Abstract
Bett's major objection to my book is that its "main thesis", namely, "that the scepticism exhibited in Machado's novels is specifically of the ancient Pyrrhonian variety" (Bett(1996), p. 257)1 is wrong. Nowhere in my whole book do I claim that the skepticism exhibited in Machado's novels and stories is specifically of the ancient Pyrrhonian variety. I delineate in Machado's fiction what I call a skeptical life-view. This life-view is construed within the framework of Machado's fiction using typically Machadian categories such as "homem de espírito" ("spiritual man"), "vida exterior" ("outward life"), "paz doméstica" ("domestic peace") and others. Furthermore "my assessment of the skeptical life-view in Machado's fiction is enhanced by references to three other life-views that are counterpoints to the skeptical one", namely, the "naive", "strategic" and "problematic" (Maia Neto (1994), p. 10)2.
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