Esau and Jacob: A Novel (Library of Latin America)

Rating:
Summary: "Selling my birthright for a mess of pottage"
Review: In the Book of Genesis, Isaac and Rebekah have two sons, one hairy and red, the other smooth. These are Esau and Jacob, who struggled with each other even in the womb of their mother. Genesis Chapter 25, verse 23, "And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger." Later, Esau, the hunter sells his birthright to Jacob, the farmer for a simple meal.

I don't know if my tribal history of well over 3,000 years ago is an apt resource for creating allegories regarding 19th century Brazil, but Machado de Assis gave it a shot anyhow. The entire novel is a rather tedious allegory of Brazilian society at the time. In my opinion, it would have made an excellent short story while a 287 page novel is far too long. The two boys born in 1871 to a wealthy Rio de Janeiro family are alike as two peas in a pod, though their temperaments differ. Their mother, named Natividade ( in case you don't "get it"), represents Brazil, the loving figure who nurtures her twin sons, two contradictory spirits who represent conservative and liberal forces in society. These boys conflict throughout the novel, loving the same frail girl (the future ? the present ?) who never consumates marriage with either. Ah, poor Brazil ! What could the future hold ? The author avoids the question as to which brother is the elder and which the younger by making them identical twins. The novel's title alludes to the Bible story, but the narrative bears only some relation to it. Are petty political chicanery, romantic quarrels, suspicious behavior, and useless arguments based on personal pride or ambition, a mess of pottage ? In fairness, it is a clever idea, but I feel it was over-ambitious and ultimately only partially successful. If you take the novel as a simple story about late 19th century Brazil, it is without much life---a girl who can't choose between two jealous and quarreling brothers, some other plot features found in the author's other works. The style of the novel is the same in the two better known books "Epitaph of a Small Winner" and "Dom Casmurro", with many small chapters with titles that pilot the narrative. There is very little description and much lyrical philosophy, attempted irony and wit. These do not sparkle as in the above mentioned novels. ESAU AND JACOB is not up to the standard of the other two, and will attract only the most dedicated readers; perhaps those who are studying Latin American, Nineteenth Century, or Brazilian Literature. I cannot imagine any average reader undertaking this for pure pleasure in the 21st century, because both style and topic are too far from modern sensibilities. You also need to have a fairly comprehensive understanding of Brazilian society in the last quarter of the 19th century. My final word---J.M. Machado de Assis wrote many better works. Try them.