Abstract
This chapter explores the thematic relationship between Quincas Borba and the fashion section of A Estação. It reconstructs the history of the magazine, which was the Brazilian edition of Die Modenwelt, a German magazine which reproduced the same fashion content in thirteen different European languages, one of the first (if not the very first) of its kind. The chapter shows how the Brazilian edition was reproduced from its German original, so that it was given a French appearance, which was important for commercial reasons. When it was first published, the readership of Quincas Borba was confined to Brazil; yet the subscribers of the magazine belonged to an international readership of Die Modenwelt, with aspirations to well being, prosperity and social status. The Brazilian author reflects the aspirations of his readers by portraying “a changing society” (Gledson), in which individuals crave for European goods, imitate the habits of the elite to acquire status or to become social climbers themselves. The chapter attempts to show that the author knew his readers very well and took advantage of this fact to write a novel that would appeal to the subscribers of A Estação, while at the same time adopting an ironic style.