History Literature / DomCasmurro

* [[IllGirl Ill Boy]]: Manduca, a character suffering from terminal disease that Bentinho visits a couple times before the former's death.

* HaveAGayOldTime: At one point, the narrator mentions the myth of Pandora's box, but the word used for box, in modern portuguese, now carries the same meaning as the word in the [[CountryMatters Country Matters]] trope.

* UnreliableNarrator: Maybe. For a long time it was considered that the narrator was simply and clearly cheated on by his wife. It was only in the 60s that it began to be argued that Bentinho is paranoid, jealous, has a failing memory and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking is a lawyer]] (and thus trained in convincing others of his own version of the story), and as such his account can't be trusted. [[{{Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment}} This debate goes on]]...

* InfantImmortality: Averted, Ezequiel dies of natural causes at a young age, and it's implied that Escobar and Sancha's daughter Capitolina didn't live long either.

* OutlivingOnesOffspring: If Bentinho really is Ezequiel's father.

** Alternatively, the riddle can be whether such ambiguity was meant by the author inn the first place.

* OneSteveLimit: Averted, Bentinho and Capitu's son Ezequiel is named after Escobar, and Escobar and Sancha's daughter is named Capitolina after Capitu's full name.

* Irony: Regarded as an excellent swimmer, Escobar dies by drowning at the sea when he overestimates his own ability.

For years, the story was acclaimed, but considered as simply the tale of a man cheated by his wife. However, in the early 60s, american literary critic Helen Caldwell, popularized the theory that the book was intended to be ambiguous. Caldwell argued that Bentinho was a jealous, paranoid [[UnreliableNarrator unreliable narrator]] whose account couldn't be completely trusted. From that point on, the debate over whether Capitu was unfaithful or not (and before that, if such ambiguity really was intended by the author in the first place) raged on.

* UnreliableNarrator: Maybe. For a long time it was considered that the narrator was simply and clearly cheated on by his wife. It was only in the 60s that it began to be argued that Bentinho is paranoid, jealous, has a failing memory and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking is a lawyer]] (and thus trained in convincing others of his own version of the story), and as such his account can't be trusted. This debate goes on...

Published in 1899, hailed by critics as one of Creator/MachadoDeAssis' masterpieces, and still taught at most brazillian schools, ''Dom Casmurro'' is written as a memoir where the narrator and main character, Bentinho (or Dr. Bento as the story progresses), recounts the story of his life and tries to convince the reader about the supposed betrayal of his wife, Capitu, and his best friend, Escobar. Its witty, sarcastic humor, realist style and ambiguity over whether or not the betrayal did happen contribute to the still-ongoing popularity of the book.

* BreakingTheFourthWall: The main character routinely speaks to the reader.
* CharacterTitle
* ComingOfAgeStory
* CrazyJealousGuy: The main character, since the beginning.
* DidTheyOrDidntThey: The whole point of the story.
* NeverMyFault: The author tries to blame everyone else for his miserable life, but whether or not this is true is controversial to say the least.
* ShoutOut: The main character watches Theatre/{{Othello}} in the theater.
* UnreliableNarrator: The main character is an archetypal example: for a long time it was considered that the narrator was simply and clearly cheated on by his wife, and that he himself as a character was completely just in his actions. Only long after his death it has become common knowledge (among professional critics at least) that the fact is, not only is Dr. Bento in possession of a failing memory (he commits many continuity errors, AND lets it slip a few times as he complains about his memory), but is also a lawyer (no further explanation needed, really... but) and he's paranoid. Those all add up for a really unreliable narrator who struggles to remember simple facts, sees things that aren't really there AND wants the reader's approval.

Published in 1899, hailed by critics as one of Creator/MachadoDeAssis' masterpieces, and still taught at most brazillian schools, ''Dom Casmurro'' is written as a memoir where the narrator and main character, Bentinho, recounts the story of his life and tries to convince the reader about the supposed betrayal of his wife, Capitu, and his best friend, Escobar. Its witty, sarcastic humor, realist style and ambiguity over whether or not the betrayal did happen contribute to the still-ongoing popularity of the book.

* UnreliableNarrator: The main character is an archetypal example.