In the tradition of Machadian studies, the short story "O espelho" tends to be analysed in a critical perspective that legitimizes the supposed seriousness of the arbitrary speech of the narrator-character Jacobina. From this point of view, the narrative is understood according to philosophical, existential and psychological standards, and the extravagant metaphysical theories of Jacobina are considered as a valid and authentic demonstration of the human essence. Trying to overcome these interpretative distortions, this paper proposes a redefinition of critical perspectives in order to give priority to the analysis of structural procedures that mobilize a strategic irony with the aim of disqualifying this narrator-character and satirizing the content of his metaphysical investigations.
short stories; narrator; irony; satire