“Um agregado” – an excerpt of Dom Casmurro published in three different media and its different possible meanings

Abstract

This article analyses an excerpt of Dom Casmurro originally published during 1896 in the newspaper República bearing the title of “Um agregado: capítulo de um romance inédito”. A few years later, the excerpt, with alterations, would become part of one of Machado’s most celebrated novels. Almost half a century later, though, the original passage would once again be published in the literary supplement Autores e Livros of the periodical A Manhã. Therefore, this study investigates the possible reading protocols engendered by each of these publications, as well as understanding the motives behind not only the publishing of the original piece almost 50 years later but also the reasons that motivated the changes made by Machado when writing the complete novel.