José Maria Eça de Queirós, although not world famous, is undoubtedly the greatest Portuguese novelist of his time. In 1877 he wrote a novel entitled “The tragedy of the street of flowers” ​​(“The tragedy”); however, it was not published until many years after his death. The novel is a tragic love story between a cocotte (prostitute) named Genoveva de Molineux and a lawyer named Vítor da Silva. The story follows the love between these two individuals which ultimately leads to Genoveva's death. When she first appeared before the audience of the Lisbon orchestra, every man was fond of her beauty and wanted to know her. Vítor falls in love with Genoveva at first sight without knowing beforehand that she is a high-class prostitute. However, tragedy begins when Genoveva is told by Vítor's uncle, Timóteo, that Vítor is his son. Unable to cope with what she had just learned, Genoveva commits suicide; neither she nor Timóteo reveal the truth to Vítor. When questioned about the novel, Eça had stated that it is a cruel story, one of the best he had ever written (at that time) and “a real literary and moral bomb” (Queiroz, preface, ¶ 3-4). “…Nineteenth-century writers knew that incest in Greek tragedy represented the protagonist's hopeless struggle against fate. Finding a close correspondence with the contemporary society of Lisbon, aimlessly debating political, economic and social problems, unable to control the destiny of the nation, does not require a great stretch of imagination” (Bridge 79). In his literary work, Eça's female characters are scarred for life and are weak or are prostitutes; in the case of Genoveva in “La Tragedia,” she is the latter (King and Sousa 200). Through his article entitled “Incest and the female character in Eç...... middle of the sheet...... Experiences, C. 1600-c. 1800." Beauty in History: Society, Politics and Personal Appearance, c. 1500 to the present. London: Thames & Hudson, 1988. 89-181. Print. Marwick, Arthur. “Beauty and the Growth of Business Society, c. 1800-c. 1905.” Beauty in History: Society, Politics and Personal Appearance, c. 1500 to the present. London: Thames & Hudson, 1988. 220-233. Marwick, Arthur “Beauty in history: society, politics and personal appearance, from about 1500 to the present. London: Thames & Hudson, 1988. 224-260. Stampa.Ponte, Carmo. "Incest and the female character in 'A Tragédia de Rua das Flores' by Eça de Queirós." Portuguese Studies, vol. 7 (1991). 78-85. Print.Queirós, Eça de. The tragedy of the street of flowers. Translated by Margaret Jull Costa. Sawtry: Dedalus, 2000. Kindle files.