A Cidade e as Serras: analysis and summary of the book of Eça de Queirós

A Cidade e as Serras é um romance of the Portuguese writer Eça de Queirós, published in 1901, and é um development of the story Civilization.

O free treats Jacinto's relationship with civilized Paris and Pacata Tormes.

[Attention, or text below with spoilers]

Sinopse

A work by Eça de Queirós tells the story of Jacinto, a descendant of Portuguese who is born and grows in Paris. Or romance and narrated by his best friend, Zé Fernandes.

Jacinto has a childhood full of money and does not have the French capital where he developed a love for civilization and progress.

A cidade, porém, it doesn't seem like fazer bem for Jacinto. A narrative has a revival when he receives a letter from Tormes, telling about a storm that destroyed the church's property where his former relatives were buried.

Jacinto decides to go to Serras for the inauguration of the church. After some difficulties in the journey, elect to Tormes. As you will see he fazem bem e by which he is established, casa e tem dois filhos.

A Cidade e as Serras e a literary production of Eça de Queirós

This é um posthumous romance by Eça de Queirós, published in 1901 (or a writer had died no previous year). Eça's work can be divided into three phases: a pre-realist, a realist and a post-realist. A Cidade e as Serras is in the last.

Suas maiores works são da second phase, na qual o romancista faz harsh criticism of Portuguese society, pelas suas relations of interest and hypocrisy. The last phase or author seems to be a reconciliation as your country. We can observe this romance.

O Portuguese field is exalted Author hair, with his natural exuberância and or seu povo simple, porém worker and correct.

Within the context of Eça's work, this exaltation of the field can also be understood as a critique of urban society in Portugal, which was extremely influenced by French habits.

More than that, I overcame Cativou foi or Jacinto's tremendous appetite, with enthusiastic conviction that he, accumulating not just mountains of cabidela, depois high serras de arroz de forno, depois steaks of numerous cebolada, exalt nossa cozinha, swear I have never tried anything sublime tão.

A city from this livro and Paris. Isso can be understood as an analogy with a Portuguese elite that was inspired by Parisian ways. This city was also the last residence of the author, where he died.

Historic context

The end of the XX century and the beginning of the XXI century marked by the rise of positivist ideas and civilizational theories. The scientific method and the technological innovations, which come from industrialization, will show us a bright future in front of us.

Therefore, at the same time as cities are growing and prosperous elite, a mass of proletarians expelled from the countryside takes two large urban centers to the periphery, living in precarious situations.

Analyze A Cidade e as Serras

Eça's work shows us a critical view of Paris and the positivist elite, who accredits that technology and knowledge will lead society to a time of happiness and prosperity. Therefore, this same elite lives in the middle of the city, forging good relationships, based on interests and deep knowledge.

Thus philosophical theories presented by the author servem, above all, to justify the attitude of the main personagem Jacinto. I do not commence romance to his philosophical maxim, it can be summed up by a mathematical formula: sum science times sum power and equal sum happiness.

O romance initially presents a personagem cheio de fortuna e felicidade, dubbed as Príncipe da Grã Ventura with the narrator. However, life in Paris shows itself with appearances and with few meanings.

Uma noite no meu quarto, taking off the boots, consult me ​​or Grilo:
- Jacinto walks you murcho, you corcunda... What will it be, Grilo?
Or venerating preto I declare with immense certainty:
- His Excellency of him sofre of fartura.

Jacinto will be becoming depressed and will begin to be interested in pessimism. This philosophical current serves as justification to explain Jacinto's discomfort, who thus abandons his activities to go home.

Or panorama of the complete physical city when Jacinto and Zé Fernandes have a view from the top of a hill in Paris. A city of cinza, its periphery and enormous and sem life, or advance of civilization seems to bring more misery than happiness.

But what, meu Jacinto! Your Civilization insatiably demands gifts and pomps, which it will only obtain, from this bitter social disharmony, is the Capital der Trabalho, for every ardent effort, a migalha ratinhada. Irremediável, é, pois, incessantly serve the common people, the common penis!

It does not deny the comforts of civilization or the positive aspect of a cosmopolitan society, which makes a difference more easily than a rural society.

Já nas serras do Douro, Jacinto and seen with mistrust do not eat. Because of the past of his family, he is considered a miguelista pelos seus vizinhos.

Em Paris, or Jacinto's friends circuit, is more receptive and is made up of a huge variety of people. Likewise, or that it is in other relationships with worldly interests, not affinities.

In opposition to this infertile place that is a city, Eça introduces us to the Serras do Douro as a fertile place, a place of life and happiness. A description of the mountains is extensive and meticulous, mainly due to its natural exuberance.

Na serra ou na cidade each um awaits or seu D. Sebastião. I tied the lotaria da Misericórdia is a form of Sebastianism.

A food in the mountains is also exalted as something natural and in comparison with food in Paris, cheia de molhos and broths, which hides a true essence of food.

Na serra de Eça de Queirós also exists to foment misery. For this reason, Jacinto can remedy the situation and provide dignity to the simple people of the earth.

Interpretation

A Cidade e as Serras é um livro that introduces us to two different cenários, Paris e Tormes. A unit of these cenários has given us the main personagem Jacinto and his state of soul of him.

A narrative proposes a reading of values ​​that is not static. I do not begin with Jacinto's love and romance that civilization is great power and great happiness. On the other hand, in contrast, you will see a place where nature flowers and oppresses or homem, that you fear to dispute with the spaces and food.

Long year of romance, Jacinto's theory began to be proven wrong. Despite being a city surrounded by great civilizing power, Jacinto was not happy. A initial letter is denied, logo a is also opposed.

I then understood that, truly, the soul of Jacinto will be established or balanced in life, and com ele to Grã-Ventura, from what time the fora or Prince is Principality.

A ida de Jacinto às serras introduces a synthesis of romance. Thus you will be, in its natural state, it also presents evils, such as fomenting misery. More to civilizatória intervention of Jacinto remedies to situation.

A great power of civilization offers so many possibilities and so many paths that the individual cannot be happy because of such an offer impede a ação. Já a serra, with its nature, is a treat for ação. Therefore, he does not have two positive aspects that civilization offers.

Sit back in life in the mountains with some comforts of civilization that allow Jacinto to use "some" power to achieve the greatest happiness.

Personagens Principais

Hyacinth

É or main personagem, or Príncipe da Grã Ventura. Rich, with health and intelligence, he had a lucky childhood in Paris. He is enthusiastic about civilization, new technologies and scholarship.

Zé Fernandes

He is the narrator and he is a friend of Jacinto. It has a small property of the Serras Perto de Tormes. She meets Jacinto at a school in Paris and frequents him or her at Campos Elísios.

Grilo

He is Jacinto's oldest servant, or has been with him since childhood.

Sun Galeão

He é o avô de Jacinto, who left Portugal to move to Paris.

Joaninha

She is the cousin of Zé Fernandes and lives in the mountains. She marries Jacinto, as she has two filhos.

I summarize

O principle of narrative

Or romance begins with the history of ancient Senhores de Tormes. Dom Galeão, when he was walking along the streets of Lisbon, slipped through a casca de laranja and was helped by Dom Miguel. From that day on, he became a supporter and defender of the monarch.

Em 1831 D. Pedro returned to Portugal and claimed the throne. More than a dispute for power, two of us represent different ideas: D. Miguel was a conservative and absolutist and Pedro Pedro was a liberal.

Moving to Paris

As a vitória do liberalismo and remains of Dom Miguel, Dom Galeão sai from Portugal and moves to Paris, number palácio no 202 on Avenida de Champs-Élysées (Campos Elísios).

Born in the French capital or his filho Cintinho, a child fails to become an adult doente. Cintinho has a paixão pela filha de lander in Paris to marry her. He will die for a short time depois do casamento, but tem with Teresinha Velha um filho, Jacinto.

Jacinto is a strong child, very intelligent and very lucky. He passes to infância sem contrair doenças e faz o seu percurso not liceu com boas notes. Na adolescence I do not suffer from exacerbated sentimentality.

Jacinto, for the time being, has an ideal life: his friends are alone, regardless of his possessions, his intelligence and his talent are acknowledged and his love has only been proven or melted.

If you are interested in his party, Jacinto has not joined the compor as a relay or shine.

O bem adventurous Jacinto

By the way of Jacinto he is so much that either the narrator and his friend from the liceu, Zé Fernandes, or the name of Príncipe da Grã-Ventura. Jacinto is a city of Paris, cosmopolitan and with a lot of money in his favor. He is strongly influenced by positivist ideas and the advancement of civilization.

He develops some theories that demonstrate the overcoming of cities in relation to life outside the field. These impressive ideas people in their circle can all prove that the technological development of the scholarship was or path for the happiness of two individuals. And some nation that could be used to the maximum potential after two fathers.

Two unique impulses, corresponding to two unique functions, seemed to be alive naquela multidão - or profit and or joy.

Jacinto is the representation of the highest happiness that the city can give to homem. As you have unlimited quase and a great lottery, experience Paris wrapped in the most recent innovations and accumulate a great scholarship.

Zé Fernandes and Jacinto coexist in Paris I said that Zé Fernandes had to return to his village in Guidões, not Douro, where he spent seven years managing his family's property.

Or I go back to Paris

When he returns to Paris, Zé Fernandes finds his Prince of Grã Ventura in a totally different situation than when he left for the French capital. Jacinto is lean and pale, with a cheia schedule of affairs and worldly commitments that does not seem to give any prazer to the Prince.

O Palácio de Jacinto is cheio das more diverse technological innovations. There are many inventions made to facilitate some everyday tasks, rather than seem to be a life of their own and love their users. Ao running to Escrivaninha de Jacinto, Zé Fernandes is cut off to tempt mexer in some other equipment.

A library of 202 is cheia de livros. São mais of 30 thousand volumes that occupy all the walls of the comfortable room, which turns dark like the pilhas of books storing the janelas.

E freed from the inviolable sufficiency of his immense Library, or my dear friend understands the incomparable delight of ler um livro.

An unhappy everyday

Porém, same as all the innovations and all the eruditions you have, Jacinto does not seem happy in Paris. To his philosophy, it seems none other or desired effect. Or maximum advancement and maximum erudition não trouxeram to maximum happiness.

A narrative follows as some worldly encounters that I hated more than entertained. The technological advances of the house cause more problems than facilities. During an important time, eat as a Grão Duque or elevator that will carry food from the kitchen to the glass that you are together with for the first time or the main meal that will be calmed.

Another event is a vazamento two charms of hot water, which transform the palace into a river of scalded water. Jacinto, porém, doesn't seem to be bowing down like these faults and he still follows his philosophy about him. He promotes a house renovation, buys more books and more inventions or his mansion, in the hope that something gives him the satisfaction that he proves to be able to find a city.

O bourgeois triumphs, very forte, all hardened not sin - and against the powerless two Humanitarians, two Logical rationales, two Anarchists bombs.

Jacinto insists no maximum advancement in maximum erudition. Enquanto continue to equip home with new inventions, receive a letter that tells about a storm of em Tormes, which led to a small church giving its property to ravine along with the ossos of seus relatives.

O Prince orders the reconstruction of the church and it begins to emerge in the idea of ​​going to Tormes for a re-inauguration of the space. I did not lose time to life in Paris followed by Zé Fernandes started to be influenced by the city. He is turned off by a prostitute of luxury, he spends all his money with that woman, I added that she disappears and is finished in Paris.

Or return to Tormes

Jacinto decides to go to the serras for the inauguration of the church. You are preparing for a trip começam. O Prince is more animated as the plans for a trip. The item is intended to lead to its great civilization for Tormes.

Caixas e mais caixas are dispatched from Paris for the serras months in advance for Jacinto to check out the property and find the same comforts from his palácio no 202.

No day trip, Jacinto and Zé Fernandes leave Paris with more bagagem for a long trip from Trem até Tormes. Due to a storm, or trem is late to go to Spain, and the two friends are transferred to the vagao press to continue traveling.

During the transfer of bad trains and or raised ficam back. Jacinto and Zé Fernandes chegam em Tormes using just a roupa do corpo. You have a long and tiring trip, you two friends hope to find a station or administrator of Property of Tormes or caseiro with the cavalos to go up to the mountains in the direction of the property of Hyacinth.

With certainty, Zé Fernandes! Com to the certainty of Descartes. "I think, logo flow!" As you want, neste pardieiro, sem uma bed, sem uma armchair, sem um livro ...

Porém ninguém appears na estação. Surpresos, Jacinto and Zé Fernandes get a donkey to climb the mountains. Ao chegarem at the house of Tormes, they are most surprised. The works in the house have not finished and the boxes sent from Paris have not yet been checked.

To disappointment and a pleasant surprise

Já very late and tired, you resolve to pernoitar na property devoid of any luxury. Jacinto finds himself extremely uncomfortable with the lack of luxuries and with such a confusion that at his planned trip he became. So much so that they resolve to leave for Lisbon on the next day.

Porém, even with so many disappointments, Jacinto had his first experience in the mountains, um jantar simple, porém extremely flavorful. The next day, Zé Fernandes leaves for Guidões and sends Jacinto a change of roupa limpa.

Zé Fernandes returned to his mountain range and spent months receiving news from Jacinto, which accredits him that he is working in Lisbon. Até that he takes or I know that or his Prince has not left Tormes.

Because either a gift of three thousand volumes was agora, at his house in Tormes, depois de ressuscitado, or homem who only had a free hand.

Or reunion of Fernandes and Jacinto

Fernandes leaves for Tormes to find his friend. Jacinto found her forte and happy as she has been in Paris. Jacinto is growing in the mountains, but his spirit is still linked to the city.

O Príncipe has miraculous planes for the property, as a queijaria all imported from Switzerland and a horta with all the species of the world. Porém, few years, he will understand the simplicity of serra and oiling-a.

I discovered Portugal

Hyacinthus is dazzled by the fact that he condemns misery and encourages the fact that his property also exists. He promotes a melhoria in all the houses of his property. His benevolence as the poor is beginning to be recognized by all of the mountains.

In December Zé Fernandes faces the anniversary and, to commemorate the occasion, he prepares a dance and a dance at home. This is an opportunity for him to introduce Jacinto to his vizinhos, friends and family.

Or jantar not ocorre as or expected, you live together and do not seem to be a little suspicious as your special guest. Logo, the discovery that runs through the mountains to distrust that Jacinto is a miguelist, as he did.

And now, furious at that fired invention, which was near hostility or me, poor Jacinto, ravaged that lovely noite of years ...

Jacinto is graça na historia. One of the intentions of Zé Fernandes was to be able to present his prince to his cousin, therefore, he cannot go to or from the house because of the doença de seu pai. Fernandes brought Jacinto to her cousin's house on the next day to show them up.

A few months after they got married and went to live in Tormes, where they were filhos, a menina and a menino. A civilization is advancing a few mountains, but in a very discreet way, with telephones linking Tormes' house to some essential services and a friend Zé Fernandes em Guidões.

Zé Fernandes has returned to Paris, but only to confirm that the civilization continues the same, with its advertisements, its expensive rice dishes and its variety theaters.

Leia A Cidade e as Serras

Or romance A Cidade e as Serras, by Eça de Queirós, can be read in full in pdf format.

Ouça A Cidade e as Serras

Conheça also

• Livro Macunaíma, by Mário de Andrade
• Livro O Crime do Padre Amaro de Eça de Queirós
• Livro A Relíquia, by Eça de Queirós