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This is an unusual novel in many respects. We should certainly read it slowly and carefully. Then we will realize that it is fairly easy to follow. Also, you should
read the Preface written by Enylton de Sa Rego in the Penguin edition of the novel, which I have posted in the Novel module. Let us discuss this novel in stages
by organizing Bras Cubas's life in sections: Chapters I-XXXIII (pp.7-65); Chapters XXXIV-LXXVII (pp.66-118): Chapters LXXVIII-XCV (pp.119-60); and Chapters
CXVI-CLX (pp.160-203).
Also, let us think of many of these chapters as individual scenes in an unfolding drama--a drama about the life of Bras Cubas and the people with whom he
interacts. In each of the scenes, we should be clear about what exactly happens in the scene and who does what; pay attention to the location of the action;
what we can learn about the kind of man Bras Cubas is--his values or beliefs and his attitudes; and what we can learns about the women in his life, especially
Virgilia.
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This discussion will run from Wednesday 19 October to Monday 24 October. We will focus on the first two sections of the novel: Chapters 1-LXXVII (pp.7-
118). Everyone should participate actively. Don't hesitate to ask questions.
1. What do we learn about Bras Cubas in Chapter 1 "Author's Demise"?
2. Let us make sense of Chapter VI. We can find a translation of the title in French on the web. It turns out that the title is a quotation from a famous play by
Pierre Corneille, an important 17th century French dramatist. What happens in this chapter? What do we learn about Bras Cubas and Virgilia?
3. What do we learn about Bras Cubas's family in Chapters X-XII? His father? His childhood? What are some of Cubas's prominent traits as a child?
4. Chapters XIV-XIX describe Bras Cubas's first love, Marcela, and the fate of their relationship. What kind of a person is Marcela? What happens to them?
What does his father do and why?
5. In Chapters XXV and XXVI, what does Bras Cubas's father want? what kind of a relationship do the father and son have?
I will add questions as the discussion progresses.
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