Between the picture and the grave: Strether, Aires, and the framing of the real

Abstract

This article attempts to approach the strategies put to use by
Henry James and Machado de Assis, particularly in two scenes
from their novels The Ambassadors and Memorial de Aires. Our objective is to show how the two of them, as they bring forth deceived and deceiving characters, not only broaden the realms of representing material and social world, but also suggest a more conscious bias towards aesthetic awareness.