos inéditos do Gênesis”, by Machado de Assis

Abstract

Intertextuality, current branch on the studies of Machado de Assis’s work, is significant to extend the bonds that exist between Machado and the literary patrimony to which he had access. There are frequent mentions to the Bible that, for their number, cannot be ignored. The prestige of this source can be seen in the formal resource used in “Na arca”: stylization. We intend to evaluate the function that the use of Biblical references has in this short story. The analysis will bring forth some hypotheses, that may apply to the set of Machado de Assis’s writings, based on the perception that the Bible may be an important source for his literary project. The Bible suggests, also, opportunities for the appearance of the myths, ideas of “double” and ambiguities, which, in their turn, are enriched by Machado. “O espelho” and Esaú e Jacó are some of the works mentioned, but some others are also evoked for their intertextual relations. The main theoretical support will be supplied by the concepts of dialogism and polyphony, legacy of Bakhtin, interpreted by disciples of the Russian theoretician, who have adopted the terms “intertextuality” and interdiscursivity. Machado de Assis, with unexpected intertextual and interdiscursive unfolding, not only keeps provocative dialog with the cultural legacy of the western world, but also with the social and political challenges of his time.