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Introductory
Note to the Reader Before engaging with the following
analysis of Civilização by José Maria de Eça de Queirós, I would like
to offer a brief personal reflection that, in many ways, mirrors Jacinto’s
journey. At some point in my life, as an avid reader, I felt an intense
desire to learn as much as possible about the subjects that captured my
interest. Books, ideas, and intellectual exploration became central to my
identity. In retrospect, I might have been a kind of “Jacinto,” fascinated by
knowledge and convinced, perhaps unconsciously, that accumulating it would
bring clarity, purpose, and fulfillment. However, with time and maturity, my
perspective began to shift. Many of the “important things” I once pursued
with such intensity gradually revealed themselves as, if not entirely
meaningless, at least insufficient. I came to understand that knowledge, while
valuable, does not necessarily equate to wisdom, nor does it guarantee
happiness. Like Jacinto, I began to question the assumption that the more one
knows, the more one must inevitably suffer. Unlike Jacinto, I did not need to
retreat to the mountains of Portugal, or even to the mountains of my home
country, Costa Rica, to undergo this transformation. Instead, my turning
point emerged through a far more intimate and meaningful experience: the
privilege of raising four children alongside my wife. In that space of family
life, responsibility, and love, I encountered a different kind of knowledge, one
not rooted in abstraction, but in lived experience. That reality became the catalyst that
led me to reconsider what truly matters. It taught me that fulfillment is
often found not in the accumulation of ideas, but in the cultivation of
relationships, purpose, and presence. In this sense, Jacinto’s transformation
is not merely literary; it is profoundly human. His journey invites us to
reflect on our own lives and to question whether the paths we pursue
genuinely lead us toward what is essential. Jonathan
Acuña Solano |
From Decadent Civilization to Restorative Simplicity: Jacinto’s Inner Transformation in “Civilização” by José Maria de Eça de Queirós
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Abstract This
paper analyzes Jacinto’s inner transformation in Civilização by José
Maria de Eça de Queirós, focusing on the tension between modern civilization
and authentic human fulfillment. Initially immersed in a world of
technological abundance and philosophical inquiry, Jacinto embodies the
nineteenth-century belief that progress and knowledge lead to happiness.
However, influenced by the pessimistic philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer and
the existential reflections of Ecclesiastes, he becomes increasingly
disillusioned, perceiving life as dominated by suffering and futility. His
retreat to the Portuguese countryside marks a turning point, where isolation
and simplicity enable a gradual ethical and psychological transformation.
Drawing on perspectives from Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Max Weber, and Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi, this study interprets Jacinto’s journey as a critique of
excessive intellectualization and technological dependency. Ultimately, the
essay argues that Eça de Queirós proposes a model of fulfillment grounded in
simplicity, meaningful labor, and reconnection with nature, challenging
dominant assumptions about progress and well-being. |
Keywords: Civilization,
Modernity, Alienation, Simplicity, Transformation, Nature, Knowledge,
Pessimism, Fulfillment, Identit, Eça de Queirós |
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Resumen Este trabajo analiza la transformación interior de
Jacinto en Civilização de José Maria de Eça de Queirós, centrándose en
la tensión entre la civilización moderna y la realización humana auténtica.
Inicialmente inmerso en un mundo de abundancia tecnológica y reflexión
filosófica, Jacinto encarna la creencia del siglo XIX de que el progreso y el
conocimiento conducen a la felicidad. Sin embargo, influenciado por el
pesimismo de Arthur Schopenhauer y las reflexiones existenciales del Eclesiastés,
comienza a percibir la vida como un espacio dominado por el sufrimiento y la
futilidad. Su retiro al campo portugués marca un punto de inflexión, donde el
aislamiento y la simplicidad permiten una transformación ética y psicológica
progresiva. A partir de las perspectivas de Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Max Weber
y Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, este estudio interpreta el proceso de Jacinto como
una crítica a la excesiva intelectualización y a la dependencia tecnológica. En
última instancia, se argumenta que Eça de Queirós propone un modelo de
plenitud basado en la simplicidad, el trabajo significativo y la reconexión
con la naturaleza, cuestionando las nociones tradicionales de progreso y
bienestar. |
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Resumo Este artigo analisa a transformação interior de
Jacinto em Civilização, de José Maria de Eça de Queirós, com foco na
tensão entre a civilização moderna e a realização humana autêntica.
Inicialmente inserido em um ambiente de abundância tecnológica e reflexão
filosófica, Jacinto representa a crença do século XIX de que o progresso e o
conhecimento conduzem à felicidade. No entanto, influenciado pelo pessimismo
de Arthur Schopenhauer e pelas reflexões existenciais do Eclesiastes,
ele passa a perceber a vida como marcada pelo sofrimento e pela inutilidade. Sua
retirada para o campo português constitui um ponto de virada, no qual o
isolamento e a simplicidade possibilitam uma transformação ética e
psicológica gradual. A partir das perspectivas de Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Max
Weber e Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, este estudo interpreta a trajetória de
Jacinto como uma crítica à excessiva intelectualização e à dependência
tecnológica. Por fim, argumenta-se que Eça de Queirós propõe um modelo de
realização baseado na simplicidade, no trabalho significativo e na reconexão
com a natureza, desafiando as concepções tradicionais de progresso e
bem-estar. |
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In the
short story Civilização, written by the Portuguese realist writer José
Maria de Eça de Queirós, the protagonist Jacinto embodies the paradox of
modern civilization at the end of the nineteenth century. Living surrounded by
technological innovations, philosophical treatises, and the intellectual
prestige of Parisian culture, Jacinto believes that progress and knowledge will
produce happiness. Yet his life becomes increasingly marked by fatigue,
anxiety, and existential dissatisfaction.
When
he later withdraws to the mountains of Portugal and remains alone in a
deteriorating rural house while the narrator José temporarily leaves to
visit his aunt, Jacinto undergoes a profound inner transformation. This period
of isolation becomes a turning point in which he abandons the sterile
intellectualism of urban civilization and discovers a more authentic form of
happiness rooted in simplicity, nature, and meaningful labor.
Through
Jacinto’s experience, Eça de Queirós critiques the excesses of modern
civilization and suggests that human fulfillment may lie not in technological
abundance but in reconnection with the rhythms of nature and the dignity of
rural life.
The Burden of Civilization and
Intellectual Excess
At the
beginning of the narrative, Jacinto is portrayed as a man overwhelmed by the
artifacts of modern progress. His Parisian residence is filled with machines,
books, telephones, elevators, and countless devices meant to facilitate life.
Yet these symbols of progress become sources of “frustration” rather than “comfort.”
Jacinto, in the short story’s narrative, represents the idealized
nineteenth-century belief that civilization, knowledge, and scientific
advancement lead inevitably to happiness. However, Eça de Queirós presents this
belief ironically. Despite possessing every luxury imaginable, Jacinto experiences
a deep existential distress.
The
narrator observes that Jacinto’s life gradually becomes dominated by
philosophical pessimism, especially after reading works influenced by thinkers
such as Arthur Schopenhauer and the biblical reflections associated with King
Solomon in Ecclesiastes. These texts convince Jacinto that existence is
fundamentally marked by suffering and futility. As Jacinto laments, “que tudo é vaidade ou dor, que
quanto mais se sabe, mais se pena” (Eça de Queirós, 1902/2001). The
idea that knowledge leads to greater suffering captures the essence of
Jacinto’s intellectual crisis.
The
influence of pessimistic philosophy is central to Jacinto’s spiritual
exhaustion. In The World as Will and Representation, Schopenhauer argues
that human existence is driven by an insatiable will that condemns individuals
to endless dissatisfaction. As Schopenhauer (1819/1969) explains, human desires
perpetually generate new needs, making satisfaction temporary and incomplete.
Jacinto internalizes this worldview, interpreting his intellectual achievements
as proof that the more humanity advances, the more it becomes aware of life’s
inherent misery. Similarly, the biblical book of Ecclesiastes proclaims
that “in much wisdom is much grief” (Ecclesiastes 1:18), reinforcing Jacinto’s
belief that intellectual progress may deepen existential awareness rather than
alleviate it. The convergence of these philosophical influences produces a
crisis of meaning: the very civilization Jacinto once admired becomes evidence
of humanity’s spiritual emptiness.
Jacinto as a Symbol of Modern
Alienation
Literary
scholars often interpret Jacinto as a symbolic figure representing the
decadence of modern urban culture. According to Carlos Reis (1999), Eça de
Queirós frequently explored the contradictions of modernization, portraying
characters who suffer from the alienation produced by excessive
intellectualization and social sophistication. Jacinto exemplifies this
condition. His life in Paris is not only materially excessive but also
psychologically oppressive for his feeble mind.
Surrounded
by thousands of books of all sorts of fields of knowledge and mechanical
inventions, Jacinto becomes incapable of experiencing spontaneous joy.
Civilization, instead of liberating him, has imprisoned him within layers of
abstraction and artificiality. What initially appears to be comfort becomes
suffocating complexity. The abundance of “knowledge and technology” leads not
to clarity but to confusion and existential fatigue.
This
depiction of Quierós’s anticipates sociological critiques of modernity. The
sociologist Max Weber later described modern civilization as an “iron cage,” a
system in which rationalization and technological organization trap individuals
in impersonal structures (Weber, 1905/2002). Jacinto’s Parisian lifestyle
illustrates this phenomenon in literary form. The machines designed to make
life easier instead generate dependence, frustration, and emotional fatigue
leading to emptiness. Instead of enjoying the comforts of civilization, Jacinto
becomes enslaved by them.
The Journey to the Mountains:
A Narrative Turning Point
The
journey to rural Portugal represents the story’s crucial turning point for
Jacinto. He travels to the mountains reluctantly, largely because he must
inspect neglected family properties and because of the gruesome preparations he
must undergo and supervise. Yet the contrast between Paris and the Portuguese
countryside immediately transforms his perception of life.
During
the trip, the technological systems that once defined Jacinto’s lifestyle fail
repeatedly. Luggage gets lost, machines malfunction, and the carefully
organized structure of modern life he relies on collapses all together. These
failures symbolize the fragility of the civilization Jacinto once admired. In
the countryside, removed from the elaborate mechanisms of modern society,
Jacinto is forced to confront a simpler and more direct form of existence.
According
to Óscar Lopes, Eça de Queirós frequently used rural environments to reveal the
artificiality of urban life (Lopes & Saraiva, 2005). In the mountains,
Jacinto gradually realizes that the complexity of civilization has obscured the
fundamental sources of human satisfaction. What he once interpreted as progress
now appears excessive and unnecessary. His stay in this run-down property where
he even tastes food he was not to eat before becomes an eye-opener that unfolds
another reality he has been absent from.
Isolation and the Rediscovery
of Simple Living
The
most significant moment of transformation occurs when Jacinto remains alone in
the mountain house with only his servants while the narrator José leaves to
visit his aunt. This temporary isolation allows Jacinto to experience life
without the intellectual noise that previously dominated his identity.
This so-called isolation is the catalyst he needed to appreciate life from a
different angle, not the technological, philosophical one he had been attached
to.
Deprived
of his scientific library, technological gadgets, and philosophical texts,
Jacinto slowly begins to rediscover the pleasures of physical activity, simple
meals, and the beauty of the surrounding landscape. The mountains become a
space of inner and self-renewal where Jacinto reconnects with basic human
experiences he had long abandoned by his knowledge blindfoldedness. Instead of
analyzing existence through philosophical pessimism, he begins to live it
directly, and, consequently, to enjoy it.
This
transformation is gradual but unmistakable. Jacinto develops an appreciation
for agricultural work, fresh food, and the rhythm and pace of rural life.
Activities that once seemed trivial in his eyes now acquire meaning and
dignity. The simplicity of the countryside reveals that happiness does not
require the intellectual complexity that once defined Jacinto’s life.
Rousseau, Nature, and the
Critique of Artificial Civilization
Another
useful perspective emerges from the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose
critique of modern civilization resonates strongly with Jacinto’s
transformation. Rousseau famously argued that civilization corrupts humanity’s
natural goodness by imposing artificial desires, social competition, and
hierarchical distinctions. In works such as Discourse on the Origin of
Inequality, Rousseau (1755/1994) suggested that social institutions often
distance individuals from their authentic selves by encouraging vanity, envy,
and dependence on external validation.
Although
Eça de Queirós wrote more than a century after Rousseau, Jacinto’s experience
reflects many of Rousseau’s philosophical concerns. In Paris, Jacinto lives in
an environment dominated by artificial desires, technological novelty,
intellectual prestige, and social sophistication. His identity becomes tied to
objects and systems designed to demonstrate the superiority of civilization
over simple life like the one in the countryside. Yet these elements fail to
provide genuine satisfaction to people who only find themselves philosophizing
and emotionally attached to new discoveries and gadgets. Instead, those
elements intensify his feelings of emptiness and alienation.
When
Jacinto retreats to the mountains because he finds himself forced to do it, he
abandons many of the artificial desires that once dominated his city, modern life.
The rural environment removes the social pressures and intellectual
competitions that fully defined his existence in Paris. Instead of seeking
recognition through technological sophistication or philosophical knowledge,
Jacinto discovers fulfillment in modest home and countryside routines:
cultivating the land, sharing meals with his servants, and appreciating the
natural landscape surrounding his home.
This
shift in Jacinto echoes Rousseau’s belief that simplicity and closeness to
nature foster genuine well-being. For Rousseau (1755/1994), authentic happiness
emerges when individuals live according to natural needs rather than socially
constructed desires. Jacinto’s transformation illustrates this principle
vividly. In the mountains, he experiences a kind of moral and psychological
liberation, discovering that the fundamental conditions of happiness are
surprisingly simple.
Ethical Transformation Through
Daily Experience
Eça de
Queirós portrays Jacinto’s change not as a sudden revelation but as a process
shaped by daily experience and self-discovery. The rural environment demands
effort and adaptation on Jacinto’s part. The house where Jacinto stays is
initially dilapidated, and life in the mountains requires practical skills he
never needed when being in Paris.
According
to Helena Carvalhão Buescu, Eça de Queirós often depicted transformation as an
ethical reorientation that emerges gradually from lived experience rather than
dramatic insight (Buescu, 2013). Jacinto’s evolution (or revolution) reflects
this literary strategy. Through repeated encounters with the realities of rural
life, he learns to value simplicity, community, and purposeful labor.
When
the narrator, José, eventually returns, Jacinto appears healthier, calmer, and
more balanced than before. His pessimistic reflections about civilization no
longer dominate his thinking. The philosophical despair that once shaped his
worldview has been replaced by a practical appreciation of life’s most modest
pleasures.
Civilization Reconsidered: Eça
de Queirós’s Social Critique
Jacinto’s
transformation ultimately reflects Eça de Queirós’s broader critique of modern
civilization. The story does not reject civilization entirely; instead, it
exposes the dangers of excess technological gimmicks. When technology,
intellectual ambition, and social sophistication become ends in themselves,
they can disconnect individuals from fundamental human experiences and what can
be really important in people’s life.
The
contrast between Paris and the Portuguese mountains reveals this imbalance.
Paris in the narrative’s plot represents technological abundance, intellectual
prestige, and cultural sophistication, yet it leaves Jacinto emotionally
exhausted and empty. The mountains, by contrast, offer simplicity, labor, and
contact with nature, conditions that restore his sense of meaning of what
civilization (Civilização) really means.
Modern
psychological perspectives reinforce this insight. The psychologist Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi (1990) argues that deep satisfaction emerges from meaningful
engagement in purposeful activities rather than passive consumption of
comforts. Jacinto’s experience illustrates this principle in narrative form. By
participating actively in rural life rather than merely observing it, he
discovers a sense of fulfillment that intellectual speculation never provided.
Conclusion
Jacinto’s
stay in the mountains represents a profound inner transformation from alienated
intellectualism to grounded simplicity. Influenced initially by the pessimistic
philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer and the existential reflections of Ecclesiastes,
Jacinto becomes convinced that civilization leads only to suffering. Yet
his temporary isolation in rural Portugal reveals an alternative vision of life
in which happiness arises from simplicity, labor, and harmony with nature.
Through Jacinto’s
journey, José Maria de Eça de Queirós offers a powerful literary critique of
modern civilization even for 21st Century living. The story suggests that
technological progress and intellectual accumulation do not necessarily produce
fulfillment. Instead, authentic happiness may emerge when individuals reconnect
with the essential rhythms of human existence: work, community, and the natural
world. Jacinto’s transformation therefore stands as both a personal awakening
and a broader reflection on the limits of modern civilization.
San José, Costa Rica
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
📚 References
Buescu, H. C. (2013). Chiaroscuro:
Modernidade e literatura. Lisboa: Tinta-da-China.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The
psychology of optimal experience. Harper &
Row.
Eça
de Queirós, J. M. (2001). Civilização. In Contos. Lisboa: Livros
do Brasil. (Original work published 1902)
Lopes,
Ó., & Saraiva, A. J. (2005). História da literatura portuguesa.
Porto: Porto Editora.
Reis,
C. (1999). Eça de Queirós: Uma estética da ironia. Coimbra: Almedina.
Rousseau,
J.-J. (1994). Discourse
on the origin of inequality. Oxford University Press. (Original work published 1755)
Schopenhauer, A. (1969). The world as will
and representation (E. F. J. Payne, Trans.). Dover. (Original work
published 1819)
The Holy Bible. (1989). New Revised Standard
Version. National Council of Churches.
Weber, M. (2002). The Protestant ethic and
the spirit of capitalism. Penguin. (Original work published 1905)
From Decadent Civilization to Restorative Simplicity - Jacinto’s Inner Transformation in “Civilização” by J... by Jonathan Acuña
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