Esau and Jacob

Machado De Assis

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9780520376373
• eBook ISBN: 9780520376397
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: European Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

Esau and Jacob is a novel by Machado de Assis that presents a richly layered narrative set in 19th-century Rio de Janeiro, blending comedy, allegory, and social commentary. The story centers around a pair of identical twins, Pedro and Paulo, who embody the political divide in Brazil between conservatives and liberals. Despite their physical similarities, their differing ideologies and the constant conflict between them represent the tension within Brazilian society during a pivotal historical period. The novel explores the formation of the Brazilian Republic, illustrating how historical events influence the lives of individuals, all while maintaining a subtle yet biting humor. Through the perspective of Ayres, an ex-diplomat, Assis weaves complex themes of destiny, identity, and societal roles, giving the narrative a timeless quality. The title itself, Esau and Jacob, connects to the Biblical story of sibling rivalry, which mirrors the ongoing conflict between Brazil's political factions, though the twins’ quarrel lacks the grand theological significance of the Biblical reference.

Assis cleverly infuses the novel with symbolism, using the title, epigraph, and characters to comment on the nature of Brazilian society at the time. The novel begins with the prophecy of a fortuneteller who predicts great things for the twins, but their destiny is paradoxically shaped by their inability to reconcile their differences. The narrative is filled with historical references, such as the fall of the monarchy and the rise of the Republic, while also providing a critique of the political, religious, and social structures in Brazil. The character Ayres, who narrates the story, provides an intellectual lens through which the reader can interpret the unfolding events, often making the reader an active participant in deciphering the deeper meanings of the text. Esau and Jacob is both a portrait of Brazil's historical moment and a philosophical reflection on human nature, destiny, and the cyclical nature of societal change. Through its blend of satire, wit, and allegorical depth, it remains a masterpiece of Latin American literature.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1965.
 

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• I Things Fated to Bel
• II Better Coming Down Than Going Up
• III Alms of Happiness
• IV The Coupe Mass
• V There Are Contradictions That Can Be Explained
• VI Motherhood
• VII Gestation
• VIII Neither Married Couple nor General
• IX Palace View
• X The Oath
• XI A Unique Case!
• XII This Fellow Ayres
• XII The Epigraph
• XIV The Disciple’s Lesson
• XV
• XVI Parenthoodism
• XVII AllThatl Suppress
• XVIII How They Grew
• XIX Only T wo—Forty Y ears— Third Thing
• XX The Jewel
• XXI An Obscure Point
• XXII Now a Leap
• XXIII When You Have Beards
• XXIV Robespierre and Louis
• XXV Dom Miguel
• XXVI The Fight Over the Portraits
• XXVII Concerning an Untimely Observation
• XXVIII The Rest Is Certain
• XXIX The Young Person
• XXX The Baptistas
• XXXI Flora
• XXXII Retired
• XXXIII Solitude Wearies Too
• XXXIV Mysterious
• XXXV Attendance Upon the Young Lady
• XXXVIDiscord Is Not So Blac\ As It Is Painted
• XXXVII Disaccord in A ccord
• XXXVIII Opportune Arrival
• XXXIX A Thief
• XL Memories Spanish Style
• XLI Incident of the Donkey
• XLII A Hypothesis
• XLIII The Speech
• XLIV The Salmon
• XLV Sing, My Muse
• XLVI Between the A cts
• X L V11 St. Matthew 1V:I-IO
• XLVIII Terpsichore
• XLIX The Old Signboard
• L Evaristo s Indwell
• LI Here Present
• LII A Secret
• LIII Confidences
• LIV Finally, Alonel
• LV ”Woman Is Man s Undoing f
• LVI The Blow
• LVII Shopping
• LVIII To Kill the Longings of the Heart
• LIX Night of the 14th
• LX Morning of the 15th
• LXI Reading Xenophon
• LXII “Stop on the d”
• LXIII New Sign
• LXIV Peace!
• Lxv With the Sons
• LXVI The Ace of Clubs and the Ace of Spades
• Lxvii The Whole Night Long
• LXVIII In the Morning
• LXIX At the Piano
• LXX A bout a False Conclusion
• LXXI TheMission
• LXXII The Return
• LXXIII An Eldorado
• LXXIV Textual Reference
• LXXV The Proverb Is W ron g
• LXXVI Perhaps it Was the Same One!
• Hospitality
• LXXVIII Visit to the Marshal
• LXXIX Fusion, Diffusion, Confusion
• Transfusion in Short LXXX
• LXXXI Alas, Two Souls
• LXXXII On São Clemente
• LXXXIII The Great Night
• LXXXIV The Old Secret
• Lxxxv Three Constitutions
• LXXXVI Before I Forget
• LXXXVII Between Ayres and Flora
• LXXXVIII No, No, No
• LXXXIX The Dragon
• XC The Pact
• XCI A Boy Owes it to His Mother
• XCII Awakened Secret
• XCIII To Bind or Unbind
• XCIV Contradictory Gestures
• XCV The Third Party
• XCVI Withdrawal
• XCVII A Personal Christ
• XCVIII Doctor Ayres
• XCIX On the Pretext of a Change of Air
• C Two Heads
• CI The Tangled Web
• CII A Vision Calls for Half-Shadow
• CIII The Fourth
• CIV The Reply
• CV Reality
• CVI Both? What Do You Mean Both?
• CVII State of Siege
• CVIII Old Ceremonies
• CIX Near the Grave
• Flying Along
• CXI A Summary of Hopes
• CXII The First Month
• CXIII A Beatrice for TWo
• CXIV Doctor s Office and Lawyer’s
• cxv ExchangeofOpinions
• CXVI Home Again
• CXVII Taking Office
• CXVIII Things Past, Things to Be
• CXIX A nnouncing Succeeding Chapters
• Next-to-the-Last
• CXXI Last