Escola Secundária 3EB Dr. Jorge Augusto Correia – Tavira

Portugal

eTwinning project:

«Sharing Literary and Cultural References»

Author and novel selected : Eça de Queirós, The Maias

Class: 11º A1 2006/2007

Coordinator – Ana Cristina Matias

Subjects:

Portuguese – Ana Cristina MatiasEnglish – Serafim Gonçalves

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(1845(1845(1845(1845----1900)1900)1900)1900)

1. The author

Eça de Queirós

BiographyBiographyBiographyBiography

• José Maria Eça de Queirós was born in Póvoa de Varzim, on 25 November, 1845.

• In 1861 he went to Coimbra’s University where he attended the Law School and met Antero de Quentaland Teófilo Braga.

• While a university student, he started his career a s a writer in a serial story named “Marginal Notes”, in Gazeta de Portugal .

• Due to its unexpected literary innovation, it was n ot well accepted by the readers.

Eça de Queirós

• When Eça de Queirós graduated, he went to live in Évo ra and started publishing a new newspaper run by him, “The OppositonJournal”.

• Back in Lisbon, he founded a revolutionary associat ion, the “Cenáculo”, along with Ramalho de Ortigão and Oliveir a Martins, among others.

• In 1870 he was appointed consul and administrator in Leiria.

• On the following year, he began publishing “The Spl inters” and organized the famous Democratic Conferences held in Lisbon’s Casino.

• Eça de Queirós was the speaker of the fourth conferen ce: “The New literature – Realism as the new art express ion”.

• In 1888 he published The Maias, his most famous novel.

• He was in favour of realism and against romanticism , because it criticized mankind and its nature to ach ieve truth, justice and ethics.

• He died on 16 August, 1900, in Neuilly, France.

Students: Frederico Fonseca and Gonçalo Mestre

Eça de Queirós’ novel , The Maias , is a 19th century realistic novel . The story’s action is unravelled in three d ifferent levels:

•Secondary plot,•Main plot,•Chronicle of Lisbon’s morals.

2.1 The SECONDARY PLOTSECONDARY PLOTSECONDARY PLOTSECONDARY PLOT is revealed by a flashback:

Pedro da Maia falls madly in love with Maria Monforte, with whom he will be married to, against his father’s will.

They have two children, a girl, Maria Eduarda, and a boy, Carlos da Maia.

This marriage has a bad outcome, because Maria Monforte runs away with an italian, taking her daughter along with her.

With such a catastrophe, Pedro seeks refuge in his father’s home.

Knowing that his son, Carlos, would be well brought up by his grandfather (Afonso da Maia), Pedro commits suicide.

Years later, unaware of their family bond, Carlos and Maria Eduarda go to the sames places in Lisbon. So, the main plot is about the incest between Carlos da Maia and Maria Eduarda.At first sight, Carlos falls in love with Maria Eduarda. His overwhelming passion makes him look and look for her until they get to know each other.They become lovers and when they decide to stay together forever, they find out that they are brother and sister. Maria Eduarda and Carlos are so psychologically affected by this unfortunate outcome that they are no longer able to love anyone else.

2.2 THE MAIN PLOT2.2 THE MAIN PLOT2.2 THE MAIN PLOT2.2 THE MAIN PLOT

• Along with the plot, there is the chronicle of Lisbon’s morals which focuses on the Portuguese upper class style of live during the 19th century.

• With irony and a good sense of humour, Eça de Queirós made up his characters so as to give a caricature of the upper classes.

• He also criticizes politics, literature, finance and the habits and mentality of the Portuguese high society.

Alunas: Sara Almeida e Sara Carvalho

2.3 CHRONICLE OF LISBON2.3 CHRONICLE OF LISBON2.3 CHRONICLE OF LISBON2.3 CHRONICLE OF LISBON’’’’S MORALSS MORALSS MORALSS MORALS

AfonsoAfonsoAfonsoAfonso da Maia, a learned man with a refined liking, lived da Maia, a learned man with a refined liking, lived da Maia, a learned man with a refined liking, lived da Maia, a learned man with a refined liking, lived during the 19th century. during the 19th century. during the 19th century. during the 19th century.

Afonso, son of Caetano da Maia who was in favour of absolutism, was expelled from his father’s house because of his liberal ideas.

Some time later, he went to England , but when his father died he came back to Lisbon. Here, he met Maria Eduarda Runa, married her and had a son, Pedro.

His house was searched by followers of the absolutism and so Afonso da Maia went once again to the country which he most admired: England.

Maria Eduarda Runa was a pious woman, and so Pedro was brought up according to the most traditional catholic rules, turning him into an emotionally unstable person.

As Maria Eduarda Runa never adjusted herself to the English lifestyle, they all came back to Lisbon.

Years later, when only Afonso and his grandson Carlos are alive, he brought him up in the British manner: strict rules to become a strong and balanced man.

Already old, Afonso died due to an apoplexy, when he found out that his grandchildren, Maria and Carlos, had a love affair.

After all, his conviction that an education founded on science and moral values would be enough for the triumph of man turned out to be defeated.

Students: Pedro Bispo e Susana

4 4 4 4 ––––The charactersThe charactersThe charactersThe charactersPedro da Maia e Maria Pedro da Maia e Maria Pedro da Maia e Maria Pedro da Maia e Maria MonforteMonforteMonforteMonforte

• PEDRO da MAIA,PEDRO da MAIA,PEDRO da MAIA,PEDRO da MAIA, a man with a nervous temperament, weak and of a high emotional instability, fell in love with Maria Monforte, a gorgeous, sexy and excessively eccentric woman.

• His only alive and intense feeling was his passion for his mother until he fell in love with Maria Monforte.

• This strong feeling gave him strength to oppose his father and run away with her. They got married and had two children, Carlos and Maria Eduarda.

Maria Monforte

MariaEduarda

DaMaia

Carlos da

Maia

Pedro da Maia

MARIA MONFORTEMARIA MONFORTEMARIA MONFORTEMARIA MONFORTEMARIA MONFORTEMARIA MONFORTEMARIA MONFORTEMARIA MONFORTEis a very beautiful woman, is a very beautiful woman, attracting everyoneattracting everyone ’’s s attention because of her attention because of her arrogant behaviour and her arrogant behaviour and her jewels. jewels.

She is the daughter of a man She is the daughter of a man who had become rich with who had become rich with the slave trade, and so she the slave trade, and so she was known in Lisbon as was known in Lisbon as ««the slaverthe slaver »»..

This dominating woman is This dominating woman is influenced by the romantic influenced by the romantic literature and has an intense literature and has an intense love affair with Tancredo, an love affair with Tancredo, an Italian who Pedro decided to Italian who Pedro decided to shelter. shelter.

Tancredo and Maria Tancredo and Maria MonforteMonforte ended up ended up running away. running away.

She took her daughter She took her daughter Maria Maria EduardaEduarda with her with her and left behind her and left behind her younger son, Carlos da younger son, Carlos da Maia.Maia.

• After this unfortunate occurrence, Pedro da Maia returned to his father’s home and committed suicide because of his grief caused by the departure of his wife and their cruel fate.

• Some years later, Tancredo died and Maria Monforte was now alone with her daughter who didn’t know she had a brother.

• Maria Monforte was now also completely bankrupt.

• She is held responsible for all the disgraces in Maia’s family, because she never told Maria Eduarda who her real father was and had betrayed her husband, Pedro.

Students: Cláudia Pestana and Verónica Martins

• Carlos spent his childhood with his grandfather in a farm, Quinta de Santa Olávia.

• This farm of the Maia family was located in the Douro region, not far from a small town, Resende.

• The Douro region is located in the northeast of Portugal and it spreads throughout nearly 250 000 acres.

• This region has cold winters but hot and dry summers, emphasizing the following quotation : “9 months of winter,

3 months of hell”.

• The Douro region is divided into three minor regions – Baixo Corgo, Cima Corgo and Douro superior, each of them producing wines with unique characteristics.

• One of the most famous varieties is the world wide famous “ Oporto Wine”.

• Agriculture, cattle breeding and craftsmen’s arts are the main activities of the working population.

• Afonso da Maia chose to bring up his grandson, Carlo s, in the British manner, which was completely different from the way his son, Pedro, had been brought up.

• Thus, Carlos da Maia becomes a brave and frontal pe rson, friendly and generous, without a religious upbringi ng but knowing the real meaning of honour and solidarity. He also has a sharp criticism and a typical scientific curi osity.

Students: Mariana Daniel and Tiago Gonçalves

6 - CoimbraCoimbraCoimbraCoimbra

Known by its cultural and artistic traditions, it w as for a long time considered Portugal’s intellectual capital.Even today it is one of the most picturesque cities of our country.

Between 1139 and 1385 Coimbra was the capital of Portugal.

Although the city’s life is closely connected to th e university, Coimbra has different monuments which g ive it a unique cultural richness:

• Natural History Museum and Archaeology Museum• Botanic Garden• Cathedral• Santa Clara Convent

and many other monuments

Botanic GardenCathedral

Santa Clara Convent

• Coimbra University is one of the most ancient universities in Europe. It was founded in 1290.

• Just like in the medieval universities, its student s wear their garment with coloured bands which identify th eir college.

• Carlos enthusiastically enrolled in Medical School. Yet, as he did not study a lot he nearly failed in his first year . He then thought about his grandfather and the disappointment he would have if he really had failed, so he decided to restrain his intellectual dissipation and engage himself more to the science he had chosen.

Carlos da MaiaCarlos da MaiaCarlos da MaiaCarlos da Maia’’’’s life in Coimbras life in Coimbras life in Coimbras life in Coimbra

Students: Joana Soares and Raquel Piloto

While in Coimbra, Carlos had an intense social life, he was attracted by some women, and had two love affairs, one was Hermengarda and the other Encarnacion, but neither of them was successful.

Lisbon has had a very important historical role, no t only because it is the capital of Portugal but also due to the discoveries made by the Portuguese navigators. In the 15th and the 16th centuries these brave men depar ted from Lisbon conquering all the oceans of the world and honouring the name of our country. In 1755, Lisbon was hit by a tremendous earthquake which destroyed a great part of the old city. It was then rebuilt and modernized to look like we know it today.

The bridge over the Tagus, Lisbon

Due to its geographical localization, Lisbon has a mild climate, which makes it a city we all wish to visit .

Lisbon has a lot of tourists and so it has develope d the Portuguese tourism.

D. José I Square (Praça do Comércio), Lisbon

Lisbon’s commercial diversity makes it a strong European city and the painters unanimously say that it has a fantastic brightness. In Portugal, it is the city with more population, more houses and a higher standard of living.

A painting by Abel Manta

Carlos da Maia is the main character of the novel The Maias .

In the autumn of 1875, after a long trip all over E urope, Carlossettles down in Lisbon with his grandfather, Afonso da Maia.

In spite of having graduated in medicine at Coimbra University, he ended up opening his office right in the centre of Lisbon. Here he started working only for pleasure and not f or a living.

D. Pedro IV Square (Rossio), Lisbon

• Carlos takes part in a lot of the most important ev ents in Lisbon, like the dinner at the Central Hotel, where he sees his “god dess”, Maria Eduarda; the horse racing; the dinner party at Count Gouvari nho’s home; the newspaper episode , where he takes revenge on Dâmaso Salcede; and the evening party at the Trindade Theatre.

• After having been away from Lisbon for ten years, C arlos spends some time in Lisbon and gets to know that Maria Eduarda is now married to a nobleman from Orleans, France. At the end of the n ovel, Carlos and his best friend Ega talk about their frustration but they sti ll try to catch the American tram.

Students: André Pires and Ricardo Salvé-Rainha

Eça de Queiróswith the Statue of Truth, Lisbon

Photo taken by the students

8 8 8 8 ––––TheTheTheThe character: Mariacharacter: Mariacharacter: Mariacharacter: Maria EduardaEduardaEduardaEduardaMaria Eduarda is one of the main characters and the tragic action of “ The Maias ” begins with her relationship with Carlos da Maia.

Carlos da Maia is fascinated andcompletely enchanted byMaria Eduarda. She is beautiful,her body is magnificent and she is a learned woman.

In the novel, Maria Eduardahas a love affair with Carlos. She tells him about her unhappy past, the way she was brought up, her way of life and her social environment.

Maria Eduarda also tells him that she was married to Mac Green with whom she had a daughter, Rosa.

Mac Green had died in the Saint – Private Battle, when the war broke out between France and Prussia.

She also tells him that she lives with a rich Brazilian, Castro Gomes, who had brought her to Lisbon.

This main character has a strong personality and she is not a sinner.

Maria Eduarda is a sensible person and has a strong sense of dignity.

She is also in favour of the Republic because it is the political regime which cares for the humble ones.

Students: Joel Silvestre and Tiago Rodrigues

9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 -------- SintraSintraSintraSintraSintraSintraSintraSintra• Sintra is a Portuguese town in the Lisbon

district with about 410.000 inhabitants.

• In the 19th century, Sintra became the most important centre of romantic architecture in Europe.

• Other nearby places offer unique combinations of parks and gardens which influenced the European landscape architecture a lot.

• The mountain range of Sintra is the extension of the mountain range of Estrela which ends in Cape of Roca, signalling the western limit of the European Continent.

• Sintra played a very important role for the Lisbon middle-class in the 19th century.

• The historic town was the scenario of country escapes from the cosmopolitism of Lisbon.

Photo taken by the students

Nowadays, Sintra still attracts a lot of national and foreign tourists because of its lovely landscape and its historic places:. The National Palace of Sintra, • The Palace of Pena,• The Palace of Seteais• The Palace of Regaleira.

Photos taken by the students

The National Palace of Sintra was once a royal palac e but nowadays it is a property of the Portuguese state. It’s an urban palace which began being built in the 16th century by an unknown author. Its architecture belongs both to th e gothic and “manuelino” periods as well as the renascence and ro mantic periods.In the kitchen, the inner walls of its monumental c himneys are quite outstanding.

National Palace of Sintra, photo taken by the stude nts

• The Palace of Regaleira is the main building and it is usually know as Quinta (farm) da Regaleira.

• The palace is located in the slope of the mountain and near the historic centre of Sintra, classified as a world patrimony.

• It is a four hectare farm with romantic, gothic, renascence and “manuelino” traces. This diversity is also enriched with esoteric symbols

The Palace of Regaleira, Sintra

Photo taken by the students

The Palace of Regaleira, photo taken by the student s

Sintra is famous for itstraditional sweets, especiallythe tasty “queijadas” and“travesseiros”.

The Palace of Regaleira, photos taken by the students

CarlosCarlosCarlosCarlosCarlosCarlosCarlosCarlos’’’’’’’’ visit to visit to visit to visit to visit to visit to visit to visit to SintraSintraSintraSintraSintraSintraSintraSintra• Carlos goes to Sintra with his friend Cruges because he

wanted to find the mysterious woman he had seen at the Central Hotel in Lisbon. He was going to stay at Th e Lawrence, where he supposed that mysterious lady wa s, but then he decided to go to The Nunes.

• Cruges had only once been to Sintra, so he was fasci nated with the wonderful landscapes.

• Carlos was always trying to meet the lady from The Central Hotel but without luck. He only came across Alenca r, who went with them to Seteais, a place which had no sec rets for him.

Photo taken by the students Photo taken by the students

10 10 10 10 –––– The character: The character: The character: The character: JoãoJoãoJoãoJoão da da da da EgaEgaEgaEga

• Ega is one of the most important characters in the novel. He has great influence upon Carlos right from the days when they were college mates in Coimbra university, where he studied law.

• He regards the bad judgment of his atheism as a compliment and stands for the bohemian and the careless style of life.

• Although he had many plans, like writing his biography, “ Memories of an atom”, and to achieve the change of Portugal, he could never conclude them.

• He is a romantic man, as he takes many risks just for love, eccentric, immoral and revolutionary.

Coimbra

Coimbra University

• Ega stands for the 1870´s generation, which defends the realistic values against the romantic ones.

• He is loyal to Carlos, always taking his side and standing up for him.

• He is seen as the self – portrait of the author Eça de Queirós, due to their physical similarities. The psychological features are also, allegedly, similar.

• He had a lean figure, a hooked nose, a long and thin neck, small fists and stork legs, making him look crazy. He also had the habit of wearing an eyeglass.

Eça de Queirós

Students: Joana Estêvão and Pedro Faleiro

11 11 11 11 ---- Dinner at the Central HotelDinner at the Central HotelDinner at the Central HotelDinner at the Central Hotel

To honour his friend Cohen, of whose wife he is the lover, Ega organises a dinner at the Central Hotel and in vites some of his friends, including Carlos.

For the latter, this dinner is also an opportunity to extend hisknowledge of the political, literary and cultural a spects that characterize Lisbon at the end of the 19th century.

Praça do Comércio, Lisbon

As he was entering the hotel with Craft, Carlos saw Maria Eduarda for the first time, the woman that aroused i n him an immediate attraction, the same one which is respons ible for the beginning of an enormous passion in the novel.

Railway Station, Cais do Sodré, Lisbon

At dinner lots of topics are discussed:

•literature and literary critics,

•finance,

•history and politics.

It’s easy to notice a permanent contrast of opinions defended by realists/naturalists and ultra-romantics, testing the patriotism of each other.

The Tagus, Lisbon

As night goes on, we can see a persistent lack of:• personality (Alencar and Ega are influenced by Cohen,

Dâmaso shows the easy way to get away), • incoherence (Ega and Alencar are momentarily angry wi th

each other and seconds later they are friendsagain)

and above all • there is a general absence of culture and civics, e xcept for Carlos and Craft.

Students: Joana Roberto and Margarida Gomes

Lisbon

12 12 12 12 ---- The Social Evening at the The Social Evening at the The Social Evening at the The Social Evening at the TrindadeTrindadeTrindadeTrindade TheatreTheatreTheatreTheatre

An evening party is a social meeting where speeches are delivered, music is played and poetry is recited.

The evening party in the novel “The Maias” was held at the TrindadeTheatre, in Lisbon, where all these performances took place:

• Rufino made a sentimental speech,

• Cruges played Beethoven’s sonata “Patétique”,

• Alencar said one of his poems.

This was a charity evening party to help the victims of the flood in Ribatejo.

Many people attended this social event, mainly the upper class and even the royal family.

With this happening, Eça de Queirós highlighted:

• the ignorance of most of themembers of the upper class;

• the boring chats

and

• the excessiveness of the ultra-romanticism

TheTheTheTheSocial Social Social Social CriticismCriticismCriticismCriticism

Trindade Theatre

Along with the social evening, at the Trindade Theatre the tragedy happens. Eça de Queirós wanted to make a great impact by contrasting the party with the misfortune.

João da Ega is the main key and so, unlike all the previous chapters, he is the main character. It is him who unexpectedly finds out that Carlos and Maria Eduarda are brother and sister, when talking to Mr. Guimarães, Dâmaso’s uncle, who, without bad intentions, unveiled the secret which he thought had long ago been revealed.

Although Carlos and Maria believed that nothing could get them apart from each other, this astonishing secret really ended up their relationship.

TheTheTheThe tragedytragedytragedytragedy

Students: Márcia Santos and Micaela Silva

Trindade Theatre, 2007

Picture taken by the students

13131313---- The epilogue of the main plotThe epilogue of the main plotThe epilogue of the main plotThe epilogue of the main plot

Although Carlos knew the truth, he still consciously commits incest, making his grandfather die of grief.

Only then, feeling guilty and sorry, did he break up with Maria Eduarda.

She went to France, while Carlos and his friend Egatoured all over the world.

Carlos settled down in Paris but visited Portugal ten years later, in 1887.

The losersThe losersThe losersThe losers

While in Portugal, Carlos became aware of a crumbli ng country, thus his generation (the 1870’s generation ) was a failure. And so, Carlos’ generation is now known a s those who were beaten by life, because they didn’t manage to spread their ideas and make their project s, planned since the middle of the 19 th century, come true.

Eça de Queirós

In short, the epilogue of the novel begins when:

• the incest is unveiled,

• Afonso da Maia dies

and

• Carlos admits he is a loser.

Students: Diogo Barros and Mariana Val

In the past

In the presentPhotos taken by the students

Escola Secundária 3EB Dr. Jorge Augusto Correia – Tavira

Portugal

Class: 11º A1 2006/2007

Coordinator – Ana Cristina Matias