O ATO DE LEITURA NO CONTO “O CASO DA VARA”, DE MACHADO DE ASSIS

Abstract

This article aims to present an aesthetic experience of reading the tale “O caso da vara”, by Machado de Assis, based on the theoretical assumption of reception aesthetic, as formulated by Wolfgang Iser, in his theory of aesthetic response. Thus, I will use some works, such as Santos (2009) and Costa (2007), which have exposed the fundamental principles of this theory, in addition to using the theoretical contributions of Compagnon (1999), in order to formulate a clear and comprehensive view of such a stream of literary studies. The procedure that I will adopt here will be to start from general theoretical reflections on the reading act in order to be able to explain about my unique aesthetic experience in reading Machado’s text, always concerned with giving to my enterprise a critical-scientific character.