Abstract
The text analyzes the short story "Uma visita de Alcibíades", by Machado de Assis, from three elements: the adoption of the epistolary genre, the imitation of commonplaces or old topics and the criticism of romantic conventions. Therefore, the study turns to the way the narrative denounces and historicizes its composition codes, adopting humor as a vehicle of disconcerting that confesses the artificiality of the narrative.
Keywords:
Machado de Assis; tale; epistle; satire