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Abstract

Machado de Assis expressed through his chronicles his thoughts about his time, including political and social issues. The chronicles also provide an opportunity to understand the historical period through the writer's insightful perspective. This article aims to investigate how Machado de Assis addressed the parliamentary system and the relationship among the powers outlined in the Brazilian Constitution of 1824, analyzing the series of chronicles "Ao Acaso," published in the newspaper Diário do Rio de Janeiro between 1864 and 1865. By reviewing the literature related to Machado de Assis's work and the historical period—aiming to enable an interconnected study between Law and Literature—the research intends to demonstrate the hypothesis that Machado de Assis critically addressed the parliamentary system, both in the exercise of the Legislative and Executive powers. The study concludes that such critical sense does not apply regarding the figure of Dom Pedro II and the exercise of the Moderating Power.