Machado’s first novel, Ressurreição, was published in 1872 in Rio de Janeiro. Written during the author’s so-called romantic period, the novel nonetheless eschews many romantic conventions while offering a study in human psychology and social manners. The plot follows the entanglements of Félix, a young medical doctor, and the two women he loves: Lívia, a beautiful and well-to-do young widow, and Raquel, a shy and retiring young woman.