SUMMARY
This article presents a new reading of two works by Brazilian author Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, his first novel Ressurreição (1872) and the later Dom Casmurro (1899). It reflects on two male protagonists, Félix and Bento, and the relationships they develop with their female partners, Capitu and Lívia. Through an exploration of the psychological abuse these two men inflict on their partners and how these men conform the concept of “a-relational man” by Rainer Maria Rilke, it highlights the relevance of gender violence criticism in Machado’s works.