(The Alienist). Published in 1882, this novella is a biting satire that remains disturbingly relevant today. The Plot: Science Gone Wild Set in the 18th-century town of Itaguaí, the story follows Dr. Simão Bacamarte
The Alienist by J.-M. Machado de Assis – An absolute must read. O Alienista
Machado de Assis satirizes the 19th-century belief that science could solve all human problems. Bacamarte’s rigid methodology highlights the danger of using "technical" arguments to justify authoritarian control. (The Alienist)
Father Lopes represents the Church, initially skeptical of Bacamarte’s "scientific" authority but ultimately unable to stop the tide of institutionalization. The Final Twist Simão Bacamarte The Alienist by J
The story takes place in Itaguaí, a small, sleepy town in the province of Rio de Janeiro. The protagonist is Simão Bacamarte, a man of science, "one of the greatest physicians of the time, in Brazil and outside Brazil." Bacamarte returns to his hometown from Coimbra and Europe, armed with the latest scientific theories of the Enlightenment. He is a man of immense calm, cold logic, and unwavering dedication to his field: psychiatry, or as it was known then, the study of the "mental alienation."