Brás Cubas, Quincas Borba, and Rubião: portraits of neuropsychiatry in the novels of Machado de Assis.

Abstract

The intersection of literature and neuroscience provides a fascinating way to explore human behavior through fictional narratives. Brazilian literature, particularly the work of Machado de Assis, excels in portraying characters with neuropsychiatric conditions. This work aims to establish connections between the fictional representations of human behavior in Machado's classic works and neurological conditions described by contemporary neuroscience. In The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas and Quincas Borba, Machado's characters exhibit behaviors that align with modern neurological diagnoses. For example, Brás Cubas experiences episodes resembling delirium, characterized by mental confusion and altered cognition, while Quincas Borba shows traits of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder. Rubião, the protagonist of Quincas Borba, meets certain criteria for dementia, displaying visual hallucinations and cognitive fluctuations. By analyzing Machado's characters through a neuropsychiatric lens, we can appreciate his remarkable ability to depict complex mental conditions, many of which were not fully understood by medicine at the time.