1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34  36 37 38 39 40 41 Pulci and Boiardo Guicciardini Manzoni Autobiography D’Annunzio Film and Literature Women’s Voices in Italian Literature Dante and Modern American Criticism Italy 1991: The Modern and Postmodern Images of Columbus and the New World Goldoni The Italian Epic and Its International Context Women Mystic Writers L’odeporica/Hodoeporics: On Travel Literature Anthropology and Italian Literature Italian Cultural Studies New Landscapes in Contemporary Italian Cinema Beginnings/Endings/Beginnings Literature Criticism Ethics Exile Literature Hodoeporics Revisited/Ritorno all’odeporica Francis Petrarch and the European Lyric Tradition Literature and Science Negotiating Italian Identities Literature, Religion, and the Sacred Humanisms, Posthumanisms, and Neohumanisms A Century of Futurism Capital City: Rome 1870–2010 Italian Critical Theory Cinema Italiano Contemporaneo Boccaccio’s Decameron: Rewriting the Christian Middle Ages From Otium and Occupatio to Work and Labor in Italian Culture The Great War & the Modernist Imagination in Italy Speaking Truth to Power from Medieval to Modern Italy =PVSLUJL9LZPZ[HUJL;VSLYHUJL:HJYPÄJLPU0[HS`»Z3P[LYHY` *\S[\YHS/PZ[VY` The New Italy and the Jews: From Massimo D’Azeglio to Primo Levi Urban Space and the Body Nation(s) & Translations Unholy & Holy Violence in Dante’s Comedy 1922-2022: Pasolini e la libertà espressiva. Lingua, stile, potere Il fascismo nella cultura italiana: 1945-2023 (1983 — 2023) (1983) (1984) (1985) (1986) (1987) (1988) (1989) (1990) (1991) (1992) (1993) (1994) (1995) (1996) (1997) (1998) (1999) (2000) (2001) (2002) (2003) (2004) (2005) (2006) (2007) (2008) (2009) (2010) (2011) (2012) (2013) (2014) (2015) (2016)  (2018) (2019) (2020) (2021) (2022) (2023) Il fascismo nella cultura italiana: 1945-2023 ANNALI D’ITALIANISTICA VOLUME 41, 2023 Il fascismo nella cultura italiana: AdI ISSN: 0741—7527 ANNALI D’ITALIANISTICA vol. 41 2023 1945 2023 EDITED BY GUIDO BARTOLINI, CHARLES BURDETT, CHARLES LEAVITT, GIACOMO LICHTNER, GIULIANA PIERI WITH THE COLLABORATION OF THE CO-EDITORS & THE EDITORS OF ITALIAN BOOKSHELF AdI $QQDOLG¶italianistica https://annali.org/ e-mail: annali@elon.edu https://www.facebook.com/annaliditalianistica Business address: 2125 Campus Box, Elon University Elon, NC 27244 $QQDOLG¶italianistica, Inc., was founded at the University of Notre Dame in 1983 and was sponsored by the Department of Romance Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1989 until 2017. Hosted by JSTOR, Annali G¶italianistica is an independent journal of Italian Studies managed and edited by an international team of scholars. Annali is listed among the top tier journals (class A, area 10) by the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (ANVUR). It is listed in the European Reference Index for the Humanities and Social Sciences (ERIH PLUS). It is listed in the MLA International Bibliography. It is a member of the The Council of Editors of Learned Journals (CELJ). FOUNDER & EDITOR IN CHIEF Dino S. Cervigni, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill CO-EDITORS IN CHIEF Valerio Cappozzo, University of Mississippi Brandon Essary, Elon University Monica Jansen, Utrecht University CO-EDITORS Elena Coda, Purdue University Marino Forlino, Scripps College Alessandro La Monica, Independent Researcher Gaetana Marrone, Princeton University Anthony Nussmeier, University of Dallas Olimpia Pelosi, State University of New York at Albany Nicoletta Pireddu, Georgetown University Anne Tordi, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill MANAGING EDITOR Stefania Porcelli, Hunter College - CUNY EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Simona Casadio, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Mena Marino, Elon University Jinelle Gonzalez, Elon University (undergraduate student assistant) © 2023 E\$QQDOLG¶italianistica, Inc. ISSN 0741-7527 ii EDITORS OF ITALIAN BOOKSHELF Monica Jansen, Utrecht University, book review coordinator of Italian Bookshelf, responsible for 20th and 21st centuries Brandon Essary, Elon University, co-coordinator of Italian Bookshelf Valerio Cappozzo, University of Mississippi, responsible for the Middle Ages and the Renaissance Elena Brizio, Georgetown University, Villa Le Balze, responsible for the Renaissance Olimpia Pelosi, State University of New York at Albany, responsible for the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries Giorgia Alù, University of Sydney, responsible for 19th century, comparative OLWHUDWXUHZRPHQ¶VZULWLQJSKRWRJUDSKLFFXOWXUH Matteo Brera, University of Padua / Seton Hall University, responsible for 19th and 20th centuries and Cultural and Diaspora Studies Enrico Minardi, Arizona State University, responsible for 20th and 21st centuries Maria Bonaria Urban, Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome / University of Amsterdam, responsible for 20th and 21st centuries, Cinema, and Cultural Studies Alessandro Grazi, Leibniz Institute of European History, Mainz, responsible for Jewish Studies iii ADVISORY BOARD Norma Bouchard, Drexel University Alessandro Carrera, University of Houston Jo Ann Cavallo, Columbia University Paolo Cherchi, University of Chicago / Università di Ferrara Jonathan Druker, Illinois State University Valerio Ferme, University of Cincinnati Chiara Ferrari, College of Staten Island, The City University of New York Giulio Giovannoni, Università degli Studi di Firenze Christopher Kleinhenz, University of Wisconsin, Madison Giuseppe Ledda, Università degli Studi di Bologna L. Scott Lerner, Franklin & Marshall College Massimo Lollini, Oregon University Dennis Looney, The University of Pittsburgh Carlo Lottieri, Università degli Studi di Siena Federico Luisetti, University of St. Gallen Cristina Mazzoni, The University of Vermont Olimpia Pelosi, State University of New York at Albany Silvia Ross, University College Cork Luca Somigli, The University of Toronto Antonio Vitti, Indiana University Heather Webb, University of Cambridge Rebecca West, The University of Chicago John Welle, The University of Notre Dame iv $QQDOLG¶italianistica Volumes 1-21 are available for free consultation: www.archive.org/details/annaliditalianis212003univ Editorial Policy $QQDOLG¶italianistica seeks to promote the study of Italian literature in its cultural context, to foster scholarly excellence, and to select topics of interest to a large number of Italianists. Monographic in nature, the journal is receptive to a variety RIWRSLFVFULWLFDODSSURDFKHVDQGWKHRUHWLFDOSHUVSHFWLYHV(DFK \HDU¶VWRSLFLV announced ahead of time, and contributions are welcome. The journal is published in the fall of each year. Manuscripts should be submitted electronically as attachments in Word. Authors should follow the MRXUQDO¶V style for articles in English; articles in Italian should also conform to the MRXUQDO¶V style sheet for articles in Italian 9LVLW WKH MRXUQDO¶V ZHEVLWH https://annali.org/) for further LQIRUPDWLRQ RQ WKH FRQWULEXWLRQV¶ VW\OH )RU DOO FRPPXQLFDWLRQV FRQFHUQLQJ contributions, address the Editor in Chief of $QQDOL G¶italianistica at annali@elon.edu. Review Articles and Dialogues with the Authors This section occasionally publishes extensive review articles and dialogues and interviews with authors. Prospective contributors should contact one of the Coeditors in chief ahead of time. Italian Bookshelf The purpose of Italian Bookshelf is to identify, review, and bring to the attention of Italianists recent studies on Italian literature and culture. Italian Bookshelf covers the entire history of Italian culture and reviews books and journal issues exclusively on the basis of their scholarly worth. To this purpose, junior and senior colleagues will be invited to collaborate without any consideration of academic affiliation and with an open attitude toward critical approaches. Contributions to this section are solicited. Scholars who intend to contribute are encouraged to contact the editors. Book reviews, to be submitted electronically, should be sent to italianbookshelf@gmail.com. 7KH-RXUQDO¶V:HEVLWHhttps://annali.org The tables of contents of all issues are available online. The abstracts of all essays are available starting with volume 38 (2020). $VRIYROXPH  HDFKLVVXH¶V introductory essay, and all book reviews are available online with their full texts. As of the 2008 issue, book reviews are published exclusively online. v $QQDOLG¶LWDOLDQLVWLFD 2025 Volume 43 DIGITAL HUMANITIES AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE Technology has advanced greatly and is shaping all branches of knowledge, including the Humanities. Within this rapidly evolving context, AdI intends to devote its 43rd monographic volume to Digital Humanities (DH) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The volume will be edited by prominent scholars, and each has formulated a specific section, whose description follows. We are interested in contributions that address a specific theoretical or practical dimension of the DH and AI debate, such as, for example: how has DH enhanced Italian Studies in scholarship and teaching; how is Italian Studies responding, reacting, and contributing to the challenges brought about by these technological advancements? Are there concrete examples of generative AI applications adopted in the classroom or in research that can provide models or guidance at this stage? Which specific aspects of Italian Studies are or will be affected the most, such as language/culture instruction, theoretical or technological approaches to traditional issues, career paths, etc.? Are there Italian writers, artists, or scholars who have tackled the challenges posed by emerging technologies and who can help us face the present challenges? The Editors of the volume welcome approaches focusing on both theory and practice according to the following five thematic sections. I Artistic Practices and AI in Italian Studies. To be edited by Adele Bardazzi (a.bardazzi@uu.nl) This thematic section delves into the intersection of contemporary Italian literary works, including intermedial works, and recent advancements in AI with the aim to investigate to what extent, if at all, it can be helpful to approach these works from an Italian Studies perspective. The inquiry thus intends to investigate how to situate AI-generated works within Italian Studies as well as World Literature. We welcome contributions focusing on questions of authorship, originality, and creativity. vi II Digital Game-Based Scholarship, Teaching, and Learning. To be edited by Brandon Essary (bessary@elon.edu) Video games are ubiquitous. According to a substantial body of research in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), they are powerful teaching and learning tools. Many games have complex narratives imbued with literary elements that treat serious topics. These games offer the chance to engage students and scholars with the study of Italian literature, culture, history, and the humanities more broadly, in an engaging, digital way. III Author and Authorship Between DH and AI. To be edited by Paola Italia (paola.italia@unibo.it) Through DH and AI, the authorial function can be investigated in all types of manuscripts: from autograph to apograph, and from apocrypha to fake. The application of automated methods to famous literary cases have shown the usefulness of an integrated approach not only in the resolution of philological cases, but also in investigating more analytically the mechanisms of literary creation and the multiple forms in which authorship expresses itself at the moment of fragmentation and sharing in the digital ecosystem of textual responsibility. IV The AI Emergenc/e/y. To be edited by Massimo Riva (massimo_riva@brown.edu) As generative AI applications, Chatbots and similar technological advancements become more accessible and pervasive, at a societal level, scholars and teachers of Italian Studies face both theoretical and practical dilemmas. Combined with other pre-existing pressures targeting in particularly the humanities, these new difficulties may perhaps amount to an existential challenge to our profession, in addition to many others. This section intends to look at concrete applications of generative AI in the classroom or in research that can provide models or guidance at this stage of technology. V Born-Digital Literature and Hybrid Archives. To be edited by Michelangelo Zaccarello (michelangelo.zaccarello@unipi.it) In the last decades, hybrid archives, which combine paper materials with digital (usually magnetic) resources, have flourished. This section seeks to investigate the first authors to adopt a personal computer for their literary creations, and to assess the difficult task of securing their documents, conceived and written in digital form, as well as to evaluate the normative practices for their acquisition and preservation, integrating them into a methodologically sound editing protocol. vii This volume will be published in the fall of 2025. Interested scholars are invited to contact the appropriate guest editor of the theme related to their topic, submit a 300-word abstract, and provide a short biographical note. The abstract and biographical note will be due by 31 December 2023. Guest editors will provide to each contributor guidelines to follow and deadlines to respect. Articles will be due by September 2024. Early submissions are encouraged. Authors should write in the language they are most familiar with, either Italian or English. Typically, articles range between 6,000 and 10,000 words. They should conform to the style-sheet of Annali G¶LWDOLDQLVWLFD IRU³1RWHV´DQG³:RUNV&LWHG´ (https://annali.org/publishing/). All articles will be refereed according to the peerreview policy of the journal (https://annali.org/peer-review-statement/). For any questions, please contact one of the guest editors: Adele Bardazzi, Utrecht University (a.bardazzi@uu.nl) Brandon Essary, Elon University (bessary@elon.edu) Paola Italia, Università di Bologna (paola.italia@unibo.it) Massimo Riva, Brown University (massimo_riva@brown.edu) Michelangelo Zaccarello, Università di Pisa (michelangelo.zaccarello@unipi.it) viii $11$/,'¶,7$/,$1,67,&$ Volume 41, 2023 GUEST EDITORS Guido Bartolini, Charles Burdett, Charles L. Leavitt IV, Giacomo Lichtner, Giuliana Pieri FASCISM IN ITALIAN CULTURE: 1945-2023 Guest Editors, Introduction 1 1 ± Literary Mediations Samah Abdo, Foglio di via di Franco Fortini, dal nichilismo alla lotta contro il fascismo 9 Guido Bartolini, Nature versus Nurture: The Conceptualisation of Fascism in 3UDWROLQL¶VUn eroe del nostro tempo0RUDYLD¶VIl conformista, and Their Critical Reception 33 Anna Taglietti, ³&KLPLFKLDPDIDVFLVWDQRQKDOHWWRLPLHLOLEUL´*LXVHSSH%HUWR e il problema del fascismo 61 Mara Josi, From Book to Screen. Images of the Fascist Dictatorship in Elsa 0RUDQWH¶VLa Storia 81 Fabrizio Miliucci, 'DOODSUHLVWRULDDOODPRGHUQLWj,GHQWLWjHIDVFLVPRQHOO¶RSHUD di Antonio Pennacchi 101 2 ± Cinematic mediations Lorenzo Fabbri, Archives of Fascist Obscenities and Insurgent Futurities: The Shadow King, Giorni di gloria, and $OO¶DUPLVLDPIDVFLVWL 123 Valentina Geri, The Deconstruction of the italiani brava gente Myth in Dino 5LVL¶VLa marcia su Roma (1962) 155 ix Sarah Patricia Hill, Downcast Eyes: Selective Blindness, Disability Disavowal and the Spectre of Fascist Masculinity in the &RPPHGLDDOO¶LWDOLDQD 175 Rebecca Bauman, Cinema and Aesthetics in the Years of Lead: The FascistThemed Film in Italy and West Germany 201 3 ± Cinematic Interventions Maurizio Zinni, The Shape of Politics: The Debate over Fascism in Left-Wing Cinematographic Culture from the End of the War to the 1970s 225 Thomas Cragin, )DVFLVP³for a Public that SHDUFKHV´LQLa notte di San Lorenzo 247 Luca Peretti, ³Purché ne salvi lo spirito.´ Tempo di uccidere, Made and Unmade Films 269 Giuliana Minghelli, Family Remains: An Essay Film on How We Remember Fascism 287 4 ± Monuments and Visual Art Lara Pucci, Postcards from the Past: Fascist Site-Seeing in Post-War Italy 317 Elgin Eckert, Two Monuments of Fascist Oppression in South Tyrol: One Acknowledged, One (Almost) Forgotten 345 Francesca Billiani, Quale fascismo?: muralismo, nuovo muralismo e arte di strada 373 5 ± Cultural and Media Studies Jessica Harris, ³3HUPHWWHUHVWHDYRVWURILJOLRGLVSRVDUH/ROD"´/DWHQW)DVFLVP American Culture, and Blackness in Postwar Italy 399 Andrea Ventura, 5DFFRQWDUHHLQWHUSUHWDUHO¶DYYHQWRGHOIDVFLVPR,SURJUDPPL Rai dal 1958 al 1975 421 Maria Bonaria Urban, 1DUUDUHLOIDVFLVPRQHOO¶HUDGLJLWDOHVWRULDPHPRULDH transmedialità in M. Il figlio del secolo 445 $11$/,'¶,7$/,$1,67,&$ VOLUME 41 (2023) ITALIAN BOOKSHELF Book Review Coordinator of Italian Bookshelf: Monica Jansen Utrecht University Book Review Co-Coordinator of Italian Bookshelf: Brandon Essary Elon University Valerio Cappozzo University of Mississippi Responsible for the Middle Ages and the Renaissance Elena Brizio Georgetown University ± Villa Le Balze Responsible for the Renaissance Olimpia Pelosi State University of New York at Albany Responsible for the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries Giorgia Alù University of Sydney Responsible for the 19th Centur\&RPSDUDWLYH/LWHUDWXUH:RPHQ¶V:ULWLQJ Photographic Culture Matteo Brera University of Padua / Seaton Hall University Responsible for 19th and 20th Centuries, and Cultural and Diaspora Studies Monica Jansen Utrecht University Responsible for 20th and 21st Centuries Enrico Minardi Arizona State University Responsible for 20th and 21st Centuries Maria Bonaria Urban Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome / University of Amsterdam Responsible for 20th and 21st Centuries, Cinema and Cultural Studies Alessandro Grazi Leibniz Institute of European History, Mainz Responsible for Jewish Studies 474 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) OPEN FORUM 'DQWH¶V-RXUQH\WRWKH/RJRV6LOHQFHV1DPHVDQG:RUGVLQWKHCommedia. (Dino S. Cervigni, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) 485 REVIEW ARTICLES Italian Studies and the Environmental Humanities: The First Ten Years Damiano Benvegnù, and Matteo Gilebbi, eds. Italy and the Ecological Imagination: Ecocritical Theories and Practices. Wilmington: Vernon Press, 2022. Pp. 206. Marina Spunta, and Silvia Ross, eds. Tra ecologia letteraria ed ecocritica. Narrare la crisi ambientale nella letteratura e nel cinema italiani. Firenze: Franco Cesati Editore, 2022. Pp. 144. (Florian Mussgnug, University College London) 493 Programmed Openness: Two Accounts of Computer-Aided Creativity in Italy, 1960-2010 Emanuela Patti. Opera Aperta. Italian Electronic Literature from the 1960s to the present. Oxford: Peter Lang, 2022. Pp. xx + 308. Lindsay Caplan. Arte Programmata. Freedom, Control, and the Computer in 1960s Italy. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 2022. Pp. 319. (Massimo Riva, Brown University) 498 DANTE STUDIES Dante Alighieri. Quaestio de aqua et terra. Edizione principe del 1508 riprodotta in facsimile. Introduzione storica e trascrizione critica del testo latino e 5 traduzioni (italiana, francese, spagnola, inglese e tedesca). Firenze: Leo S. Olschki, Ristampa 2021. Pp. xl + 118. (Matteo Ottaviani, McGill University) 503 Francesco Ciabattoni, and Simone Marchesi, eds. Dante Alive. Essays on a Cultural Icon. New York: Routledge, 2023. Pp. 351. (Jennifer Rushworth, University College London) 505 Ilaria Gallinaro. ³$G uQD YRFH´ 'DQWH DOOD OXFH GL 3LD H 3LFFDUGD. Firenze: Olschki, 2022. Pp. vi + 142. (Filippo Fabbricatore, PhD Candidate, The Graduate Center, CUNY) 507 Italian Bookshelf 475 Francesco Maiolo, Luca Marcozzi, and Flavio Silvestrini, eds. Dante e la politica. Dal passato al presente. Roma: Roma TrE-Press, 2023. Pp. 343. (Paolo Rigo, Università degli Studi Roma Tre) 509 Heather Webb. Dante, Artist of Gesture. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2022. Pp. 208. (Rookshar Myram, PhD Candidate, University of Notre Dame) 511 MIDDLE AGES & RENAISSANCE Susanna Barsella, and Simone Marchesi, eds. The Decameron Ninth Day in Perspective. Volume Nine of the Lectura Boccaccii. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 2022. Pp. xviii + 287. (Nicola Esposito, University of Notre Dame) 513 Elena Brizio, and Marco Piana, eds. Idealizing Women in the Italian Renaissance. Toronto: Center for Renaissance and Reformation Studies, 2022. Pp. 305. (Alessia Tommasi, PhD Candidate, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa) 515 Lucinda Byatt. 1LFFROz 5LGROIL DQG WKH &DUGLQDO¶V &RXUW 3ROLWLFV 3DWURQDJH and Service in Sixteenth-Century Italy. New York: Routledge, 2023. Pp. xxii + 338. (Amelia Juri, Université de Lausanne) 518 Santa Casciani, and Heather Richardson Hayton, eds. A Companion to Late Medieval and Early Modern Siena. Leiden: Brill, 2021. Pp. xiv + 356. (Leonardo Giorgetti, University of California, Davis) 520 Corrado Confalonieri. ³4XHVWHVSD]LRVHORJJLH´$UFKLWHWWXUDHSRHWLFDQHOOD tragedia italiana del Cinquecento. Napoli: Paolo Loffredo Editore, 2022. Pp. 258. (Angelica Modabber, PhD Candidate, Columbia University) 523 Gasparo Contarini. The Republic of Venice. De magistratibus et republica Venetorum. Ed. and Intro. Filippo Sabetti. Transl. Giuseppe Pezzini and Amanda Murphy. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 2020. Pp. lix + 135. (Brian Maxson, East Tennessee State University) 525 Jacques Dalarun, Sean L. Field, and Valerio Cappozzo. A Female Apostle in Medieval Italy. The Life of Clare of Rimini. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania P, 2023. Pp. 177. (Enrico Minardi, Arizona State University) 527 Fulvio Delle Donne, and Guido Cappelli. Nel Regno delle lettere. Umanesimo e politica nel Mezzogiorno aragonese. Roma: Carocci, 2021. Pp. 239. (Marta Celati, Università di Pisa) 530 476 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Lorenzo Geri, Marco Grimaldi, and Nicolò Maldina, eds. La lirica italiana. Un lessico fondamentale (secoli XIII-XIV). Roma: Carocci, 2021. Pp. 344. (Matteo Pace, Connecticut College) 532 Patrizia Grimaldi Pizzorno. Dopo la peste. Desiderio e Ragione nella Decima Giornata del Decameron. Firenze: Leo S. Olschki, 2021. Pp. 126. (Giordano Mazza, University of Illinois at Chicago) 534 Lucrezia Marinella. Love Enamored and Driven Mad. Ed. and transl. Janet E. Gomez, and Maria Galli Stampino. The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Toronto Series, 72. Toronto: Iter Press, 2020. Pp. 208. (Giordano Mazza, University of Illinois at Chicago) 536 Roberta Morosini. Rotte di poesia, rotte di civiltà: Il Mediterraneo degli dei nella Genealogia di Boccaccio e Piero di Cosimo. Roma: Castelvecchi, 2021. Pp. 128. (Maggie Fritz-Morkin, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) 538 Riccardo Raimondo. Le Phenix Poëte et les Alouëtes. Traduire les Rerum vulgarium fragmenta de Pétrarque en langue française (XVIe-XXIe siècle): histoires, traditions et imaginaires. Bruxelles: P.I.E. Peter Lang, 2022. Pp. 502. (Sandro-Angelo de Thomasis, The Juilliard School) 540 Christian Rivoletti, ed. /¶2UODQGR IXULRVR ROWUH L FLQTXHFHQWR DQQL Nuove prospettive di lettura. Bologna: il Mulino, 2023. Pp. 395. (Francesco Brenna, Towson University) 542 Massimo Scalabrini. Commedia e civiltà. Dinamiche anticonflittuali nella letteratura italiana del Cinquecento. Ravenna: Longo Editore, 2022. Pp. 137. (Paolo Cherchi, University of Chicago / Università di Ferrara) 545 Clara Stella. Lodovico Domenichi e le 5LPH GLYHUVH G¶DOFXQH QRELOLVVLPH HW virtuosissime donne (1559). Women and Gender in Italy (1500-1900) / Donne e gender in Italia (1500-1900) 3. Paris: Classiques Garnier, 2022. Pp. 288. (Sherry Roush, Penn State University) 548 Julie Van Peteghem. Italian Readers of Ovid from the Origins to Petrarch. Responding to a Versatile Muse. Leiden: Brill, 2020. Pp. xii + 345. (Alessia Tommasi, PhD Candidate, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa) 550 Italian Bookshelf 477 SEVENTEENTH, EIGHTEENTH, & NINETEENTH CENTURIES Richard Andrews. Classical Comedy 1508-1786. A Legacy from Italy and France. Cambridge: Legenda, 2022. Pp. xvi+292. (Laurie Shepard, Boston College) 552 Giovanna Capitelli, and Olivia Santovetti, eds. Lettrici italiane tra arte e OHWWHUDWXUD 'DOO¶2WWRFHQWR DO PRGHUQLVPR Roma: Campisano Editore, 2021. Pp. 212. (Silvia Valisa, Florida State University) 555 'DQLHOD '¶(XJHQLR Paroimia: Brusantino, Florio, Sarnelli, and Italian Proverbs from the Sixteenth and Seventeen Centuries. Purdue Studies in Romance Literatures 83. West Lafayette: Purdue UP, 2021. Pp. xxiii + 545. (Nicola Esposito, University of Notre Dame) 557 Stefano Lazzarin, and Mariella Colin, eds. ³/HVP\VWqUHVXUEDLQVHQ,WDOLH ± volume 1/HVWH[WHVGX;,;HVLqFOH´Transalpina 25 (2022). Pp. 118. (Marco Paoli, University of Liverpool) 560 Giovanni Meli. La Lirica II (capitoli berneschi, canzoni, ditirambo, elegie). Ed. Gaetano Cipolla. Palermo: Nuova Ipsa Editore, 2022. Pp. 200. (Francesco Sorrenti, Università degli Studi di Genova) 563 Giovanni Meli. /D /LULFD ,,, /¶RULJLQH GL OX PXQQX &DQWX IXQHEUL (OHJLD Satiri). Ed. Gaetano Cipolla. Palermo: Nuova Ipsa Editore, 2023. Pp. 250. (Francesco Sorrenti, Università degli Studi di Genova) 565 Valeria Miani. Amorous Hope, A Pastoral Play. A Bilingual Edition. Ed. and transl. Alexandra Coller, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Toronto Series, 83. Toronto: Iter Press, 2020. Pp. 368. (Marianna Orsi, University College School London) 567 Pietro Piana, Charles Watkins, and Ross Balzaretti. Rediscovering Lost Landscapes. Topographical Art in North-West Italy, 1800-1920. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2021. Pp. xi + 308. (Damiano Benvegnù, University of St Andrews) 569 Gabriella Romani, Ursula Fanning, and Katharine Mitchell, eds. Matilde Serao: International Profile, Reception and Networks. Paris: Classiques Garnier, 2022. Pp. 264. (Carla Locatelli, University of Pennsylvania) 571 478 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Paolo Traniello. Le opere e i libri. Foscolo, Leopardi, Manzoni alle soglie GHOO¶HGLWRULD PRGHUQD. Roma: Edizioni di storia e letteratura, 2021. Pp. 191. (Giordano Mazza, University of Illinois at Chicago) 573 TWENTIETH & TWENTY-FIRST CENTURIES: LITERATURE, THEORY, CULTURE Marta Arnaldi. The Diasporic Canon. American Anthologies of Contemporary Italian Poetry 1945-2015. Cambridge: Legenda, 2022. Pp. 275. (Olimpia Pelosi, State University of New York at Albany) 575 Beatrice Barbalato. &DUPHOR%HQH/¶RULJLQDOHqLQIHGHOHDOODFRSLD. Louvainla-Neuve: Presses Universitaires de Louvain, 2022. Pp. 357. (Enrico Minardi, Arizona State University) 578 Adele Bardazzi, Francesco Giusti, and Emanuela Tandello, eds. A Gaping Wound. Mourning in Italian Poetry. Cambridge: Legenda, 2022. Pp. 187. (Olimpia Pelosi, State University of New York at Albany) 580 Günter Berghaus, Monica Jansen and Luca Somigli, eds. Special Issue ³)XWXULVPDQGWKH6DFUHG´International Yearbook of Futurism Studies 11 (2021). Pp. 387. (Michael Subialka, University of California, Davis) 582 Antonio Bibbò. Irish Literature in Italy in the Era of the World Wars. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022. Pp. 304. (Kristina Rose Varade, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY) 585 Cecilia Brioni. )DVKLRQLQJ,WDOLDQ<RXWK<RXQJ3HRSOH¶V,GHQWLW\DQG6W\OHLQ Italian Popular Culture, 1958-75. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2022. Pp. 256. (Rachel Haworth, PhD University of Leeds) 587 Simone Brioni. /¶,WDOLDO¶DOWURYH/XRJKL spazi, attraversamenti nel cinema e nella letteratura sulla migrazione. 9HQH]LD(GL]LRQL&D¶)RVFDULPp. xii + 184. (Jacopo Francesco Mascoli, PhD Candidate, University of Warwick) 589 Lindsay Caplan. Arte Programmata. Freedom, Control, and the Computer in 1960s Italy. U of Minnesota P, 2022. Pp. 319. (Valeria Federici, University of Maryland) 591 Daria Catulini. /¶LQILQLWR SUROLIHUDUH GHOO¶HVVHUH 3RHVLD H LPPDJLQDULR LQ Andrea Zanzotto. Roma: Carocci, 2021. Pp. 154. (Francesca Nardi, PhD Candidate, Università di Bologna) 595 Italian Bookshelf 479 Paolo Chirumbolo. Il gioco delle sedie. Saggi sulla narrativa e il cinema italiano del lavoro nel ventunesimo secolo. Perugia: Morlacchi Editore UP, 2022. Pp. 250. (Daniele Forlino, Southern Methodist University) 597 Daniele Comberiati, and Chiara Mengozzi, eds. 6WRULH FRQGLYLVH QHOO¶,WDOLD contemporanea. Narrazioni e performance transculturali. Roma: Carocci, 2023. Pp. 267. (Emiliano S. Zappalà, PhD University of Warwick) 600 Simona Corso, Florian Mussgnug, and Jennifer Rushworth, eds. Dwelling on Grief. Narratives of Mourning Across Time and Forms. Cambridge: Legenda, 2022. Pp. 220. (Olimpia Pelosi, State University of New York at Albany) 603 Alessandra Diazzi. Psychoanalysis, Ideology and Commitment in Italy 19451975: Edoardo Sanguineti, Ottiero Ottieri, Andrea Zanzotto. Cambridge: Legenda, 2022. Pp. 131. (Katja Liimatta, University of Iowa) 606 Monica Farnetti. Sorelle. Storia letteraria di una relazione. Roma: Carocci, 2022. Pp. 144. (Francesca Parmeggiani, Fordham University) 608 Joseph Farrell. Leonardo Sciascia: The Man and the Writer. Intro. Giuseppe Tornatore. Firenze: Leo S. Olschki Editore, 2022. Pp. xix + 297. (Salvatore Pappalardo, Towson University) 610 Anna Frabetti, and Laura Toppan, eds. Raccontare la Resistenza: studi interdisciplinari. Firenze: Franco Cesati Editore, 2023. Pp. 234. (Daniele Biffanti, Northwestern University) 612 Sciltian Gastaldi. Tondelli scrittore totale. Il racconto degli anni Ottanta fra impegno, camp e controcultura gay. Bologna: Pendragon, 2021. Pp. 525. (Federica Bonsi, Research Master Comparative Literary Studies, Utrecht University) 614 Thomas Harrison. Of Bridges. A Poetic and Philosophical Account. Chicago: Chicago UP, 2022. Pp. 284. (Gian Maria Annovi, University of Southern California) 616 Mario Inglese. Scrivere la Sicilia. Saggi di letteratura contemporanea. Pesaro: Metauro, 2022. Pp. 156. (Dora Bodrogai, PhD Candidate, Pázmány Péter Catholic University) 618 480 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Paola Italia, ed. Gaddabolario. Duecentodiciannove parole GHOO¶,QJHJQHUH. Roma: Carocci, 2022. Pp. 176. (Giacomo Micheletti, Università degli Studi di Pavia) 621 Maria Anna Mariani. Italian Literature in the Nuclear Age. A Poetics of the Bystander. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2022. Pp. 240. (Andrea Sartori, Nankai University) 623 Giacomo Micheletti. &HODWL ¶ 5HJUHVVLRQH )DEXOD]LRQH 0DVFKHUH GHO sottosuolo. Firenze: Franco Cesati Editore, 2021. Pp. 117. (Qian Liu, PhD Candidate, University of Michigan) 627 Elisabetta Mondello, and Massimiliano Tortora, eds. Ungaretti intellettuale. Roma: Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2021. Pp. 288. (Eleonora Conti, PhD Université de Paris IV-Sorbonne) 629 Laura Moure Cecchini. Baroquemania. Italian visual culture and the construction of national identity, 1898-1945. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2021. Pp. xvii + 267. (Giada Policicchio, PhD Candidate, Università degli Studi di Salerno) 631 Pierluigi Musarò, and Emanuela Piga Bruni, eds. ³7XULVPR H PLJUD]LRQH´ Scritture migranti 13 (2019). Online. (Francesca Muccini, Belmont University) 633 Giovanni Pascoli. Convivial Poems. Transl. Elena Borelli, and James Ackhurst. Introduction, notes, glossary, dual-language poetry. New York: Italica Press, 2022. Pp. 332. (Piero Garofalo, University of New Hampshire) 636 Giulia Pellizzato. 3UH]]ROLQL H 3DULVH XQ¶DPLFL]LD WUDQVRFHDQLFD Edizione critica e commentata del carteggio (1951-1976). Firenze: Leo S. Olschki, 2021. Pp. 420. (Dario Boemia, Università IULM di Milano) 638 Goffredo Polizzi. Reimagining the Italian South. Migration, Translation and Subjectivity in Contemporary Italian Literature and Cinema. Liverpool: Liverpool UP, 2022. Pp. 256. (Wanda Balzano, Wake Forest University) 640 Elena Porciani. Il tesoro nascosto. Intorno ai testi inediti e ritrovati della giovane Morante, con sei storie e una poesia. Macerata: Quodlibet, 2023. Pp. 240. (Maria Claudia Petrini, PhD Candidate, 8QLYHUVLWjGHJOL6WXGLGHOO¶$TXLOD) 644 Italian Bookshelf 481 Ilario Quirino. Pasolini sulla strada di Tarso. La conversione del poeta di Casarsa. Bologna: Pendragon, 2022. Pp. 491. (Irene Hatzopoulos, University of California, Riverside; PhD Candidate, University of Wisconsin, Madison) 646 Caterina Romeo. Interrupted Narratives and Intersectional Representations in Italian Postcolonial Literature. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2023. Pp. 282. (Anna Eberle, PhD Candidate, Université Paul-Valéry 3 Montpellier) 648 Andrea Sartori. The Struggle for Life and the Modern Italian Novel, 1859-1925. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022. Pp. xii + 271. (Lorenzo Mecozzi, Columbia University) 650 Gloria Scarfone. Il pensiero monologico. Personaggio e vita psichica in Volponi, Morante e Pasolini. Milano: Mimesis, 2022. Pp. 200. (Bianca Rita Cataldi, University College Dublin) 653 Helen Solterer, and Vincent Joos, eds. Migrants Shaping Europe, Past and Present. Multilingual Literatures, Arts, and Cultures. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2022. Pp. 307. (Rachelle Gloudemans, PhD Candidate, KU Leuven) 655 Tiziano Toracca. Il romanzo neomodernista italiano. Dalla fine del neorealismo alla seconda metà degli anni Settanta. Palermo: Palumbo Editore, 2022. Pp. 448. (Emiliano S. Zappalà, PhD University of Warwick) 657 Alessandro Viola. Il fascismo secondo Pasolini (1942-1975). Milano: Mimesis, 2020. Pp. 136. (Marco Borrelli, 8QLYHUVLWjGL1DSROL/¶2ULHQWDOH) 660 Marco Zonch. Scritture postsecolari. Ipotesi su verità e spiritualità nella narrativa italiana contemporanea. Firenze: Franco Cesati Editore, 2023. Pp. 232. (Federica Colleoni, PhD University of Michigan) 662 HISTORICAL & CULTURAL STUDIES, MISCELLANEOUS STUDIES Andrea Canepari, and Judith Goode, eds. The Italian Legacy in Philadelphia. History, Culture, People, and Ideas. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2022. Pp. 424. (Corie Marshall, Indiana University Bloomington) 665 Beatrice Falcucci, Emanuele Giusti, and Davide Trentacoste, eds. Rereading Travellers to the East: Shaping Identities and Building the Nation in Postunification Italy. Firenze: Firenze UP 2022. Pp. 229. (Tommaso Pepe, Guangzhou Maritime University) 667 482 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Diana Garvin. )HHGLQJ)DVFLVP7KH3ROLWLFVRI:RPHQ¶V)RRG:RUNToronto: U of Toronto P, 2022. Pp. 292. (Daniel Rietze, PhD Candidate, Brown University) 670 Maria Teresa Giusti. 6WDOLQ¶V,WDOLDQ3ULVRQHUVRI:DU. Translated by Riccardo James Vargiu. Budapest: CEU Press, 2021. Pp. 374. (Elena Bellina, New York University) 673 Camilla Hawthorne. Contesting Race and Citizenship. Youth Politics in the Black Mediterranean. Ithaca and London: Cornell UP, 2022. Pp 302. (Elena Caselli, Brock University) 675 John Heilbron. The Incomparable Monsignor: Francesco %LDQFKLQL¶V World of Science, History and Court Intrigue. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2022. Pp. 327. (AnnaLuna Post, Cambridge University / University of Amsterdam) 678 Jacopo Pili. Anglophobia in Fascist Italy. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2021. Pp. xx + 215. (Daniele Meregalli, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) 680 Matteo Pretelli, and Francesco Fusi. Soldati e patrie. I combattenti alleati di origine italiana nella Seconda guerra mondiale. Bologna: il Mulino, 2023. Pp. 600. (Stefano Luconi, Università di Padova) 682 Andrea Righi. The Other Side of the Digital. The Sacrificial Economy of New Media. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 2021. Pp. 304. (Tania Rispoli, Duke University) 684 Carlo Salzani. Agamben and the Animal. New Castle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2022. Pp.145. (Sergio Ferrarese, William and Mary University) 687 Andrea Scapolo, and Angela Porcarelli, eds. Interpreting Urban Spaces in Italian Culture. Amsterdam: AUP, 2022. Pp. 272. (Inge Lanslots, KU Leuven) 689 JEWISH STUDIES Rachel Bespaloff. /¶HWHUQLWjQHOO¶LVWDQWHOpere. Gli anni francesi (1932-1942). Ed. Cristina Guarnieri, and Laura Sanò. Roma: Castelvecchi, 2022. Pp. 668. (Federico Dal Bo, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia) 692 Italian Bookshelf 483 Fabrizio Franceschini. Il chimico libertino. Primo Levi e la Babele del Lager. Roma: Carocci, 2022. Pp. 202. (Sciltian Gastaldi, PhD University of Toronto) 694 Massimo Giuliani. Antropologia Halakhica. Saggi sul Pensiero di Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Livorno: Belforte, 2021. Pp. 191. (Federico Dal Bo, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia) 697 Alessandro Grazi. Prophet of Renewal. David Levi: a Jewish Freemason and Saint-Simonian in Nineteenth-century Italy. Leiden: Brill, 2022. Pp. 316. (Emanuele D¶Antonio, Università di Torino) 700 Emily Michelson. &DWKROLF 6SHFWDFOH DQG 5RPH¶V -HZV (DUO\ 0RGHUQ Conversion and Resistance. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2022. Pp. xiii + 331. (Martina Mampieri, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) 702 Francesco Samarini. 3KLOLS 5RWK H O¶,WDOLD Storia di un amore incostante. Ravenna: Longo Editore, 2022. Pp. 344. (Jonathan Druker, Illinois State University) 704 FILM & MEDIA STUDIES Federica Capoferri, Carolina Ciampaglia, and Flaminio Di Biagi. Badlands. ,O FLQHPD GHOO¶XOWLPD Roma. Milano: Ledizioni, 2022. Pp. 310. (Giampaolo Molisina, PhD Candidate, University of Wisconsin-Madison) 706 Federica Colleoni, Chiara De Santi, eds. Passato e presente nel cinema italiano. Storia e società sul grande schermo. Manziana: Vecchiarelli Editore, 2022. Pp. 294. (Federica Capoferri, John Cabot University) 709 Mauro Resmini. ,WDOLDQ3ROLWLFDO&LQHPD)LJXUHVRIWKH/RQJ¶. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 2023. Pp. 302. (Judith Tauber, PhD Candidate, Cornell University) 711 Massimo Riva. Shadow Plays. Virtual Realities in an Analog World. Stanford: Stanford UP, 2022. https://shadow-plays.supdigital.org/cover/index.html. (Frank Kessler, Utrecht University) 713 Monica Seger. Toxic 0DWWHUV 1DUUDWLQJ ,WDO\¶V 'LR[LQ. Charlottesville: U of Virginia P, 2022. Pp. 228. (Daria Kozhanova, PhD Candidate, Duke University) 715 484 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Tomaso Subini. La via italiana alla pornografia. Cattolicesimo, sessualità e cinema (1948-1986). Firenze: Le Monnier, 2021. Pp. 306. (Steven Stergar, PhD Candidate, Università degli Studi di Udine) 718 PEDAGOGY & TEXTBOOKS Paolo E. Balboni. 6WRULDLWDOLDQDSHUVWUDQLHUL'DOO¶DQWLFD5RPDDLJLRUQLQRVWUL Roma: Edilingua, 2019. Pp. 151. (Alessia J. Mingrone, SUNY New Paltz) 720 Clelia Caraccia, and Andrea Mantelli. Italiani: personaggi che il mondo ci invidia. Arte. Roma: Edilingua, 2022. Pp. 80. (Mena Marino, Elon University) 723 Andrea Mantelli, and Paola Tosi. Dante. Vita e opere, Brevi graphic novel, Attività. Roma: Edilingua, 2023. Pp. 76. (Dora Bodrogai, PhD Candidate, Pázmány Péter Catholic University) 724 BRIEF NOTICES Marco Bardini. Boccaccio pop. Usi, riusi e abusi de Decameron nella contemporaneità. Pisa: ETS, 2020. Pp. 501. (Filippo Fonio, UMR Litt&Arts, Université Grenoble Alpes, France) 727 Konrad Eisenbichler, and Pasquale Sabbatino, eds. A Garland of Gifts: Essays in Honour of Olga Zorzi Pugliese. 2 vols. Welland, Ontario: Soleil, 2021. Pp. 714. (Konrad Eisenbichler, University of Toronto) 728 Ernesto Livorni, ed. Da una distanza stellare. Scritti in onore di Giovanni Sinicropi. Firenze: Le Lettere, 2021. Pp. 263. (Jinelle Gonzalez, undergraduate student assistant, Elon University) 728 Italian Bookshelf 485 OPEN FORUM 'DQWH¶V-RXUQH\WRWKH/RJRV Silences, Names, and Words in the Commedia Modern times and the Middle Ages share a fundamental interest in signs, language, and discourse. Throughout the twentieth century and beyond, this interest has been the constant focus for such interrelated and diverse philosophical and critical trends as structuralism, formalism, semiotics, and postmodern investigations. Likewise, during the Middle Ages, a major thread of cultural coherence centered on language as a semiotic system while focusing on the nature, function, and limitations of the verbal sign as a conveyor of human communication, understanding, and knowledge. Thus WKH RHXYUH RI ,WDO\¶V IRUHPRVW PHGLHYDO SRHW 'DQWH HVSHFLDOO\ De vulgari eloquentia, Convivio, and his masterpiece, the Commedia, has drawn the attention of contemporary scholars concerned with language. Among the many ERRNV GHDOLQJ ZLWK 'DQWH¶V ODQJXDJH WKH VWXGLHV RI 3LHU 9LQFHQ]R 0HQJDOGR (Linguistica e retorica di Dante), Ileana Pagani (La teoria linguistica di Dante), and Maria Corti (Dante a un nuovo crocevia) stand out most prominently. In $PHULFDDIHZIXQGDPHQWDOERRNVDQGHVVD\VKDYHSRLQWHGRXW'DQWH¶VFRQFHUQ with language while respecting its medieval context as well as (and here lies their novelty) drawing upon the insights of modern critical trends. A few titles may VXIILFH -HVVH *HOOULFK¶V The Idea of the Book in the Middle Ages: Language Theory, Mythology, and Fiction DQG $OOHQ 6KRDI¶V Dante, Chaucer, and the Currency of the Word. Although these scholars develop diverse perspectives, they share a respect for traditional philology, yoked with a modern critical sensitivity WRVKRZWKDWPHGLHYDOWKHRULHVRIODQJXDJHDQGWKHSRHWV¶UHVSRQVHVWRWKHPDUH also pertinent to the concerns of our own time. It is precisely within this context²respect for tradition, history, and philology, and attention to modern trends²that I propose to outline here the main linguistic, rhetorical, and philological threads of a book-OHQJWKVWXG\RQ'DQWH¶V Inferno and several central moments of the Purgatorio and Paradiso, entitled 'DQWH¶V -RXUQH\ WR WKH /RJRV 6LOHQFHV :RUGV DQG 1DPHV LQ 'DQWH¶V Commedia. Absent at the beginning of the journey when the Pilgrim is alone, VLOHQW DQGORVW WKHRXWZDUG³ZRUG´²the rational, external sign through which This note is a revised version of the proposal which I submitted to the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1991 and for which I was awarded a grant. The booklength study is in progress. While teaching at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I made this note available to students. In the meantime, it circulated on the internet, and several scholars took inspiration from it, occasionally referencing it. I am grateful to the Editors of $QQDOL G¶LWDOLDQLVWLFD for publishing it and making it available to a wide audience. 486 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) humans communicate²LV UHSODFHG DW WKH MRXUQH\¶V FRQFOXVLRQ E\ WKH PHQWDO illumination through which the Pilgrim is inwardly illumined by the vision of the Trinity through the Logos or Verbum. 7KH-RXUQH\RIWKH³:RUG´ The 3LOJULP¶VMRXUQH\IURP+HOOWR3XUJDWRU\DQGILQDOO\WR+HDYHQFDQEHYLHZHG in terms of what characterizes, or fails to characterize, Dante the Pilgrim in Inferno 1, and what typifies the divinity in Paradiso 33. Speech is what GLVWLQJXLVKHV PDQ DV ZH UHDG LQ 'DQWH¶V De vulgari eloquentia; God, who in biblical and patristic writings is called the Verbum -R   LV WKH KXPDQV¶ ultimate goal. Here I propose to read the Commedia from the perspective of what characterizes man uniquely: the word qua the human ability to communicate. Thus, the Commedia narrates the story of Everyman: the word, who journeys toward the divinity, the Word or Verbum. The word and the Word mark, therefore, the beginning and the end of the Commedia7KH3LOJULP¶VVLOHQWHQWUDQFHLQWRWKH text in Inferno IRUHJURXQGVDSHFXOLDUDEVHQFHEURXJKWDERXWE\KXPDQNLQG¶V VLQIXOFRQGLWLRQDQGWKHDWWHQGDQWFRQIXVLRQRIODQJXDJHV7KH3LOJULP¶VVLOHQFH at the end of the Commedia, on the contrary, signifies the presence of the Verbum, who illumines the protagonist inwardly without uttering any external word ³VLJQXPVHQVXDOHHWUDWLRQDOH´DV'DQWHGHILQHVLWLQWKHDe vulgari eloquentia). $W ILUVW WKLV VWXG\ GHDOV ZLWK WKH 3LOJULP¶V GHVFHQW WR +HOO¶V ERWWRP DQG WKH encounter with Lucifer, who parodies the Trinity and is therefore the Anti-Word: the opposite of the Word. Thus, I seek to show how Dante the Poet renders the infernal voyage through the masterful exploitation of voice and silence, proFODPDWLRQRIQDPHVRUUHIXVDOWRLGHQWLI\RQHVHOIDVZHOODVWKH3LOJULP¶VDQG 9LUJLO¶V GHIHUUDO WR WKH DXWKRULW\ RI D KLJKHU ZRUG ZKLFK DORQH FDQ HQDEOH WKH Pilgrim to undertake and continue his journey despite all opposition. 7KH3LOJULP¶V)DLQWLQJDQd the Poetry of Negative Silence The journey of the word toward the Word faces opposition throughout the descent into Hell. All the characters who oppose the Pilgrim can be seen as anti-words; Lucifer, the arch-rebel and Anti-Christ, is the Anti-word par excellence. All the encounters with the infernal guardians rest on a system of verbal signs and allusions, words and silences, hateful shouts and firm rebuttals, all of them either denying or referring and deferring to the Word so that the two wayfarers can overcome all obstacles. A major testing of the Pilgrim (and the author qua poet) occurs in Inferno 3 along the banks of the river Acheron, which the Pilgrim crosses mysteriously and in a state of unconsciousness. And yet the text is silent and offers no explanation about the manner of his crossing. Thus, the silent text bears out the need for the Pilgrim to lose consciousness before entering the realm of the dead and experiencing the mysterious divine grace enabling a human to YLVLW+HOOZLWKWKHKRSHRIDFKLHYLQJ5HGHPSWLRQEDVHGRQWKHIDLWKRQ&KULVW¶V death, descent into Hell, and Resurrection. Such a narrative silence produces a Italian Bookshelf 487 rupture between words and the action at which they aim: human words cannot explain the mystery of death, the mystery of evil (Hell), and foremost the mystery of God becoming man, dying, and resurrecting for the sake of humankind. As in WKH FDVH RI /XFLIHU ZKR QHYHU XWWHUV D ZRUG WKH WH[W¶V VLOHQFH LQ Inferno 3 becomes the most effective manner to render the condition of the Pilgrim and the P\VWHU\WKDWVXUURXQGVKLVHQWUDQFHLQWRWKHDIWHUOLIH7KHWH[W¶VVLOHQFHDERXWWKH 3LOJULP¶VFURVVLQJRIWKH$FKHURQFDQWKHUHIRUHEHVHHQDVDQLOOXVWUDWLRQRIWKH QDWXUHRI'DQWH¶VLQIHUQDOSRHWU\ZKLFKKHFDOOV³PRUWD´GHDG Purg. 1.7). Just as Lucifer is condemned to eternal silence to parody his rebellion against the VerbumVRLVWKH3LOJULP¶VHQWUDQFHLQWR+HOOPDUNHGE\KLVRZQDQGWKHWH[W¶V silence to suggest the precariousness of his condition and the peculiar nature of this form of poetry. 9LUJLO¶V'LVFRXUVHDQGWKH+XPDQ:RUG¶V6HOI-Deferring Nature 9LUJLO¶V PDFUR-discourse, which includes his addresses to Dante, the infernal guardians, the infernal as well as the purgatorial souls, bears out several essential FKDUDFWHULVWLFVLWQHYHUHQFRXQWHUVWKHDGGUHVVHH¶VWRWDODFTXLHVFHQFHDQGPRVW LPSRUWDQWO\LWUHIHUVDQGGHIHUVIRUWKHMRXUQH\¶VFRQWLQXDWLRQDQGWKHLQVWUXFWLRQ of the Pilgrim, to the power of a higher Word. This ever-deferring nature of the word to the Word characterizes not only Virgil, but also Beatrice and all other speakers of the Commedia. Thus, at the beginning of the narrative, the authority RI%HDWULFH¶VGLVFRXUVHLQInferno 2 shifts from Beatrice herself to Lucia, then to the unnamed lady traditionally identified with Mary, and ultimately to the divinity, whose harsh judgment the unnamed lady shatters (Inf. 2.96). Similarly, at the end of the story, Beatrice yields her role as guide to Bernard, Bernard intercedes with Mary on behalf of Dante, and Mary silently intercedes for him to receive the highest grace of the beatific vision while still alive. The conclusion of the Commedia²WKDWLVWKH3LOJULP¶VVLOHQWLQQHULOOXPLQDWLRQE\WKHGLYLQLW\² HPSKDVL]HV 'DQWH¶V PHGLHYDO FRQFHSWLon of the deferring nature of the human word, understanding, and rationality, which the author grounds in the divinity: the Word. Humans need words to communicate externally with other humans; the Christian Godhead can employ human words to communicate with humans; the Christian God can also do without external signs and can illumine humans inwardly and silently. Ultimately, the innermost life of God²the only one who FDQ VD\ ³, DP ZKR , DP´ ([RGXV  ²consists of one Word (the second Person of the Trinity), expressing everything God is with Love (the Holy Spirit) who joins in unity the three persons of the Trinity. God is eternally, silently, pronouncing one Word with Love. Lucifer or the Denial of the Word 9LUJLO¶V proclamation of Lucifer in Inferno  ³%HKROG 'LV´ DQQRXQFHV WKH presence of Lucifer at the bottom of Hell, stuck in the nethermost place in the 488 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) universe; and yet, his words cannot describe the Evil One. Dante the Poet contrasts KLP WR /XFLIHU¶V SULPRUGLDO FRQGLWLRQ ZKLFK WKH QDPH LWVHOf still signifies. /XFLIHU¶VHWHUQDOSXQLVKPHQWQDPHO\KLVHWHUQDOGHSULYDWLRQRIWKHZRUGDQGKLV condemnation to silence, constitutes the most powerful disconfirmation of his primordial attempt against the Verbum. Although endowed with the physical ability to utter sounds and words insofar as he has three mouths, Lucifer is, KRZHYHU HWHUQDOO\ SUHYHQWHG IURP VSHDNLQJ /XFLIHU¶V GHIHDW DQG VLOHQFH DUH rendered most dramatically by his eternal condemnation to a form of eternal and futile cannibalism, which he perpetrates on Brutus, Cassius, and Judas. Precisely because of his rebellion against God and the Word at the beginning of time, Lucifer, also called Beelzebub and Dis in the same canto, now parodies the Word and is condemned to eternal silence. Although describing Lucifer as deprived of the external word, the text nevertheless refuses to respond to any query whether or not he is endowed with the mental word, that is, whether he understands or not. Therefore, in a manner analogous to God, albeit from the totally opposite perspective, Lucifer is also inscrutable and ultimately ineffable, obviously in a parodic manner and for RSSRVLWH UHDVRQV :KHUHDV *RG¶V LQVFUXWDELOLW\ DQG LQHIIDELOLW\ DUH HVVHQWLDO attributes of the divinity (who can comprehend and explain God?), the Dantean /XFLIHU¶VLPSHUYLRXVQHVVWRDQ\H[SODQDWLRQDVWR KLVLQWHOOLJHQFHEHFRPHVWKH WH[W¶V VLJQDO RI KLV UHEHOOLRXV SULGH DQG IXWLOH DWWHPSW WR RYHUFRPH WKH Word. +HQFHKHUHWKHWH[W¶VVLOHQFHPD\EHYLHZHGDVWKHFOHDUHVWPDQLIHVWDWLRn of the GHDGQHVVRI'DQWH¶VLQIHUQDOSRHWU\LQWKDWLWUHIHUVWR*RGLQDQHJDWLYHPDQQHU thereby bearing out our human inability to render the innermost condition of Lucifer, who sought in vain to oppose God. Just as no human word can render *RG¶VLQQHU life, likewise no human word can describe the inner life of the archrebel against the divinity. %HDWULFH¶V$FWRI1DPLQJ Just as in the Inferno, so also throughout the first 29 cantos of the second cantica, the Pilgrim journeys in a nameless condition: the Poet refers to him by means of pronouns and periphrases, silences his name when the damned and purgatorial souls inquire about it, and has the souls who already know the protagonist refrain from uttering his name. Just imagine: the Pilgrim can call his guide by name, while Virgil never addresses his pupil by his name directly or indirectly. Finally, in Purgatorio 30.55 Beatrice calls Dante by name for the first and only time. I DUJXH WKDW WKH DEVHQFH RU WKH SUHVHQFH RI 'DQWH¶V QDPH PDQLIHVW KLV LQQHU condition. In fact, throughout the Middle Ages a relationship is posited between grammatica DQG HWKLFV EHWZHHQ RQH¶V ZRUG DQG RQH¶V PRUDO FRQGXFW DQG obviously between the human being, who is characterized by speech, and the divinity, who is described as the Word. Consequently%HDWULFH¶VILUVWDQGXQLTXHFDOOLQJRI'DQWHE\QDPHPXVWEH DVVRFLDWHG ZLWKDQRWKHUXQLTXHH[SHULHQFHDWWKHEHJLQQLQJRIKLVOLIH'DQWH¶V Italian Bookshelf 489 birth, baptism, and christening, which constitute all at once the beginning of the individXDO¶V OLIH DW WKH QDWXUDO VSLULWXDO DQG VHPDQWLF OHYHOV %HDWULFH¶V DFW RI QDPLQJ FDUULHV D ³GRJPDWLF YDOXH´ DV /HR 6SLW]HU VXJJHVWV 7KXV %HDWULFH performs, also in terms of language, a salvific function analogous to and GHSHQGHQW RQ &KULVW¶V 5HGHPSWLon. The voice of Beatrice, together with the following rituals through the rivers Letè and Eunoè, enables Dante to return to a redeemed state, returning to him his own name, Dante, which was given to him at baptism and which he forfeited when he became lost in the dark forest. Conclusion: Toward the Dissolution of All Words as External Signs Throughout the heavenly journey, Dante is known to all the saints through their UHDGLQJLQWKH³JUHDWYROXPH´RI*RG Par. 15.50). Thus, not only is his name known to DOO WKH EOHVVHG KH LV DOVR ORYHG E\ WKHP 'DQWH¶V QDPH WKHUHIRUH becomes synonymous with the Augustinian definition of verbumQDPHO\³FXP DPRUHQRWLWLD´ ³NQRZOHGJH ZLWKORYH´ De Trinitate 9.10.15). This knowledge ZLWKORYHUHQGHUVXQQHFHVVDU\WKHXWWHUDQFHRI'DQWH¶VQDPHLWDOVRDQWLFLSDWHV the dissolution of all words as signs to be uttered externally. At the end of his journey and as he seeks to understand God through the Verbum, Dante is allowed to comprehend the divinity as fully as possible for a human creature. By the same token, he is also able to understand himself and his name: both understanding and inner illumination occur inwardly and silently. In the last moment of the PilgriP¶V journey, the divinity communicates with him, not through names and words as they are usually understood (consisting of two elements, a rational element, verbum rationale, and an externally perceptible element, sensuale), but rather through an inner illXPLQDWLRQ7KH3LOJULP¶VDQGWKHWH[W¶VVLOHQFHDWWKHHQGRI the Commedia proposes, although mysteriously, a totality of meaning and understanding, which the medieval author believes to be possible only through the Logos. Through the second person of the Trinity, the Verbum²the human effigy at the center of the three circles representing the Trinity²the Pilgrim can finally understand, as humanly possible, the Christian Godhead: inwardly, lovingly, and silently. Dino S. Cervigni, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Bibliography $KHUQ-RKQ³%LQGLQJWKH%RRN+HUPHQHXWLFVDQG0DQXVFULSW3URGXFWLRQLQ Paradiso ´PMLA 97 (1892): 800-09. BBBBBB³'DQWH¶V/DVW:RUG7KHComedy as a liber coelestis.´ Dante Studies 102 (1984): 1-14. Alici, Luigi. Il linguaggio come segno e come testimonianza. Una rilettura di Agostino. Roma: Edizioni Studium, 1976. 490 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Alighieri, Dante. /DFRPPHGLDVHFRQGRO¶DQWLFDYXOJDWD Ed. Giorgio Petrocchi. 4 vols. Milano: Mondadori, 1966-67. ______. Il convivio ridotto a miglior lezione e commentato. Ed. Giovanni Busnelli and Giuseppe Vandelli. Introduction Michele Barbi. 2 vols. Firenze: Le Monnier, 1934. ______. Opere minori. Tome 2. Ed. Pier Vincenzo Mengaldo et al. Milano: Ricciardi, 1979. [De vulgari Eloquentia. Ed. Pier Vincenzo Mengaldo; Monarchia. Ed. Bruno Nanrdi; Epistole. Ed. Arsenio Frugoni and Giorgio Brugnoli; Egloge. Ed. Enzo Cecchini; Questio de Aqua et Terra. Ed. Francesco Mazzoni.] Aristotle. 7KH ³$UW´ RI 5KHWRULF Transl. John Henry Freese. Cambridge: Harvard UP; London: Heinemann, 1982. Augustine, Saint. De dialectica. Transl. with intr. and notes B. Darrell Jackson. Texts and Studies in the History of Logic and Philosophy, 16. Dordrecht-Holland: D. Reidel, 1975. ______. De doctrina christiana libri quattuor. Ed. Guilelmus M. Green. Vienna: HoelderPichler-Tempsky, 1963. ______. Oeuvres de Saint Augustin. 6. Dialogues philosophiques. 3. 'HO¶$PHD'LHX'H magistro. De libero arbitrio. Text of the Benedictine ed. Transl., intr., notes F.-J. Thonnard. Paris: Desclée de Brouwer, 1941. ______. Oeuvres de Saint Augustin. 7. Dialogues philosophiques. 4. La Musique - De musica libri sex. Text of the Benedictine ed. Transl., intr., notes Guy Finaert and F.J. Thonnard. Paris: Desclée de Brouwer, 1947. ______. Oeuvres de Saint Augustin. 11. Le Magistère chrétien. De catechezindis rudibus. De doctrina christiana. 7UDQVOLQWUQRWHV*&RPEpVDQG0O¶DEEp)DUJHV3DULV Desclée de Brouwer, 1949. ______. Oeuvres de Saint Augustin. 13 and 14. Les Confessions. Vol. 1. Livres 1-7. Vol. 2. Livres 8-13. Text ed. M. Skutella. Intr. and notes A. Solignac. Transl. E. Tréhorel and G. Bouissou. Paris: Desclée de Brouwer, 1962. ______. Oeuvres de Saint Augustin. 15. La Trinité (Livres I-VII). I. Le Mystère [De Trinitate]. Transl., notes M. Mellet and Th. Camelot, intr. E. Hendrikk. Paris: Desclée de Brouwer, 1955. ______. Oeuvres de Saint Augustin. 16. La Trinité (Livres VIII-XV). I. Les Images. [De Trinitate]. Transl. P. Agaësse, notes J. Moingt. Paris: Desclée de Brouwer, 1955. Bakhtin, M. M. The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays. Ed. Michael Holquist. Transl. Caryl Emerson and Michael Holquist. U of Texas P Slavic Series 1. Austin: U of T Press, 1981. Benveniste, Emile. Problèmes de linguistique générale. Vol. 2. Paris: Gallimard, 1974. ______. Problems in General Linguistics. Transl. Mary E. Meek. Coral Gables: U of Miami P, 1971. Biblia sacra iuxta vulgatam clementinam. Madrid: BAC, 1982. Bloch, Howard R. Etymologies and Genealogies: A Literary Anthropology of the French Middle Ages. Chicago: The U of Chicago P, 1983. Bolton Holloway, Julia. The Pilgrim and the Book: A Study of Dante, Langland and Chaucer. American University Studies. Ser. 4, English Language and Literature, 42. New York: Peter Lang, 1987. Boyde, Patrick. Dante Philomyhtes and Philosopher: Man in the Cosmos. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1981. Braaten, Carl E., ed. Our Naming of God: Problems and Prospects of God-Talk Today. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989. Brooke-Rose, Christine. A Grammar of Metaphor. London: Secker and Warburg, 1958. Italian Bookshelf 491 Burke, Kenneth. The Rhetoric of Religion: Studies in Logology. Berkeley: U of California P, 1961. Casagrande, Carla and Silvana Vecchio. I peccati della lingua. Disciplina ed etica della parola nella cultura medievale. Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana fondata da Giovanni Treccani, 1987. Cassirer, Ernst. An Essay on Man: An Introduction to a Philosophy of Human Culture. New Haven: Yale UP, 1962. Cave, Terence. Recognitions: A Study in Poetics. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1988. &HUYLJQL'LQR6³/¶$FKHURQWHGDQWHVFRPRUWHGHO3HOOHJULQRHGHOODSRHVLD´Quaderni G¶LWDOLDQLVWLFD 10.1-2 (1989): 71-89. BBBBBB³%HDWULFH¶V$FWRI1DPLQJ´Lectura Dantis: A Forum for Dante Research and Interpretation 8 (Spring 1991): 85-99. BBBBBB ³'DQWH¶V )RXUIROG -XGHR-Christian Mytho-3RLHVLV´ $QQDOL G¶LWDOLDQLVWLFD 18 (2000): 143-74. BBBBBB³'DQWH¶V/XFLIHU7KH'HQLDORIWKH:RUG´Lectura Dantis: A Forum for Dante Research and Interpretation 3 (1988): 51-62. ______. 'DQWH¶V 3RHWU\ RI 'UHDPV %LEOLRWHFD GHOO¶³$UFKLYXP 5RPDQLFXP´ )LUHQ]H Olschki, 1986. BBBBBB ³/¶(XQRq R LO ULSULVWLQR GHO EHQH SHUGXWR´ Filologia e critica dantesca. Studi offerti a Aldo Vallone. Studi danteschi. Firenze: Olschki, 1989. 2.175-98. [English YHUVLRQ³7KH(XQRqRUWKH5HFRYHU\RIWKH/RVW*RRG´Lectura Dantis Newberriana. Evanston: Northwestern UP, 1990. 2.59-80.] BBBBBB³7KH0XWHG6HOI-5HIHUHQWLDOLW\RI'DQWH¶V/XFLIHU´Dante Studies 107 (1989): 45-74. BBBBBB ³3OXWR¶V :RUGV YHUVXV 9LUJLO¶V :RUGV 7KH 'DQWHDQ +HOO¶V )DLOXUH RI 6HOI5HIHUHQWLDOLW\´ Pluralism & Critical Practice. Essays in Honor of Albert N. Mancini. Ed. Paolo A. Giordano and Anthony J. Tamburri. West Lafayette, IN: Bordighera Press, 1999. 32-40. BBBBBB³,OWULSOLFHLRQHOPurgatorio VII: parola, silenzio e ascolto nella Commedia´The Italianist 13 (1993): 7-28. &KLDPSL-DPHV³7KH)DWHRI:ULWLQJ7KH3XQLVKPHQWRI7KLHYHVLQWKHInferno´Dante Studies 102 (1984): 51-60. Ciani, Maria Grazia, ed. The Regions of Silence: Studies on the Difficulty of Communicating. Amsterdam: J. C. Gieben, 1987. Colombo, Manuela. 'DLPLVWLFLD'DQWHLOOLQJXDJJLRGHOO¶LQHIIDELOLWj. Pubblicazioni della )DFROWjGL/HWWHUHH)LORVRILDGHOO¶8QLYHUVLWjGL3DYLD)irenze: La Nuova Italia Editrice, 1987. &RQVROL'RPHQLFR³3DUROD´Enciclopedia dantesca. 6 vols. Ed. Umberto Bosco. Roma: ,VWLWXWR GHOO¶(QFLFORSHGLD ,WDOLDQD -75. https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/ parola_%28Enciclopedia-Dantesca%29/. BBBBBB ³6HJQR´ Enciclopedia dantesca. https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/segno_% 28Enciclopedia-Dantesca%29/. Corradi Fiumara, Gemma. The Other Side of Language. A Philosophy of Listening. Transl. Charles Lambert. London: Routledge, 1990. Corti, Maria. Dante a un nuovo crocevia. Firenze: Sansoni, 1989. Curtius, Ernst Robert. European Literature and the Latin Middle Ages. 1948. Transl. Willard R. Trask. Bollingen ser. 36. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1973. 'HO 3XQWD )UDQFHVFR ³1RPH´ Enciclopedia dantesca. https://www.treccani.it/ enciclopedia/nome_%28Enciclopedia-Dantesca%29/. 492 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Derrida, Jacques. Of Grammatology. Transl. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins UP, 1976. ______. 6SHHFKDQG3KHQRPHQD$QG2WKHU(VVD\VRQ+XVVHUO¶V7KHRU\RI6LJQV. Transl. and ed. with intr. David B. Allison. Pref. Newton Garver. Evanston: Northwestern UP, 1973. ______. La Voix et le Phénomène. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1972. )HUUDQWH-RDQ0³7KH5HODWLRQRI6SHHFKWR6LQLQWKHInferno´Dante Studies 87 (1969): 33-46. Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. 1957. New York: Atheneum, 1969. Gellrich, Jesse M. The Idea of the Book in the Middle Ages: Language Theory, Mythology, and Fiction. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1985. Greene, Thomas M. Dramas of Selfhood in the Comedy. From Time to Eternity: Essays on 'DQWH¶V Divine Comedy. Ed. Thomas G. Bergin. New Haven: Yale UP, 1967. Hunt, R. W. The History of Grammar in the Middle Ages. Collected Papers. Ed. G. L. Bursill-Hall. Amsterdam Studies in the Theory and History of Linguistic Science 3; Studies in the History of Linguistics. Vol. 5. Amsterdam: John Benjamins B. V., 1980. Isidori Hispalensis Episcopi Etymologiarum sive originum libri XX. Recognovit brevique adnotatione critica instruxit W. M. Lindsay. 2 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1911. -DFNVRQ % 'DUUHOO ³7KH 7KHRU\ RI 6LJQV LQ 6W $XJXVWLQH¶V De doctrina christiana.´ Revue des études augustiniennes 15 (1969): 9-49. -HQDUR0DF/HQQDQ/³7KH)DOORI/XFLIHUDQGWKH&UHDWLRQRI$GDPLQWKH(DUO\ Dante &RPPHQWDWRUV´Romanische Forschungen 99.2/3 (1987): 138-51. Josipovici, Gabriel. The World and the Book. A Study of Modern Fiction. London: MacMillan, 1979. Kirkpatrick, Robin. 'DQWH¶VInferno: Difficulty and Dead Poetry. Cambridge Studies in Medieval Literature 1. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1987. Lonergan, Bernard. Verbum: Word and Idea in Aquinas. Ed. David B. Burrell. Notre Dame: U of Notre Dame P, 1967. 0D]]HR-RVHSK$QWKRQ\³6W$XJXVWLQH5KHWRULFRI6LOHQFH´23 (1962): 175-96. Mengaldo, Pier Vincenzo. Linguistica e retorica di Dante. Pisa: Nistri-Lischi, 1978. Ong, Walter. The Presence of the Word: Some Prolegomena for Cultural and Religious History. New Haven: Yale UP, 1967. Pagani, Ileana. La teoria linguistica di Dante. Napoli: Liguori, 1982. Prickett, Stephen. Words and The Word: Language, Poetics, and Biblical Interpretation. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1986. Ricoeur, Paul. The Philosophy of Paul Ricoeur: An Anthology of His Work. Ed. Charles E. Reagan and David Stewart. Boston: Beacon Press, 1978. ______. The Symbolism of Evil. Transl. Emerson Buchanan. Boston: Beacon Press, 1967. Rupert von Deitz. Rupertus Abbas Tuitiensis De victoria verbi Dei. Ed. Rhaban Haacke. Monumenta Germaniae historiaca 5. Weimar: Herman Böhlaus Nachfolger, 1970. Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1977. ______. Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1984. ______. Satan: The Early Christian Tradition. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1981. Schwarz, David S. Naming and Referring: The Semantics and Pragmatics of Singular Terms. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1979. Shoaf, Richard Allen. Dante, Chaucer, and the Currency of the Word: Money, Images, and Reference in Late Medieval Poetry. Norman, Oklahoma: Pilgrim Books, 1983. 6SLW]HU/HR³1RWHRQWKH3RHWLFDQGWKH(PSLULFDOµ,¶LQ0HGLHYDO$XWKRUV´Traditio 4 (1946): 414-22. Italian Bookshelf 493 Thomas Aquinas. Summa Philosophica seu De Veritate Catholicae Fidei Contra Gentiles. Paris: 1877. _____. Summa Theologiae. 5 vols. Madrid: BAC, 1965-68. Thrane, Torben. Referential-Semantic Analysis: Aspects of a Theory of Linguistic Reference. Cambridge Studies in Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1980. Toraldo di Francia, Giuliano. Le cose e i loro nomi. Roma: Laterza, 1986. Valesio, Paolo. Ascoltare il silenzio. La retorica come teoria. Bologna: il Mulino, 1986. ______. Novantiqua: Rhetorics as a Contemporary Theory. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1980. Vance, Eugene. Mervelous Signals: Poetics and Sign Theory in the Middle Ages. Lincoln: The U of Nebraska P, 1986. Ziolkowski, Jan. $ODQRI/LOOH¶V*UDPPDURI6H[7KH0HDQLQJRI*UDPPDUWRD7ZHOIWKCentury Intellectual. Cambridge, MA: The Medieval Academy of America, 1985. REVIEW ARTICLES Italian Studies and the Environmental Humanities: The First Ten Years Damiano Benvegnù, and Matteo Gilebbi, eds. Italy and the Ecological Imagination: Ecocritical Theories and Practices. Wilmington: Vernon P, 2023. Pp. 206. Marina Spunta, and Silvia Ross, eds. Tra ecologia letteraria ed ecocritica. Narrare la crisi ambientale nella letteratura e nel cinema italiani. Firenze: Franco Cesati Editore, 2022. Pp. 144. In Italy, the environmental humanities came into being exactly ten years ago, when literary scholar Caterina Salabè published the collection Ecocritica (Ecocritica. La letteratura e la crisi del pianeta, Roma: Donzelli, 2013). From WRGD\¶VSHUVSHFWLYHWKLs volume marks a key moment in the genesis of a field that has since moved to the front and centre of the arts and humanities. When Ecocritica went to press, discussions about the cultural significance of global heating and environmental degradation were still confined to well-delineated academic sub-disciplines such as environmental history or ecocriticism. The title RI 6DODEq¶V ERRN DFNQRZOHGJHV WKLV FRQWH[W EXW LWV FKDSWHUV DUH LQVSLUHG E\ D greater appetite for transdisciplinary exchange, between literary critics, biologists, political theorists, mathematicians and religious scholars. As Salabè notes in her introduction, rigid disciplinary demarcations stand in the way of new scholarly practices and political orientations. In the context of the unfolding planetary environmental crisis, they risk delaying behavioural change and the achievement of wider projects of social reform and environmental justice. Exposing the biases 494 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) and blind spots of established academic disciplines, according to Salabè, is therefore an important task for researchers in the environmental humanities. 6DODEq¶V ERRN VWDQGV DW WKH RULJLQ RI DQ LQIOXHQWLDO VWUDQG RI FRPSDUDWLYH transdisciplinary research in Italian ecocriticism, which includes Niccolò 6FDIIDL¶VLetteratura e ecologia. Forme e temi di una relazione narrativa (Roma: &DURFFL   'DQLHOD )DUJLRQH DQG &DUPHQ &RQFLOLR¶V HGLWHG YROXPH Antroposcenari. Storie, paesaggi, ecologie (Bologna: il Mulino, 2018) and Carla %HQHGHWWL¶V /D OHWWHUDWXUD FL VDOYHUj GDOO¶HVWLQ]LRQH (Torino: Einaudi, 2021), among others. Firmly anchored in literary studies and cultural theory, these books have probed the multiple synergies between scholarship, political activism and creative practice. Their authors share a conviction that, in a world reconfigured by climate change and its effects, the cultural analysis of more-than-human nature must no longer be viewed as a specialist pursuit. Established ideas of disciplinary purity²for example, the focus on a single national literary canon²must be abandoned in favour of more speculative, multidisciplinary and transnationally comparative approaches. (Salabè and Scaffai are scholars of comparative literature, while Fargione and Concilio write as specialists of English, North American and Anglophone postcolonial literatures). Interestingly, all of the aforementioned books are in Italian, but this choice has not been discussed by their authors. A different strand of the environmental humanities has emerged more recently, in the context of North American Italian Studies. Examples of this include a pioneering collection, Italy and the Environmental Humanities: Landscapes, Natures, Ecologies (Charlottesville: U of Virginia P, 2018), edited by Serenella Iovino, Enrico Cesaretti and Elena Past, and a number of PRQRJUDSKV 3DVW¶V Italian Ecocinema: Beyond the Human (Bloomington: ,QGLDQD 83   &HVDUHWWL¶V Elemental Narratives: Reading Environmental Entanglements in Modern Italy (University Park: Penn State UP, 2020) and 0RQLFD 6HJHU¶V Toxic Matters: Narrating ,WDO\¶V 'LR[LQ (Charlottesville: U of Virginia P, 2022), to name but a few. Like their Ita.lian colleagues, these authors have favoured transdisciplinary methodologies, spinning out new approaches to vexed categories such as nature, place, temporality and embodiment. Unlike their peers in Southern Europe, North American scholars in Italian Studies could rely on well-established traditions of multidisciplinary openness, in area studies and modern languages disciplines. While Benedetti and Scaffai focused their attention on a recognisable, supranational canon of literary nature writing²from Gilgamesh to English Romanticism and from Giacomo Leopardi to Cormac McCarthy²Cesaretti, Past, and their North American colleagues directed their work towards a wider and more diverse range of genres, topics, and media, in the tradition of cultural studies. In their books, they maintain an exclusive geographic focus on Italy, with specific attention to local communities, landscapes and morethan-human habitats. This systematic engagement with regionally situated aesthetics, narratives and visual forms aims to decentre universalistic tendencies Italian Bookshelf 495 in the Anglophone environmental humanities. Just as importantly, methodological pluralism serves to disrupt outmoded assumptions about the primacy of the literary. Creative and material practices are not examined as parts of a national curriculum or canon, but explored through a variety of different conceptual and transdisciplinary lenses, including material ecocriticism (Iovino and Serpill Opperman), slow violence (Rob Nixon) and the posthuman. From this perspective, Cesaretti, Iovino and Past have described the rise of the HQYLURQPHQWDOKXPDQLWLHVDV³WKHMR\IXODGYHQWRIDORQJ-DZDLWHGUHYROXWLRQ´DQG ³DPHDQLQJIXOWXUQRIWKHGLDOLQ WKHFULWLFDOFDQRQRI,WDOLDQVWXGLHV´   The contrast between Italian and North American approaches sheds light on an important question for the environmental humanities: how can we achieve meaningful attention to local contexts, cultural and linguistic diversity and sociopolitical inequality in a field that defines itself through its engagement with planetary scale and deep time? In Italy, literary scholars have challenged the closed disciplinary systems of language-based philology by drawing attention to experiences of global scale and planetary entanglement. North American Italianists, by contrast, have reacted with suspicion to narratives that presume to speak for all of humanity, and have prioritised the engagement with situated practice over the analysis of transnational chains of violence and interdependence. How has this tension evolved in recent years? A decade after the publication of Ecocritica, the environmental humanities are no longer a specialist sub-field. Earth and life scientists have become increasingly attentive to political, economic and cultural-historical forms, and to arguments that are deeply familiar to researchers in the arts and humanities. Cultural anxieties over climate change, biodiversity loss and changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere, oceans and living organisms have become inseparable from discussions about the political and social consequences of modernization and globalization. Global heating, in this context, is not only seen as a trigger for urgent political action, it also calls for a radical re-orientation of ethical and aesthetic values. Two recent volumes²Italy and the Ecological Imagination: Ecocritical Theories and Practices, 2023), edited by Damiani Benvegnù and Matteo Gilebbi, and Tra ecologia letteraria ed ecocritica. Narrare la crisi ambientale nella letteratura e nel cinema italiani, edited by Marina Spunta and Silvia Ross²offer a snapshot of current trends in literary and cultural research, at the intersection of Italian Studies, literary criticism and the Environmental Humanities. The two publications share some important similarities. They are of similar length (ten to twelve chapters) and include a significant number of contributions by early career researchers. Instead of approaching the environmental humanities as a closed, axiomatised system, the two collections champion methodological pluralism. Chapters differ in style, focus and approach, but are connected²in Benvegnù and Gilebbi words²E\DFRPPRQGHVLUHWR³GLIIUDFWWKHHFRORJLFDOSRwers of Italian LPDJLQDWLRQ´ S[Y 7KLVHPSKDVLVRQRSHQQHVVDQGLQFOXVLRQLVDOVRUHIOHFWHGLQ 496 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) the primary corpus. The collections feature some canonical figures² Michelangelo Antonioni, Giordano Bruno, Primo Levi, Guido Morselli, Anna Maria Ortese, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Paolo Volponi²but also an impressive number of contemporary and less widely known writers, activists and artists: $QWRQLR &HGHUQD (GZLQ &HULR 0DXUR &RURQD $OHVVDQGUR G¶(PLOLD 3LHWUR Marcello, Giulio Marzaioli, Giuseppe Penone, Pia Pera and Nuto Revelli, among others. Most chapters concentrate on a single author or are structured around a comparative reading of two authors. There are no chapters with an exclusive focus on theory. What makes each chapter relevant to the wider project is not the demarcation of a particular field of study or the application of a single method, but a shared interest in the vital relevance of verbal, visual and performing art to more-than-human wellbeing. Written in English, Italy and the Ecological Imagination is more directly influenced by Anglophone Italian Studies and echoes the curricular and scholarly interests of researchers in North American modern languages departments. Transdisciplinary openness is achieved through the inclusion of chapters on film (Alberto Baracco on Garrone (55-69); Achille Castaldo on Marcello (141-156)), feminist theory (Danila Cannamela on Luisa Muraro and Chiara Zamboni (3954)), sculpture (Federico Luisetti on Penone (109-22)) and the relation between activism and site-specific critical practice (Paolo Saporito on walking (71-90); Serena Ferrando on slow violence in Crevasco (91-  7KH ERRN¶V chronological range is centred on the contemporary but includes, surprisingly, an HUXGLWH RSHQLQJ FKDSWHU RQ %UXQR¶V HFR-theology, by Massimo Lollini (3-20). /LWHUDU\ VWXGLHV DUH UHSUHVHQWHG E\ -HVVLFD 6FLXEED¶V LPSDVVLRQHG DQDO\VLV RI autobiographical narratives of exploitation across the Mediterranean (123-40) and E\ (PLOLDQR *XDUDOGR 5RGULJXH]¶V LQWHOOLJHQW UHDGLQJ RI 0RUVHOOL¶V Dissipatio H.G. (157-74). The book also features an illuminating chapter on Primo Levi and the semantics of resistance by the doyenne of the Italian environmental humanities, Serenella Iovino. In their co-authored introduction, Benvegnù and Gilebbi refer to ,RYLQR¶VLQIOXHQWLDOPRQRJUDSKEcocriticism and Italy: Ecology, Resistance, and Liberation (London: Bloomsbury, 2016)²as well as Roberto (VSRVLWR¶VZRUNRQWKHVSHFLILFLW\RI,WDOLDQWKHRU\²when they lay out the aims and purpose of their edited collection. According to the two editors, the book strives to decentre ideas of canonicity and national identity and seeks to describe ,WDO\DVD³FRQJORPHUDWHRIHQYLURQPHQWDOOLQJXLVWLFDQGVRFLDOFKDUDFWHULVWLFV´ D³UDGLFDOJHR-FXOWXUDOSOXUDOLW\´ LY WKDWLVequally shaped by efforts to achieve political unity and by the absence or failure of such imagined communities. 6SXQWD¶V DQG 5RVV¶V ERRN LQ ,WDOLDQ GUDZV WRJHWKHU FRQWULEXWRUV IURP D wider variety of contexts (France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, UK) and appears more eclectic and inclusive than its North American counterpart. Many chapters are written by scholars with a background in italianistica and, perhaps as a result, the majority of interventions have a clear literary focus. Indeed, Tra ecologia letteraria ed ecocritica contains only two extended discussions of non-fictional Italian Bookshelf 497 ZULWLQJ 5RVV¶V GLVFXVVLRQ -  RI 3UXQHWWL¶V ERRN-length autobiography, Amianto. Una storia operaia 5RPD $OHJUH   DQG /DXUD $OEHUWLQL¶V rigorous account of the life and works of journalist and environmental activist Antonio Cederna (35- 6SXQWD¶VFKDSWHU -94) pays homage to the creativecritical oeuvre of writer-journalist Pia Pera, whose work spans a variety of genres, including diary, essay, dialogue, and the short story. We also find four chapters with an exclusive focus on the novel (by Cristina Vignali (25-34), Natalia Chwaja DQG 3DXOLQD .ZDĞQLHZVND-Urba (51-60), Giulia Falistocco (107-16) and Carlo Baghetti (117-26)) and two that are centred on poetry: Marilina &LDFR¶V fascinating exploration (61-  RI *LXOLR 0DU]DLROL¶V Il volo degli uccelli &RORUQR%HQZD\6HULHV DQG0DXUR&DQGLORUR¶VFRPSDUDWLYHDQDO\VLVRI desolate urban landscapes in the works of Laura Pugno, Italo Testa and Renata Morresi (75-84). -DFRSR 7XULQL¶V FKDSWHU RQ WKH FXOWXUDO SROLWLFV RI PRXQWDLQ hiking (43-  GUDZV IURP D UDQJH RI DXWKRUV DQG WH[WV LQFOXGLQJ 5HYHOOL¶V UHSRUWDJHV IURP WKH V DQG :X 0LQJ ¶V PRUH UHFHQW Un viaggio che non promettiamo breve. Venticinque anni di lotta No Tav (Torino: Einaudi, 2016). 'HVSLWHLWVVXEWLWOH6SXQWD¶VDQG5RVV¶VERRNFRQWDLQVRQO\RQHFKDSWHURQILOP 6DQGUD'XJR¶VGLVFXVVLRQRI3DVROLQL¶VHQYLURQPHQWDOLVP -106), which opens with an unconventional reading of Ragazzi di Vita (1955) and considers Accattone (1961) and Mamma Roma (1962). Some preliminary conclusions can be drawn, if we read the two edited collections as examples of emergent trends in environmental humanities scholarship. First, it is evident that the pressures of a heating planet are already giving shape to new and unfamiliar curricular constellations and to fresh canons of primary and secondary literature. Established authors such as Guido Morselli and Paolo Volponi are receiving greater attention because of their sustained engagement with anti-capitalist critique, dystopian speculation and multispecies world-making. Others, like Pasolini and Levi, are read with growing interest in their environmental concerns. Alongside these familiar names, a wealth of new and unexpected voices are being heard. We can also observe the emergence of a distinctively Italian forcefield in the environmental humanities, which is shaped by the interaction between humanities scholars in Italy and researchers in Anglophone Italian Studies. For example, Marco Armiero (environmental history), Emanuele Coccia (critical plant studies), Serenella Iovino (material ecocriticism) and Federico Luisetti (decolonial ecologies) have come to occupy an influential role as mediators between Anglophone and Italian debates, while also straddling the divide between popular and academic audiences. Alongside WKHVH QDPHV 5RE 1L[RQ¶V ZRUN RQ VORZ YLROHQFH FRQWLQXHV WR HQMR\ JUHDW visibility, because of its specific relevance to Italian experiences of landscape as a rich, historically textured habitat that has been shaped by the interaction between communities, and between humans and non-humans, across generations. Other theoretical debates²on ecofeminism, multispecies encounter, indigeneity, and 498 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) the Anthropocene²are of clear interest to some contributors, but do not seem to occupy a central place in the Italian environmental humanities at large, at this point in time. Attention to specific artistic experiences has produced a fragmentation of interest, which entails risks but also opportunities for the future of the field. A new, more diverse set of cultural references has been established, which must now provide the basis for more ambitious and comprehensive WKHRUHWLFDO DFFRXQWV RI ,WDOLDQ VSHFLILFLW\ DQG RI ,WDO\¶V FRQWULEXWLRQ WR ZLGHU debates. Florian Mussgnug, University College London Programmed Openness: Two Accounts of Computer-Aided Creativity in Italy, 1960-2010 Emanuela Patti. Opera Aperta. Italian Electronic Literature from the 1960s to the Present. Oxford: Peter Lang, 2022. Pp. xx + 308. Lindsay Caplan. Arte Programmata. Freedom, Control, and the Computer in 1960s Italy. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 2022. Pp. 319. These two important books reconsider the legacy of Umberto (FR¶V Opera Aperta sixty years after its publication. Eco defined the open work as an ³HSLVWHPRORJLFDO PHWDSKRU´ and both books reexamine it from the point of view of electronic literature and computer- or optical art, respectively. ³7KH opening [of the open work] is the programmed predisposition of a particularly free FRRSHUDWLRQ´ Patti writes (9), identifying the fundamental tension that characterizes a constellation of avant-garde experiments with language arts from the 1960s to the 2010s. The same tension applies to arte programmata in the 1960s and 70s, as Caplan explains in the introduction to her study entitled ³%HWZHHQ the Programmed and the )UHH´ (1). Open works, as Patti quoting Eco explains, are ³LQHYLWDEO\ situated, and oscillate, between the two poles of order and process, structures and experimentation, ultimately µRSHQLQJ¶ to the creation of a new IRUP´ (14). In e-lit and arte programmata ³QHZ IRUPV´ are produced with the assistance of computers, networked or stand-alone. Both Patti and Caplan argue that this fundamental dialectics between ³IUHHGRP´ and ³SURJUDPPLQJ´ structures and experimentation, must be understood against the socio-political backdrop of the 1960s. Opere aperte, whether literary, visual, or musical, require the perceptual feedback and cognitive work of users (viewers, readers, listeners) to fulfill their aesthetic as well as their social and political functions. While it is difficult to overestimate the influence of cybernetics on (FR¶V ³HSLVWHPRORJLFDO PHWDSKRU´ (Caplan correctly recalls its debt to Abraham 0ROHV¶ Theorie de O¶LQIRUPDWLRQ et perception esthétique published in 1957) Opera aperta is above all a political Italian Bookshelf 499 theory of art, as a crucial chapter of (FR¶V book entitled ³'HO modo di formare come impegno sulla realtà ³)RUP as Social ComPLWPHQW´ demonstrates. From the big bang of the 1960s and throughout the following decades of vertiginous technological developments and neo-liberal globalization, literary and artistic experiments with the computer highlight the contradiction between cybernetics as the expression of a ³XQLGLPHQVLRQDO´ technocracy of control (Herbert Marcuse, One dimensional man : studies in the ideology of advanced industrial society, Boston: Beacon Press, 1964) and the alternative use of the machine envisioned by engaged and radical artists who try to bend it toward alternative, liberating, even revolutionary uses. The intersection of creative experiments and political goals characterizes the contributions of Italian artists. For example, indebted as they were to cutting-edge developments in experimental psychology and psychoanalysis, the members of the Gruppo N and Gruppo T collectives, among the artists studied by Caplan, were close if not ³RUJDQLF´ to the ³ZRUNHULVW´ or operaista, movement at the roots of Autonomia, as Jacopo Galimberti has also recently shown (Images of Class: Operaismo, Autonomia and the Visual Arts 1962-1988, New York: Verso, 2022). Caplan distinguishes arte programmata from such artistic trends as optical, kinetic, or ³SHUFHSWXDO abstraction art," as Rudolf Arnheim described it in 1947 ³3HUFHSWXDO abstraction and DUW´ Psychological Review, 54, 2, 66-82). Examples were showcased at the ³5HVSRQVLYH (\H´ MoMa exhibit of 1964. Indeed, Caplan establishes a clear contrast between that groundbreaking exhibit, curated by Arnheim, and the pioneering 1962 exhibit ³$UWH programmata. Arte cinetica. Opere moltiplicate. Opera DSHUWD´ curated by Eco and Bruno Munari and staged at the Olivetti store in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan and later in Rome and Venice, in a piazza San Marco location designed by Carlo Scarpa. Besides establishing the antecedence of the Italian exhibit, Caplan underscores the political project informing arte programmata as a whole against ³WKH Responsive (\H¶V appeal to sensory experience aligned with the individualistic sensibility of capitalist consumer FXOWXUH´ (76). Not surprisingly, Manfredo Massironi of the Paduan Gruppo N denounced at the time the Responsive Eye exhibit as ³VXEMHFWHG to the imperialism of the American art PDUNHW´ (quoted in Caplan 76). Expanding on this counter-position in her analysis, Caplan focuses on the following defining topics: ³&ROOHFWLYL]LQJ $XWKRUVKLS´ in chapter one (33-72); ³3URJUDPPLQJ the 6SHFWDWR´ in chapter two (73-128); ³7KH Politics of Information´ in chapter three (129-78); and ³$XWRQRP\ and 2UJDQL]DWLRQ´ in chapter four (177-230), which outlines the crisis of arte programmata in the 1970s, in its progression from object-oriented to interactive, environmental forms (programmed ambienti). In her comprehensive survey of e-lit from the 1960s to the 2010s within the framework of (FR¶V Opera aperta, Patti focuses on the idea of ³RSHQ WH[WXDOLW\´ following its developments from the Neoavanguardia to digital convergence, in part one (5-78); from mainframe computing to the internet with the ensuing 500 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) impact on the ³'LJLWDO Avant-*DUGH´ in part two (77-148); and on to the ³VRFLDO PHGLD´ and ³SRVW-GLJLWDO´ turns of the 2010s, in part three (149-232) and four (233-72). Patti focuses in particular on ³HQWURS\´ as a crucial concept in (FR¶V theory: the disorder that alternative uses of the machine introduce in conventional systems of communication. As Eleonora Lima, Dennis Duncan, and Natalie Berkman have recently shown, a similar but not identical perspective characterized &DOYLQR¶V adoption of ³WKH Oulipian FOLQDPHQ´ as a metaphor for poetic creativity (Eleonora Lima, Le tecnologie GHOO¶LQIRUPD]LRQH nella scrittura di Italo Calvino e Paolo Volponi. Tre storie di rimediazione, Firenze: Firenze UP, 2020; Dennis Duncan, ³&DOYLQR Llull, Lucretius: Two Models of Literary &RPELQDWRULFV´ Comparative Literature 64.1 (Winter 2012): 93-109; Natalie Berkman, ³,WDOR &DOYLQR¶V Oulipian &OLQDPHQ´ MLN 135.1 (January 2020, Italian Issue): 255-80). In short, Patti writes, e-literary artists have ³WR find a balance between the form and its opening to the possibility of multiple meanings. If this balance is not reached, the result is LQFRPPXQLFDELOLW\´ (13-14). Indeed, many e-literary works (especially before the rise of the participatory Web 2.0 and social media) threaded a thin line between alternative, or subversive, forms of communication and incommunicability, which often exposed them to the accusation of being niche and elitist avant-garde experiments. Again, this can be best understood in relation to the often implicit political aesthetics guiding these experiments, whose roots can be traced back to Dada, Surrealism, and the 1960s Neoavanguardia along a spectrum ranging from playful contestazione to outright anarchic sabotage, reflecting the political contradictions and evolution, or involution, of the so-called New Left. Yet, 3DWWL¶V analysis is not reductionist in a sociological sense but pays close attention to the linguistic and formal dimensions of these works, in relation to the technologies adopted. The experiments of Gruppo 63, Patti writes, ³ZHUH totally in keeping with the early forms of combinational creativity developed by computers; this was especially true for combinatory poetics²that is, the recombination of familiar linguistic expressions in unfamiliar ones [...] The language of mass media, as a form of neo-capitalistic power, was contested because of the consumerist values it H[SUHVVHG´ (16-17). Nanni %DOHVWULQL¶V work is seminal, from this point of view: Tape Mark I (1961) is one of the very first poetic experiments produced with a mainframe computer. Balestrini experimented with both ³WKH materiality of the verbal sign and the cut-up WHFKQLTXH´ as an ³LPSODFDEOH remixatore´ as Andrea Cortellessa has defined him ³1DQQL Balestrini, o del passare EUXFLDQGR´ Doppiozero, 20 (May 2019)) anticipating later examples of concrete and algorithmic poetry. Indeed, as suggested by Franco Berardi (Bifo) in his introduction to the English translation of %DOHVWULQL¶s collection Blackout (Nanni Balestrini, Blackout, Commune Editions, 2017; quoted in Patti 100), %DOHVWULQL¶V ³formalismo della macchina e dinamismo del movimento´ tackles the linguistic dimension of the fundamental contradiction between technocratic control and revolutionary empowerment. As Patti correctly underscores, with the experimental novel Italian Bookshelf 501 Tristano (1966), Balestrini did not limit himself ³WR disrupt the linguistic V\VWHP´ but ³VRPHKRZ disrupted the capitalistic logic of the publishing system, by challenging the mechanical, and later digital, reproduction of literary ZRUNV´ (103). If I may quote myself, it is the mode of (re)production of the literary work of art that the most interesting expressions of e-literature aim to disrupt and possibly subvert (Massimo Riva, Il futuro della letteratura. /¶RSHUD G¶DUWH letteraria QHOO¶HSRFD della sua riproducibilità digitale, Napoli: Scripta Web, 2012). The dialectics of technological ³IRUPDOLVP´ and dynamic movement also provides the blueprint for 3DWWL¶V exhaustive historical survey. (Roberta ,DGHYDLD¶V Per una storia della letteratura elettronica italiana, published by Mimesis in 2021, provides a somewhat alternative account, focused on more recent developments). 3DWWL¶V analysis focuses on four medium-specific types of experiments: - - - - combinatory literature, ³ZKLFK includes various examples of combinatory fiction and poetry generated by mainframe or comSXWHUV´ (Patti 29); kinetic and interactive poetry, ³LQYROYLQJ experimentation with the animation of text and graphical forms using PCs or videos in conjunction with specific software, such as Adobe )ODVK´²Gianni 7RWL¶V poetronics, Giorgio /RQJR¶V grafomagmas and, most recently, Fabrizio 9HQHUDQGL¶V Poesie elettroniche, 2017, provide examples (Patti 29-31); hypertext fiction, ³ZKLFK originated before the World Wide Web, but soon developed as a multimedia interactive genre at the intersection with video gamHV´ as represented by the pioneering Avventura al castello by Enrico Colombini, 1982, by the Internet poetry of an assorted group of authors including Francesco Saverio Dódaro and Caterina Davinio, in the 1990s and 2000s, and interactive series and novels, in the 2010s (Patti 32); and finally network writing, ³ZKLFK includes the so-called µQHZ QDUUDWLYHV¶ such as blogging and micro-blogging allowed by Web 2.0 technologies, as well as the intermedia genres developed across digital platforms and printed books such as Twitterature, Facebookature and novels generated from blogs or social networks XSGDWHV´²Italian variations on this typology are works by Wu Ming, Michela Murgia, Tommaso Pincio, Francesco Pecoraro, Scrittura Industriale Collettiva, and others (Patti 32-33). ³$OO the experiments considered in this book²Patti sums up²are in fact hybrid genres which remix some literary forms with certain technological processes of the digital revolution²i.e. programming, visualization, digitization, hypertextuality and hypermediation, interactivity and participation, database and 502 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) open source, virtuality and simulation, convergence, remediation. They, therefore, raise a number of theoretical and methodological questions which are at the crossroad of the disciplines mentioned above: what type of µRSHQLQJ¶ they promote, which human and non-human agents are involved in the creation, what form of impegno they enact, what creative energy they free and to what end IXQFWLRQ ´ (Patti 24). &DSODQ¶V leading theme is also the dialectic of impegno and ³FUHDWLYH HQHUJ\´ in the struggle with a technology becoming ever more complex, pervasive, and controlling. The search for a fruitful and meaningful combination of free expression and political engagement, progettazione (planning) and activism, characterizes practically all the artists she takes into consideration, whether working individually or within a collective. However, in her account, this combination reaches a critical point in the 1970s. At the end of the 1960s, for example, the aforementioned Massironi, formerly of Gruppo N, had shifted his focus from the practice of art to semiotic and psychological research about graphic design, provocatively arguing that contemporary art does not need aesthetic theory or political philosophy anymore but can be explained²just like any phenomenon²by means of science, namely by the Psychology of Perception and Gestalt Psychology. In fact, he added, ³by simulating the aesthetic experience directly by means of the perceptive/imaginative faculties of the observer, visual research leads to the final de-consecration of DUW´ (quoted in Caplan 287, italics mine). The avant-JDUGH¶V anti-institutional drive (a major target is the Venice Biennale) is still evident behind this apparent admission of defeat. Among the general questions Patti sets out to answer are the following: What is the critical function of electronic literature? Do [open works] help to engender processes for thinking the unthought? How are they used as a form of struggle, contestation, or resistance (in its most radical expressions, ³KDFNWLYLVP´ against late capitalism, including, informational capitalism and digital capitalism? Similar questions also apply to &DSODQ¶V re-evaluation of arte programmata. These questions are still crucial today, within a radically transforming technological landscape: a new category of ³RSHQ ZRUNV´ (David Clark, 2015 ELO Conference, Bergen, quoted in Patti 33-34) seems to emerge at the threshold of what many consider a disruptive or even potentially destructive caesura with the advent of generative AI, capable to simulate and emulate the aesthetic experience and human creative output, both linguistic and iconic. What if &DOYLQR¶V ³FOLQDPHQ´ turned out to be the unpredictable swerve of a new form of post-human intelligence emerging from the feedback loop of Human-Centered AI? What if Sam $OWPDQ¶V Open AI is the (ironic and paradoxical) fulfillment of (FR¶V Open Work? Massimo Riva, Brown University Italian Bookshelf 503 DANTE STUDIES Dante Alighieri. Quaestio de aqua et terra. Edizione principe del 1508 riprodotta in facsimile. Introduzione storica e trascrizione critica del testo latino e 5 traduzioni (italiana, francese, spagnola, inglese e tedesca). Firenze: Leo Olschki Editore, Ristampa 2021. Pp. xl + 118. Il breve saggio, pubblicato nel maggio del 2021 dalla Olschki, è la riproduzione novecentesca GHOO¶HGL]LRQH principe della Quaestio de aqua et terra risalente al XVI sec. Presenta il testo integrale in latino sotto forma di riproduzione fotografica, al quale si affiancano la trascrizione e le traduzioni in italiano, a cura di Giuseppe Boffito, spagnolo e francese, a cura di Pierre I. Prompt, inglese, a cura di Silvanus Phillips Thompson, e tedesco, a cura di Alphons Viktor Müller. Il volume originale, curato GDOO¶DJRVWLQLDQR Giovanni Benedetto Moncetti, venne stampato il 27 ottobre del 1508 a Venezia GDOO¶HGLWRUH Manfredo da Monferrato ed è dedicato al cardinale Ippolito G¶(VWH con una lettera non inclusa nella copia moderna. Per quanto riguarda O¶HVHPSODUH stampato nel 1905, esso è XQ¶HGL]LRQH critica contenente la riproduzione fotografica GHOO¶HGL]LRQH principe. Il volume utilizzato GDOO¶HGLWRUH per la riproduzione è la copia conservata presso la biblioteca Trivulziana e concessa dal principe Trivulzio stesso per la riproduzione fotografica, avvenuta ad opera dello studio Alfieri & Lacroix di Milano. Ad anticipare il facsimile del testo della Quaestio, troviamo un apparato critico suddiviso in tre parti: ³,QWURGX]LRQH Storico-FULWLFD´ (v-xxiii) di Giuseppe Boffito, professore DOO¶,VWLWXWR della Quercia di Firenze, ³/D Quaestio e la Geodesia 0RGHUQD´ (xxv-xxxiii) GHOO¶,QJ Ottavio Zanotti-Bianco, Professore DOO¶8QLYHUVLWj di Torino, e infine una breve nota in lingua francese, non tradotta in italiano, scritta dal Dott. Pierre Ines Prompt, erudito ed intellettuale francocolombiano, riguardante le traduzioni francese e spagnola, ³3UpIDFH de la traduction française et de la traduction HVSDJQROH´ (xxxv-xxxviii). I due brevi saggi, accompagnati dalla ³3UpIDFH´ si mostrano di grande interesse, non tanto per i contenuti scientifici in sé, quanto perché permettono al lettore di intravvedere uno spaccato della discussione accademica che, ai primi del XX sec., si era accesa intorno alla Quaestio. Il primo contributo è il più legato al contesto storico letterario della Quaestio. Nelle 17 pagine scritte da Boffito e riccamente annotate dallo stesso, si trova XQ¶DFFXUDWD presentazione del contenuto della disputa da cui prenderà poi origine il pamphlet della Quaestio: DOO¶LQWHUQR del sistema cosmologico delle sfere, viene prima la sfera GHOO¶DFTXD o la sfera della terra. Segue a questa prima parte introduttiva del saggio, una seconda in cui viene presentata una breve, ma molto interessante, storia editoriale della Quaestio a partire dal 1508, dove si evidenzia come il testo fosse stato a lungo scarsamente conosciuto e considerato dagli ambienti accademici. Il saggio si conclude con una riflessione scientifica 504 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) VXOO¶DXWHQWLFLWj della Quaestio e la sua possibile attribuzione DOO¶$OLJKLHUL attraverso la presentazione schematica delle differenti prove portate a favore o a sfavore dagli accademici del tempo. Al primo saggio segue quello GHOO¶LQJHJQHUH Zanotti-Bianco che contribuisce al volume con una lezione di geodesia, lo studio della forma semplificata della Terra (geoide) e delle sue dimensioni. Come osserva O¶DXWRUH la Quaestio si interroga VXOO¶DOWH]]D della terra e se essa sia maggiore o minore di quella GHOO¶DFTXD Diviene quindi interessante definire quale sia O¶HVDWWD accezione con cui la parola ³DOWR´ viene utilizzata. /¶LQL]LR del contributo evidenzia come si possano fare due misurazioni differenti GHOO¶DOWH]]D una qualitativa e una quantitativa, dimostrando poi, come il poeta fiorentino ponga al centro della sua dissertazione una nozione qualitativa anziché quantitativa. Il saggio prosegue poi distaccandosi sempre più dal contesto letterario e assumendo toni via via più scientifici e focalizzandosi sempre più sulla geodesia. /¶XOWLPR contributo, la ³3UpIDFH´ benché assai breve, è assai interessante. Il testo presenta le linee guida utilizzate per la traduzione dal latino al francese e spagnolo. Prompt chiarisce da subito come le traduzioni seguano la lezione originale, senza emendamenti o interventi sulle ripetizioni nel rispetto della struttura latina del testo originale. Prompt si sofferma quindi sulla datazione in cui la disputa sarebbe avvenuta dimostrandone la difficile ricevibilità. Il piccolo contributo si conclude con una considerazione sulla possibile attribuzione del testo a Dante ritenuta dallo studioso molto improbabile per via del lessico utilizzato GDOO¶DXWRUe della Quaestio, inconciliabile, secondo Prompt, con lo stile dantesco, tanto da negare ogni possibile connessione tra il fiorentino ed il testo. Alla parte introduttiva segue, nel volume, la riproduzione fotografica in bianco e nero del testo cinquecentesco, priva di note e con numerose abbreviature paleografiche, la trascrizione e le varie traduzioni del testo. 4XHVW¶XOWLPD sezione, che comprende ben sei differenti traduzioni, è divisa in due parti. Nella prima troviamo rispettivamente la trascrizione latina e le traduzioni in italiano, francese e spagnolo. /¶RUJDQL]]D]LRQH delle quattro versioni è strutturata su due pagine suddivise in quattro colonne, una per lingua e seguendo una partitura per paragrafi. La seconda parte presenta invece il testo inglese con, a fronte, quello tedesco. In generale le traduzioni, facili da confrontare grazie a XQ¶RWWLPD impaginatura, paiono accurate, ma O¶HGLWRUH se si eccettua la nota introduttiva di Prompt, non aggiunge alcuna informazione su come il lavoro di traduzione sia stato compiuto e quali scelte siano state operate. La versione italiana, unica tra le traduzioni, presenta alcune lezioni alternative e aggiunta di termini esplicativi inseriti tra parentesi nel testo, senza però dare spiegazione alcuna di tali interventi. Il testo si conclude con le note e le correzioni alla trascrizione latina. Anche in questo caso non vengono fornite le linee guida del lavoro di trascrizione, O¶HGLWRUH si limita a fornire solo una lista di correzioni. In generale il volume si mostra interessante per la traduzione del testo della Quaestio in sei lingue, facili da confrontare grazie ad XQ¶LPSDJLQD]LRQH Italian Bookshelf 505 eccellente. Viene inoltre fornito al lettore un prezioso quanto affascinante spaccato di erudizione primo novecentesca accompagnata da XQ¶DFFXUDWD storia GHOO¶HVHPSODUH e del successo accademico della Quaestio. 8Q¶HGL]LRQH pregiata, pratica per O¶XVR interlinguistico e che regala suggestioni sulle origini della disputa accademica attorno al testo Quaestio, utile per una storia GHOO¶HVHPSODUH del 1508 o per una ricostruzione sulle origini della discussione accademica sul testo in oggetto. Matteo Ottaviani, McGill University Francesco Ciabattoni, and Simone Marchesi, eds. Dante Alive. Essays on a Cultural Icon. New York: Routledge, 2023. Pp. 351. This volume focuses on 'DQWH¶V iconicity as manifested in popular culture in an impressively wide variety of media. It presents Dante as a cultural, pop icon, with ³LFRQ´ defined in the HGLWRUV¶ ³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ (xix±xxiii) as ³D symbol linked to a shared imaginary, a cultural object that has the quality of µVSUHDGDELOLW\¶´ (xx). The YROXPH¶V seventeen chapters are spread across five parts: ³9LVXDOLW\´ ³0XOWLPHGLDOLW\´ ³0DUNHW $YDLODELOLW\´ ³9HUVDWLOLW\´ and ³/LPLQDOLW\´ Part 1 opens with ³'RUp¶V Dante: Influence, Transformation, and 5HLQYHQWLRQ´ (3-21), in which Deborah Parker presents Doré as both inspired by earlier artists² especially Michelangelo²and as inspiring later reimaginings of Dante in silent film and graphic novels. Marco Arnaudo then surveys ³'DQWH¶V Comedy and &RPLFV´ (22±35), while Franziska Meier analyzes a 2014 art exhibition organized and marketed under a Dantean label ³'DQWH and Contemporary African $UW´ 3647). Finally, in ³µ$ Form in 7LPH¶: Reflections on Illustrating 'DQWH¶V Comedy in the Twenty-First &HQWXU\´ (48-96), Mika Provata-Carlone offers an in-depth assessment of the visuality of the Commedia before introducing intriguing Dante illustrations by a range of contemporary artists. Part 2 turns to further Dantean multimedia mediations. Francesco Ciabattoni assesses ³+LS-Hop, Rock, and Heavy Metal 'DQWH´ (99-116), concluding that the infernal soundscape is especially consonant with heavy metal. Antonio 5RVVLQL¶V ³'DQWH Cinema and TeleviVLRQ´ (117-29) explores screen adaptations of Dante, while Sara )RQWDQD¶V ³'DQWH on 6WDJH´ (130-47) examines Italian theatrical versions from the late 1980s onwards. Concluding the section, Arielle Saiber analyzes ³'DQWH in American Science )LFWLRQ´ (148-60), with reference to examples²a short story, film, and TV series²which explore Dante-inspired questions about suffering, punishment, freedom, and humanity. Part 3 considers the repackaging of Dante for different audiences. In ³'DQWH and the Divine Comedy for Children and Young $GXOWV´ (163-79), Filippo Fonio assesses Dante-related FKLOGUHQ¶V literature, including activity books for very young readers, retellings of 'DQWH¶V life (often with a focus on his childhood), simplified rewritings of his works, and illustrated versions including comic and 506 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) manga adaptations. In ³µ'H vulgari ³OXGR-TXHQWLD´¶ Dante, Games, and Pop &XOWXUH´ (180-94), Brandon Essary gives an account of board and video games inspired by Dante, and especially makes the case for the value of using such games in teaching. Elizabeth &RJJHVKDOO¶V ³7KH Hell Franchise: 'DQWH¶V Commedia in American 0DUNHWLQJ´ (195-212) investigates the uses of Dante in American and Italian marketing, and suggests a contrast between the greater familiarity and knowledge expected of Dante in Italy versus the often superficial though still striking memes circulating amongst American producers and consumers. Returning to 'DQWH¶V presence on stage and screen, Carmelo *DODWL¶V ³%HQLJQL¶V Dante: From the Piazza to the QuiULQDOH´ (213-31) considers Roberto %HQLJQL¶V dissemination of Dante to a very wide public throughout his career. Part 4 addresses 'DQWH¶V ³YHUVDWLOLW\´ by looking further afield. Ron -HQNLQV¶V ³6LQJ Sing to Sollicciano: Reimagining 'DQWH¶V Justice behind BDUV´ (235-49) reports movingly on theater workshops and performances with prison inmates held in New York State and in Florence, Italy, in which participants often expressed an identification with 'DQWH¶V experience of exile, were eager to explore the Comedy¶V vision of justice in relation to their own stories, and especially challenged the idea of hell as a place without hope. Akash .XPDU¶V ³+HOO on Earth: Dante in Political &LUFOHV´ (250-61) details the uses of Dante made by American and Italian politicians, with a focus on arguments against neutrality and on out-of-context, selective, and often self-serving references. With ³7KH Icon, the Exile: Dante and Contemporary Street $UW´ (262-87), Macs Smith returns to the visual representation of Dante, highlighting a tension between the perception of Dante as a national icon versus as a political outsider and reflecting on the function of divine art in the Commedia. In ³'DQWH in Italian Secondary 6FKRRO´ (288-300), finally, Natascia Tonelli underlines the formative importance of encountering the Commedia at liceo and suggests the need for more innovative teaching styles and the desirability of Dante being introduced earlier in the curriculum. Aptly, the concluding section comprises a single chapter: Simone MarcheVL¶V ³6WULSSLQJ Dante: Emilio Giannelli in the Corriere della Sera´ (303-13). Marchesi argues not only that these Dantean²and often Doré-inspired²comic strips once more demonstrate 'DQWH¶V currency, iconicity, and glocalism, but that, moreover, these qualities are ones that are already characteristic of 'DQWH¶V own writings. In a nicely circular fashion, Marchesi avers that ³'DQWH has indeed taught his readers the art of appropriation, which they have in turn used on KLP´ (304). Overall, the volume often presents a harmonious symbiosis between Dante and popular culture, with ³WKH new medium benefit[ing] from the majesty of a revered literary text as much as the literary text enjoys a renewed popularity thanks to the new PHGLXP´ (118). In other words, a Dantean connection can Italian Bookshelf 507 legitimize new media²such as /¶,QIHUQR di Topolino²as much as new media can breathe new life into 'DQWH¶V works, especially the Comedy. At other times, however, the relationship is admitted to be more strained. For instance, our encounter with Dante is always mediated, but at what point does the mediator replace or obscure the original source of inspiration? A case in point: Parker writes that certain illustrators ³WDNH us back to Doré, but not necessarily back to 'DQWH´ (21). Then, when does an icon become a ³FRQVXPHULVW µIHWLVK¶´ (122), a franchise, and a brand? When does Dante serve ³SULPDULO\ as a pretext >«@ in order to appeal to a larger DXGLHQFH´ (39)? When is Dante merely a ³IDoDGH´ (187) or ³D nearly empty VKHOO´ (210)? Finally, when does the icon need ³WR be GHPROLVKHG´ (100)? What is the place of iconoclasm in 'DQWH¶V reception? The YROXPH¶V strength is to inspire the reader to grapple with these perennially difficult questions in relation to an incredibly wide and diverse range of materials. In their Introduction, the editors describe the volume as a research tool, a pedagogical aid, and a spur to ³FURVV-IHUWLOL]DWLRQ´ (xxiii) between different competencies as between academic and popular responses to Dante. On all counts the volume succeeds admirably. Jennifer Rushworth, University College London Ilaria Gallinaro. ³$G una YRFH´ Dante alla luce di Pia e Piccarda. Firenze: Leo S. Olschki, 2022. Pp. vi + 142. ³&KH voce avrai tu SL"´ chiede Oderisi a Dante nella cornice dei superbi (Purg. 11.103). Cosa resterà della fama di un artista ³SULD che passin PLOO¶DQQL"´ (Purg. 11.106). Il volume di Ilaria Gallinaro muove esattamente da questo interrogativo, nella consapevolezza che nella Commedia la parola voce non si riferisce soltanto alla gloria del poeta ma anche alla sua maturità tecnica ed espressiva. La voce di cui si occupano i quattro saggi di questo libro, dunque, è quella di Dante, impegnato in una costante riflessione sul proprio rapporto con il poema e sulle difficoltà della scrittura. Tra i molti personaggi dietro cui O¶DXWRUH proietta la propria ombra, la studiosa si sofferma su due figure femminili, Pia e Piccarda, i cui versi, attraverso una sottile rete di corrispondenze metaforiche e lessicali, contribuiscono a rileggere come riferimenti a Dante e alla creazione del poema alcuni miti su cui si fondano vari nuclei tematici della Commedia: gli Argonauti, Sisifo, Orfeo, Narciso. Il volume si apre con il saggio ³5LFRUGDWL di me, che son la 3LD´ (1-39), XQ¶DFFXUDWD analisi dei sei versi che Dante dedica a Pia dei Tolomei, nobildonna senese uccisa dal marito e pentitasi in punto di morte (Purg. 5.130-36). Di questo vero e proprio ³YHUWLFH di condensazione DOO¶LQWHUQR del SRHPD´ (13), Gallinaro esamina brillantemente tutte le ipotesi interpretative fornite fino a oggi, ma con un avvertimento: quale che sia la ricostruzione GHOO¶LGHQWLWj storica di Pia e delle 508 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) circostanze della sua morte, ³LO senso profondo delle parole di Dante, che raccontano una storia ineguagliabile di perdono, non viene WRFFDWR´ (12). Intorno alla memoria della violenza subita, infatti, si leva la voce serena della protagonista. Pia non lancia accuse dirette, e al nome del carnefice sostituisce la pudicizia del non detto: ³VDOVL FROXL´ (Purg. 5.135). Non a caso, tale espressione si relaziona con le parole di altre due malmaritate: Francesca, O¶DGXOWHUD assassinata ³&DLQD attende a chi a vita ci VSHQVH´ Inf. 5.107), e Piccarda, la monaca strappata ai propri voti ³,GGLR si sa qual poi mia vita IXVL´ Par. 3.108); per Gallinaro pare quasi che Dante voglia mostrare i diversi modi in cui si può reagire a una violenza: ³LO cedimento di Francesca, il pentimento e il perdono di Pia, O¶DFFHWWD]LRQH paziente e fiduciosa in Dio di 3LFFDUGD´ (35). Tra le cose che colpiscono il lettore F¶q la delicatezza con cui Pia sollecita Dante al riposo. Alla studiosa tornano alla memoria i versi di Par. 25, dove il tema del riposo è associato al ritorno di Dante in una Firenze pacificata come poeta riconosciuto e famoso, e dove O¶HFFH]LRQDOLWj della fatica letteraria è esaltata dal rimando alle imprese di Giasone (1-9). Sotto il titolo del secondo contributo, ³*XLGDYDFL una voce che FDQWDYD´ (4169), è sviluppata una riflessione sulla musicalità del purgatorio, O¶XQLFR dei tre regni sottoposto DOO¶D]LRQH del tempo. Se la musica è O¶DUFKLWHWWXUD del tempo, musicale, il purgatorio, lo è per necessità e struttura. La mappatura realizzata da Gallinaro mostra infatti come, attraverso il riferimento ai ritmi liturgici, le tessiture vocali della cantica scandiscano il percorso delle anime verso la cima della montagna, facendosi testimonianza morale e simbolica dei momenti più significativi GHOO¶iter redentivo. Tra le analisi del saggio spicca quella del canto di Casella, simbolo delle forze GHOO¶LQWHOOHWWR non alimentate dalla fede, il cui rifiuto da parte di Dante è XQ¶DOWUD tappa fondamentale nel percorso metaletterario della Commedia. Il terzo saggio, ³/D superbia UHGHQWD´ (71-87), esamina il tema della ricerca della gloria oltre i limiti del proprio tempo, approfondendo alcune corrispondenze tra il canto undicesimo del Purgatorio e il canto diciassettesimo del Paradiso. Nel cielo di Marte, infatti, al rimprovero verso la superbia da parte di Oderisi (Purg. 11.82-126) si sostituisce il richiamo di Cacciaguida a fare della voce poetica un ³YLWDO QRGULPHQWR´ (Par. 17.124-42). Il peso sulle spalle avvertito da Dante, allora, cambia di segno, e diventa quello del compimento della creazione artistica. In questo modo, la superbia di Sisifo, che servendosi della propria parola ha provato a ingannare la morte e a modificare il mondo, viene redenta nel nome di un inedito obbligo morale: nutrire ed educare O¶DQLPR dei lettori. Soltanto una voce di questo tipo è abilitata a sopravvivere al vortice del tempo, a infuturarsi (Par. 17.97), scavalcando i mille anni evocati da Oderisi. Il titolo del contributo conclusivo, ³&RPH per acqua cupa cosa JUDYH´ (89133), pone in rilievo il verso più singolare GHOO¶HSLVRGLR di Piccarda Donati, la nobildonna fiorentina fatta smonacare e sposare con la forza dal fratello Corso (Par. 3). Dopo aver parlato con Dante, O¶DQLPD svanisce, confondendosi nella luce Italian Bookshelf 509 lunare come quegli oggetti pesanti che cadono in XQ¶DFTXD profonda e che seguiamo con lo sguardo fin quando è possibile (121-26). La similitudine è sicuramente di grande suggestione ma risulta inconsueta nel contesto paradisiaco, di solito contraddistinto da immagini di luce e di ascesa. La soluzione interpretativa di Gallinaro propone ancora una volta uno sbocco metaletterario, attribuendo O¶RPEUD della ³FRVD JUDYH´ non a Piccarda e alla violenza subita ma alla soggettività di Dante, che, di fronte al voto interrotto della donna, avvertirebbe O¶XUJHQ]D di sciogliere la promessa GHOO¶XOWLPD pagina della Vita nuova, quella di non scrivere più di Beatrice ³LQILQR a tanto che io potesse più degnamente trattare di OHL´ (cap. 42). Prima tra le anime beate che Dante incontra in paradiso, Piccarda ha un modo tutto nuovo di guardare alla vita terrena, che ella avverte come un breve sussulto, come XQ¶RPEUD lontana. La percezione critica della studiosa, insomma, è che il testo si soffermi sulla storia di Piccarda soltanto perché, attraverso di essa, Dante intende parlare di sé, dal momento che entrambi sono stati strappati allo spazio che avevano eletto a dimora, e ambedue sono segnati dalla promessa di un sacrificio. Anche Piccarda, infine, è al centro di una densa rete di evocazioni, alcune delle quali la proporrebbero come prefigurazione di Beatrice. A connettere le due donne sarebbe soprattutto il comune riferimento al mito di Orfeo, colui che come Piccarda non è riuscito a mantenere una promessa, ma che come Dante ha saputo tener fede al voto poetico nel nome di una donna. Quando poi il poeta pellegrino osserva per la prima volta O¶DQLPD beata e la scambia per un riflesso, incorre QHOO¶HUURUH opposto a quello di Narciso; come a dire che, a differenza del personaggio ovidiano, Dante sarebbe finalmente in grado di sventare il pericolo mortale in cui O¶XPDQLWj rischia di imbattersi nel suo cammino terreno di perfezione, ossia il compiacimento superbo di sé e della propria opera. Le conclusioni di Gallinaro sono eleganti quanto la sua prosa: nel segno di Orfeo, Dante mantiene la promessa di scrittura e ritrova la sua Euridice; nel segno di Narciso, specchiandosi nel proprio poema, Dante può finalmente incontrare Dio. /¶DUPRQLRVR snodarsi dei quattro saggi conduce il lettore verso suggestioni preziose. Gettando infatti una luce inedita su sentieri interpretativi già battuti o aprendone di nuovi, la ricerca propone una serie di approfondimenti puntuali e illuminanti, destinati a penetrare nel dibattito critico in corso intorno al poema dantesco. Filippo Fabbricatore, PhD Candidate, The Graduate Center, CUNY Francesco Maiolo, Luca Marcozzi, and Flavio Silvestrini, eds. Dante e la politica. Dal passato al presente. Roma: Roma TrE-Press, 2023. Pp. 343. Quando si ragiona in merito a un autore appartenente a un canone assoluto²che sia esso occidentale o nazionale poco importa²il rischio di una forzatura è 510 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) VHPSUHGLHWURO¶DQJROR'DQWHQHqXQSHUIHWWRHVHPSLRQHOFRUVRHDOO¶LQGRPDni, GHOO¶XOWLPRFHQWHQDULRTXHOORGHOTXDVL³HVDQWHPDWLFR´ODVXDLGHRORJLDq SLHJDWDDOODIRU]DFHQWULIXJDGHOO¶DWWXDOL]]D]LRQH0RGHUQL]]DUHYXROGLUHDQFKH tradire: e così quel Dante che non aveva e non poteva avere una concezione nazionalistica degli italiani, almeno non in senso moderno, è stato spesso riconosciuto impropriamente come progenitore della patria o, addirittura, padre di una lingua che, se molto gli deve, è stata pur sempre costruita a tavolino da un altro genio, da Pietro Bembo; il quale guardava, però, principalmente a modelli differenti da Dante (come noto, Petrarca per la poesia e Boccaccio per la prosa). I diversi saggi raccolti in Dante e la politica affrontano un tema importante nel pensiero dantesco, quello, come si evince dal titolo del volume, della politica. Generalizzando, ma senza forzare la mano, non si può infatti non tenere in conto che la politica è un tema molto importante per Dante: lo è su un piano biografico, Dante fu un politico di professione; lo è su un piano ideologico, almeno una sua opera, la Monarchia, è un trattato politico; e lo è anche su un piano poetico poiché²aspetto più sfuggente²nella sua produzione in versi sia riflessioni di carattere morale relative al governo del mondo a lui contemporaneo, sia sulla società contingente, certo, non mancano. Il nodo tra contingenza e poetica è al centro del saggio di uno dei curatori del YROXPH /XFD 0DUFR]]L ³3ROLWLFD H SRHVLD QHOOD &RPPHGLD´ -153). La condivisibile prospettiva critica presentata dallo studioso nelle prime pagine dello scritto è di considerare la Commedia come quello che, dopotutto, è, cioè «il punto di maggiore sintesi e più acuta rivelazione di diversi campi di significato» del SHQVLHURGDQWHVFRFRPSUHVL³TXHOOLSROLWLFL´&LzQRQYXROGLUHche la Commedia QRQVLD³VRJJHWWDDPXWD]LRQLGLWRQR>«@GHWWDWHGDOODFRQWLQJHQ]D´²non fosse altro, aggiungo, perché il poema ebbe una lunga gestazione²ma essa prima di WXWWR³HVSULPHSHUSHFXOLDULWjGLOLQJXDJJLRHSHULQWHQWLSHGDJRJLFLHSDUHQHWLFL dD SDUWH GHOO¶DXWRUH OD summa GHO VXR SHQVLHUR VX GLYHUVL DVSHWWL´   /D Commedia, soprattutto se confrontata con altri scritti più immanenti²le lettere politiche, per esempio; ma si pensi anche, più in generale, ai problemi che talvolta finisce per generare un sonetto di corrispondenza come Io sono stato con Amore insieme, dove Dante ammette, in piena contraddizione con quanto scritto nella Vita nova e ancora nel Convivio e nello stesso poema, la liceità di nuovi amori² SXz H GHYH HVVHUH FRQVLGHUDWD FRPH O¶HVSUHVVLRQH SL DOWD GHOOD Weltanschauung poetica dantesca; una struttura dove, attraverso la sua più HIILFDFHFKLDYHGLYROWDO¶DOOHJRULDLVLQJROLSURWDJRQLVWLVLDQRHVVLSHUVRQDJJLR FLWWjLQUHOD]LRQHFRQLOYLVVXWRELRJUDILFRGHOO¶DXWRUHGLSDQDQRODORURSRWHQ]D UDSSUHVHQWDWLYD VX GL XQ SLDQR XQLYHUVDOH (QULFR 9,, q O¶LPSHUDWore eletto nel 1312 ma è anche figura del sovrano ideale; non diversamente il Carlo Martello del Paradiso incarna il ruolo di principe perfetto e mancato. Attraverso alcuni HVHPSLWUDFXLTXHOORGHOFHOHEUHHGLVFXVVR³FDSSHOOR´GLPar., XXV 9, Marcozzi mRVWUDSRLFRPHVLDVHPSUH³ODSRHVLDDOFHQWURGHOODULIOHVVLRQHSROLWLFDGL'DQWH Italian Bookshelf 511 perché non solo rastrema il senso delle sue posizioni, ma le correda di ulteriori FRQQRWDWLIRUPDOLHVHPDQWLFL´ -150). Tra i vari contributi, divisibili in due gruppi O¶XQR UHODWLYR DO SHQVLHUR GHOO¶DXWRUH O¶DOWUR GHGLFDWR DOOD IRUWXQD GL 'DQWH LQ DPELWR SROLWLFR SLXWWRVWR LQWHUHVVDQWLVRQRSHULOSULPRFDVRLOVDJJLRGL&KLDUD6ERUGRQL³,OWHPDGL5RPD QHOSURHPLRGHOOD&RPPHGLDWUDSROLWLFDHSURIH]LD´ -94), in cui sono offerte prospettive inedite su di un canto oggetto di una vastissima tradizione esegetica, LO FRQWULEXWR GL 0DULD /XLVD $UGL]]RQH ³3HU XQD OHWWXUD SROLWLFD GHO &RQYLYLR IUDPPHQWL GL XQ GLVFRUVR´ (95-  H TXHOOR GL 'LHJR 4XDJOLRQL ³'DQWH Wra SROLWLFDHGLULWWR´ -121); mentre, nel secondo insieme, si distinguono: il lavoro GL$QQD3HJRUHWWL³,OPRQXPHQWRD'DQWHQHOOD7UHQWRLUUHGHQWD´ -214), il VDJJLRGL5DXO0RUGHQWL³'DQWHPRGHOORGHOO¶LQWHOOHWWXDOH-SROLWLFRGL*UDPVFL´ (249-263  H LO FRQWULEXWR GL 3DROD &XOLFHOOL ³/D µOHFWXUD 'DQWLV¶ GL *LXVHSSH %HUWRQHOFDPSRGLSULJLRQLD GL+HUIRUGRYYHURGHOO¶HVLOLRGHOODFROSDHGHOOD JXHUUD SHUVD GL Oj GHO )DVFLVPR´ -286). Ciò che emerge dalla lettura del volume, per citare le paroOH GHOOD ³3UHPHVVD´ YLL-viii) a cura di Manfredi 0HUOX]]L q ³FRPH LO SRHWD ILRUHQWLQR DEELDVLD PDQWHQXWR XQD SRVL]LRQH GL costante riferimento per gli intellettuali italiani nel corso dei secoli, indipendentemente dalle diverse prospettive o visioni poliWLFKH´ HG DQFKH VLD FRPH QHO ³FRUVR GHL VHFROL OD VXD ELRJUDILD OD VXD ULFRQRVFLXWD VWDWXUD OD VXD dimensione intellettuale e poetica, le sue vivaci e attente considerazioni, vengano GLYROWDLQYROWDLQVHULWHQHOOHFRPSOHVVHYLFHQGHVWRULFKH´ YLLL  E dopotutto è proprio questa costante presenza di Dante ad averne fatto (anche se a volte a fasi alterne) ieri e oggi un classico. Paolo Rigo, Università degli Studi Roma Tre Heather Webb. Dante, Artist of Gesture. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2022. Pp. 208. In Dante, Artist of Gesture, Heather Webb analyses the gestures in the Divine Comedy, a feature that has not received sustained and systematic attention by Dante scholars. The author states in the introduction how her book aims to promote further study of the topic, by offering a method to interpret the gestural community Dante and his readers lived in. Webb identifies two main purposes of JHVWXUHVLQWKHSRHP³ILUVWIRUDOLJQLQJ RURSSRVLQJ FKDUDFWHUVLQHDFKFDQWLFOH with recognizable devotional models, and second, for creating moments of gestural recall between disparate moments in the text in order to accumulate a density of affective material intended to prompt the reader into devotional and VRFLDODFWLRQ´   ,Q&KDSWHU³5HDGLQJ%RGLHVLQ0RWLRQ´ (14-38), gestures are defined as images in motion and they are contextualized in the medieval gestural community. 7KHVHFRQGFKDSWHU³'DQWHDV9LVXDO$UWLVW´ -66), designates the poem as a pictorial program made of correspondences and oppositions, so that gestures need 512 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) to be read in relation to each other, and goes on to trace the different meanings WKDWJHVWXUHVFRQYH\LQWKHSRHP,Q&KDSWHU³)L[LW\DQG)OH[LELOLW\´ -102), images of fixity are interpreted as the expression of stoic endurance and magnanimity according to classical ethics, while images of flexibility express the manifestation of a Christian openness regarding the requests for compassion by the souls in Ante-3XUJDWRU\&KDSWHU³0RGHOOLQJ*HVWXUDO9LUWXH¶VLQ'DQWH¶V Purgatorio´ (103-30), shows how gestures can represent both the past vicious behaviors and new virtuous ones of the purgatorial souls, reflecting their intermediate condition of sinners who now want to expiate their error. Chapter 5, ³$V\PPHWULFDO $IIHFWLRQV´ -55), demonstrates how gestures mediate affective relations between Dante and the other characters, through an analysis of %HDWULFH¶V VPLOH &KDSWHU  ³+HDYHQO\ 3UR[LPLWLHV DQG &RQWDJLRQV´ -87), deals with the emotional transfer between characters and how it serves as a model WRIRUPRQH¶VRZQUHDFWLRQWRFHUWDLQWRSLFVUDLVHGLQWKHSRHPOLNHWKHFRUUXSWLRQ of the Church. The analysis is supported with textual and visual sources, including both DUWLVWLFSURJUDPVRI'DQWH¶VDJHDQGHDUO\LOOXVWUDWLRQVRIthe poem. Although the VWXG\RIWKHUHODWLRQVKLSEHWZHHQ'DQWHDQGWKHDUWVKDVDORQJWUDGLWLRQ:HEE¶V approach goes beyond registering isolated correspondences between the poem and specific images found in iconographical sources. The poem is instead itself SUHVHQWHGDVDPHGLHYDOSURJUDPRIYLVXDODUWOLNH*LRWWR¶V$UHQD&KDSHORUWKH Baptistery of Florence in which gestures constitute a coherent system that allows the reading of different episodes in relation to one another. An interesting example is offered by the crossed arms of Bonconte in Purgatorio 5. This gesture can be read as an act of humility when compared with other representations of the crossed arms, such as the iconography of the Virgin in the Annunciation and the Presentation at the TemplH/LNHZLVHLQ(JHUWRQ¶VPDQXVFULSWLOOXPLQDWLRQ of Dante in Purgatorio 1, the pilgrim has crossed arms when he is called to humble himself at the end of the canto. In this connection, Webb also points to the iconography of the Man of Sorrows in which Christ is represented half-bust, with crossed arms, in the act of rising from his tomb. This iconography of Christ is reversed by Dante in Inferno 10, where Farinata adopts the same position without crossing his arms, thus manifesting the pride that led him to damnation. The recourse to different types of sources allows to better understand the passages of the poem, their relation to the contemporary landscape, as well as their early reception. Illustrated manuscripts of the Comedy, such as Egerton 943 and %RWWLFHOOL¶VGUDZLQJVDUHIUHTXHQWO\UHFDOOHGDVVHUWLQJWRDGRXEOHIXQFWLRQ)LUVW WKH\ VKRZ WKH XQGHUVWDQGLQJ RI 'DQWH¶V SRHP E\ PHGLHYDO UHDGHUV 6HFRQGO\ they help in accessing the Comedy E\ UHIOHFWLQJ IHDWXUHV RI 'DQWH¶V FXOWXUDO context. BotticeOOL¶VParadiso, specifically, becomes the perfect visualization of Italian Bookshelf 513 :HEE¶V IRFXV RQ JHVWXUHV VLQFH RQO\ JHVWXUHV DQG IDFLDO H[SUHVVLRQV DUH represented by the artist. Another major theme that is developed in the book is the affective and emotional reactions gestures are meant to convey. Affect was one of the main components of the spiritual experience in the Middle Ages, especially in the IHPDOHGHYRWLRQDOHQYLURQPHQW,WLVSDUWRI'DQWH¶VMRXUQH\DVZHOODORQJVLGH intellect, it constitutes one of the faculties that allows him the full vision of God. Like the intellect, Dante's affect is progressively prepared for the contemplation of God during the journey, but this aspect of Dante's journey still requires an indepth analysis. The interest Webb focuses on affective response is related to her suggestion of reading the poem as a visual program. Medieval art, as a devotional object, was meant to induce affective participation in the beholder, a goal that Dante achieves with his readers through his attention to gesture. This is made possible by the existence of an emotional community, in which Dante, his characters and his readers are all related through affective relations. The HPXODWLRQRIDIIHFWLRQEHFRPHVDNH\FRQFHSWWREXLOGDQ³HWKLFVRISUR[LPLW\´ (3) LQ ZKLFK LQGLYLGXDOV UHFLSURFDWH RWKHU KXPDQ EHLQJV¶ IHHOLQJV ,Q WKH HQG gestures are the visual manifestations of a new Christian ethics that wants the LQGLYLGXDOWREHDIIHFWHGE\RWKHUV¶UHTXHVWVRIFRPSDVVLRQDQGDOVREHFDSDEOH of affect, in order to induce virtue in others. Dante, Artist of Gesture is an invitation to explore the Comedy through a new SHUVSHFWLYHLQZKLFKWKHUHDGHUWDNHVDQDFWLYHUROHLQ'DQWH¶VMRXUQH\WKURXJKDQ affective response to the characters of the poem, exactly as the medieval beholder enters into an affective relation with a devotional image. By dealing with a SHUYDVLYH HOHPHQW RI OLIH VXFK DV JHVWXUHV :HEE¶V ERRN PDNHV WKH NLQHWLF sensitivity of the Middle Ages part of the contemporary experience of reading 'DQWH¶VComedy, unveiling a whole network of connections in the poem. Rookshar Myram, PhD Candidate, University of Notre Dame MIDDLE AGES & RENAISSANCE Susanna Barsella, and Simone Marchesi, eds. The Decameron Ninth Day in Perspective. Volume Nine of the Lectura Boccaccii. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 2022. Pp. xviii + 287. The American Boccaccio Association entrusted the editorial care of the ninth volume of the Lectura Boccacci series to Susanna Barsella and Simone Marchesi, who have opted to highlight the deep intertextuality and intratextuality of the Decameron¶V second-to-last day. The volume opens with the HGLWRUV¶ general ³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ (vii-xviii) and ³Introduction to Day 1LQH´ (3-29), continues with 514 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) the usual ten readings²one for each novella², and concludes with an impressive and updated ³%LEOLRJUDSK\´ (251-268), a brief biography of the ³&RQWULEXWRUV´ (269-273), a useful ³Index /RFRUXP´ (275-277) and an ³Index of 1DPHV´ (279287). Unlike previous volumes in this series, The Decameron Ninth Day in Perspective includes an introductory essay that aims to connect the thematic specificities of the storia portante to those of the ten short stories. According to the two editors, this essay is a necessary tool for a thorough understanding of the text, due to the high number of narrative elements that link the stories of this day with each other and with others from different days of the Decameron. Moreover, (PLOLD¶V choice to keep an open theme for the ten tales facilitates the formation of intertextual links between these stories and those of other days, as well as of echoes with the ninth GD\¶V ballad and, more rarely, with those of others. David Lummus (30-53) opens the series of ten readings with an analysis of the first novella that proceeds from two different perspectives: on the one hand, he studies the transposition of the two concepts of love and death from the lyric tradition to the comical prose of the Decameron, keeping in mind the lyric models of Cavalcanti and Dante; on the other, he recognizes the importance that Pistoia's geopolitical environment and the birth of the White and Black Guelph factions have in this short story. Maria Pia Ellero (54-75) focuses on the power that a leggiadro motto can exercise on the masses; in this case, Ellero shows how Boccaccio combined several different texts (the fabliaux Dit de la Nonnete, the Roman the Renart and a few Aristotelian and Thomistic theories) to build the rhetorical and narrative structure of the story. Considering the role that the third novella has within the group of Calandrino stories, Federica Anichini (76-96) studies the dynamic of the beffa that ³%UXQR Buffalmacco, and Nello play on their gullible fellow SDUWQHU´ (xiii); Anichini explores the fascination that the genre of novelle di beffa exerts on both medieval and later readers, but also the persuasive power of ingenious word, despite of (or thanks to) its laughing and cheating hidden intent. Patrizio Ceccagnoli (97-119) reads the fourth novella of Cecco di Fortarrigo and Cecco Angiolieri by uncovering and reflecting on the numerous intertextual references that Boccaccio makes with $QJLROLHUL¶V poetic production. These parallelisms permit the author of the Decameron to subvert the peculiarities of these characters, in order to reject his ³EUDQG of comic as unfit to provide the cultural foundation for rebuilding an ethically sound new political ERG\´ (xiv). Marcello Ciccuto (120-32) frames this fifth novella within the broader cycle of Calandrino stories (of which this is the last). Considering the revolution of the artistic language of the 14th century, he reflects on the rhetorical manner of constructing the mockery that the painters, the protagonists of the story, make of Calandrino. In her reading of the sixth story, Simona Lorenzini (133-57) highlights the important role of the ³FRPHG\ of HUURUV´ within the tale, with an original approach to this genre in her analysis of the love affair that involves Niccolosa and Pinuccio, also considering the actions of 1LFFRORVD¶V mother. Italian Bookshelf 515 Grace Delmolino (158-81) offers a study of the seventh novella that convincingly posits a non-misogynist reading of 3DPSLQHD¶V tale. In 'HOPROLQR¶V hypothesis, a central role is played by the intertextual connections the scholar makes between the heroines of Giovanni %RFFDFFLR¶V De Mulieribus Claris and with those of the Decameron. Johnny L. Bertolio (182-93) explores the multiple interpretative levels of the eighth novella which reveal «a multi-layered tale that barely hides beneath its lighthearted surface the diagnosis of a deeper civic moral and bodily disorder than the venial and comic faults of the protagonists may suggest» (xvi). Albert Russell Ascoli (194-234) offers a profound study of Emilia as a character, whose personality can be studied from a tripartite perspective: her misogyny, her role as a woman of power, and her difficulty in setting women's education in relation to men's authority. Ascoli reflects on the deep allegorical value of this short story, in which the «complex and contradictory character of Emilia» emerges: a narrator who was ³FHQWUDO to %RFFDFFLR¶V reflection on governance and ZLVGRP´ (xvii). Max 0DWXNKLQ¶V careful reading (235-50) starts with a recognition of the possible classical and Romance sources of the tenth novella through the study of those narrative elements of initiation and metamorphosis probably inspired by Apuleius. Paying attention to the implications of the sacramental rites, the author insists on the strict boundaries between language and sexuality or, in other words, between rhetoric and power. Moreover, as the editors explain in their ³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ ³'RQQR *LDQQL¶V magical metamorphic equine incantation [...] becomes an opportunity not only to explore the porous boundaries between high and low culture but also, and perhaps more essentially, to test the no less fraught divide between culture and nature, as it was articulated in the medieval discourse around sodomy´ (xviii). Each of these eleven essays offers a new and promising scholarly perspective on one of the ten novelle, and usefully integrates the latest scholarly contributions from both the Italian and the Anglo-American academy. In these readings, in fact, tradition and modernity find a perfect combination thanks to which all the major contemporary literary questions are enhanced through a solid and respectful recovery of the critical tradition. Nicola Esposito, University of Notre Dame Elena Brizio, and Marco Piana, eds. Idealizing Women in the Italian Renaissance. Toronto: Center for Renaissance and Reformation Studies, 2022. Pp. 305. Il libro nasce dalla rielaborazione di panels presentati durante due convegni organizzati nel 2018 dalla Renaissance Society of America (RSA) e dalla Canadian Association for Italian Studies (CAIS), e accoglie altresì saggi di studiosi esterni ai succitati convegni, proponendosi di mettere in luce in particolare le questioni legate alla vita e alla storia delle donne in Italia tra il tardo 516 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Medioevo e il Seicento. /¶HVSUHVVLRQH ³,WDOLDQ 5HQDLVVDQFH´ del titolo è da intendere infatti QHOO¶DFFH]LRQH anglosassone, e i contributi raccolti spaziano dunque lungo un arco di tempo ben più ampio rispetto a quello del Rinascimento italiano vero e proprio (che ha la sua massima espressione nel XVI secolo). Il volume ha il suo punto di forza nel taglio poliedrico: offre infatti una riflessione sulla concezione della donna da diversi punti di vista: in campo artistico, religioso, letterario e teatrale. Il fil rouge che tiene uniti i diversi saggi è dato dallo studio delle peculiarità dei personaggi femminili (o della loro immagine filtrata attraverso gli occhi di un autore). 8Q¶DQDOLVL questa, che cerca di andare oltre la rappresentazione tradizionale della donna ³HVHPSODUH´ e pone in risalto il ruolo attivo della donna nella società o nella cultura del tempo. La stessa espressione ³LGHDOL]LQJ´ può assumere di volta in volta sfumature in parte differenti: pur riferendosi infatti non di rado al canone femminile nel quale doveva rientrare una donna tra XV e XVII secolo (soprattutto secondo i trattati coevi sul comportamento delle mogli, delle vedove o delle suore), il termine può far riferimento alla valorizzazione della donna attraverso il prisma della filosofia neoplatonica (è il caso delle attrici della Commedia GHOO¶$UWH  alla maniera in cui è raffigurata XQ¶HURLQD nei dipinti e al significato che O¶LPPDJLQH trasmette (come per la Giuditta di diversi pittori del Cinque e Seicento, tra i quali Guido Reni e Caravaggio), o ancora alla rappresentazione post mortem di una donna di lettere (come avviene per O¶HGL]LRQH postuma delle Rime di Gaspara Stampa, 1545). In ogni caso, come messo in luce da Brizio e Piana, ³WKH analysis of the Renaissance ideal women is but one aspect of what constitutes the core of our theoretical DSSURDFK´ Gli studiosi continuano poi con O¶DIIHUPDUH ³$QRWKHU critical feature of our inquiry lies in how women interacted with the Renaissance ideas of ZRPDQKRRG´ (13), e concludono che ³WKH women portrayed in this essays did not blindly adhere to what society told them to be, but fought against their oppression in many ZD\V´ (14). Il volume è aperto da un indice dei contenuti (5-6), dai ringraziamenti (7-8) e GDOO¶LQWURGX]LRQH dei due curatori del volume (9-24), nella quale sono esposte le principali linee G¶LQGDJLQH e viene offerta una panoramica sulle tematiche. Seguono poi i saggi di undici autrici, ciascuno dei quali corredato dai relativi riferimenti bibliografici (come avviene anche per O¶LQWURGX]LRQH dei curatori), ed eventualmente da tavole che riproducono affreschi o dipinti. Chiudono il volume: una tavola in cui è esplicato il contenuto delle illustrazioni, numerate progressivamente (291-93); una breve nota biografica su autrici e curatori del volume (295-98); e un indice dei nomi (299-305). La raccolta ha una struttura ripartita in quattro sezioni, dedicate rispettivamente a: (I) la rappresentazione della donna in campo artistico (saggi 13) e (II) letterario (Sperone Speroni e Lucrezia Marinella) (saggi 4-6); (III) le donne nel teatro (le µGLYH¶ della Commedia GHOO¶$UWH (7-8); (IV) aspetti della vita concreta (matrimonio, cibo e fratellanza) (capp. 9-11)²ma in TXHVW¶XOWLPR caso (sezione IV) il tema del matrimonio è affrontato attraverso le opere di Pontano Italian Bookshelf 517 (Pina Palma, ³)RU his Wife and Lover: 3RQWDQR¶V De Amore &RQLXJDOL´, 229-46), e non si allontana troppo, quindi, dal Dialogo di Speroni nella sezione II, e il saggio che rappresenta la fratellanza (Jane Tylus, ³,GHDO Sister, Ideal Poet: Cassandra and Gaspara 6WDPSD´ 269-90) è dedicato in realtà prevalentemente alle Rime di Gaspara Stampa, e solo in misura minore alla mediazione²certo fondamentale²della sorella Cassandra. I saggi che più propriamente afferiscono DOO¶HSRFD rinascimentale QHOO¶DFFH]LRQH italiana del termine) sono quelli di Benedetta Lamanna ³A Good Woman, a Good Wife: Strategies of Idealization in Sperone 6SHURQL¶V Dialogo della dignità delle donne´ 115-35), Jane Tylus ³Ideal Sister, Ideal Poet: Cassandra and Gaspara 6WDPSD´, 269-90), Rosalind Kerr ³Idealized Actresses: Rebellious Female 9RLFHV´, 183-205), e Serena Laiena ³Incarnating the Ideal: Vincenza Armani, the First Diva´ 207-28), oltre a quello di Laura Giannetti ³Femininity and Food Culture in Cinquecento ,WDO\´, 247-67), che portando come ultimo esempio Virginia Galilei, suora e figlia del più celebre Galileo, sconfina nel XVII secolo. Le autrici ora citate sono quelle che più hanno centrato il tema cardine del volume, e i loro contributi sono, a giudizio di chi scrive, quelli di maggiore interesse. Il saggio sul Dialogo di Speroni non apporta novità significative, ma fa il punto sulla concezione della donna (e soprattutto della moglie) che traspare in una delle più importanti opere del Cinquecento sul tema (il dialogo speroniano, appunto). Spiccano tra tutti da un lato i due saggi dedicati al ruolo delle donne nel teatro e al processo di idealizzazione delle attrici della Commedia GHOO¶$UWH (Isabella Andreini, Vincenza Armani e Barbara Flaminia) attraverso gli elogi di autori che ricorrono ai principi della filosofia neoplatonica e agli scritti di Marsilio Ficino, e GDOO¶DOWUR il contributo di Giannetti, la quale illustra dei casi di donne che si distaccano dalla precettistica di ambito culinario e si sofferma in particolare sulle lettere di Isabella G¶(VWH al fratello Alfonso, sul dialogo Il merito delle donne di Moderata Fonte, e sulle lettere di suor Maria Celeste al padre Galileo Galilei (indagando quindi sia O¶DPELWR profano che quello sacro). Più strettamente legati DOO¶DPELWR cristiano sono i contributi della µVH]LRQH DUWLVWLFD¶ tra i quali si segnala in particolare il capitolo di Mathilde Legeay ³,GHDOL]LQJ the Female Hero: Representations of Judith in Seventeenth-Century Italian 3DLQWLQJ´ 83-114), dedicato alle raffigurazioni di Giuditta e alle interpretazioni della stessa. Sempre alla sfera cristiana afferiscono i saggi di Francesca D¶$OHVVDQGUR Behr ³3KLORVRSK\ Religion, and the Praise of Women in Lucrezia 0DULQHOOD´ 137-61) e di Sara Rolfe Prodan ³)HPDOH Exemplarity, Identity, and Devotion in Lucrezia 0DULQHOOD¶V Rime Sacre  ´ 163-81) rispettivamente VXOO¶Enrico e sulle Rime sacre di Lucrezia Marinella. Il volume in conclusione si caratterizza soprattutto per O¶DQDOLVL del ruolo attivo delle donne tra XV e XVII secolo²dalla committenza e realizzazione di opere G¶DUWH alla loro influenza in campo teatrale e letterario, o ancora nella loro 518 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) capacità di distaccarsi dalle norme del tempo²e costituisce un tassello significativo negli studi di genere. Esso lascia inoltre spazio per un prosieguo volto ad approfondire O¶DPELWR letterario cinquecentesco, da un lato tramite O¶DQDOLVL di componimenti poetici di autrici come Vittoria Colonna (forse la più grande poetessa italiana del Rinascimento), GDOO¶DOWUR attraverso O¶DQDOLVL di trattati sulla donna come il Discorso di Torquato Tasso. Alessia Tommasi, PhD Candidate, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa Lucinda Byatt. Niccolò Ridolfi and the &DUGLQDO¶V Court. Politics, Patronage and Service in Sixteenth-Century Italy. New York: Routledge, 2023. Pp. xxii + 338. The book reviewed stems from the DXWKRU¶V doctoral dissertation, ³8QD suprema PDJQLILFHQ]D´ Niccolò Ridolfi, a Florentine Cardinal in Sixteenth-Century Rome, submitted to the European University Institute in Florence in 1983. The aim of the publication, as the author states in the introduction, is threefold: first, to understand Ridolfi in the Florentine and papal political context (and in the Reformation); second, to observe the dynamics of the court in terms of services in the household; third, to analyze the relationship between the patronage (political as well as cultural) and the establishment of a centre for learning and erudition. The sources for this study are principally financial papers related to Ridolfi, historical documents (especially letters), and contemporary treatises about household management. Part I (13-88) reconstructs 5LGROIL¶V biography and the relevance of the political situation in Florence and in Rome for the FDUGLQDO¶V career choices, which from the beginning were connected to family orientations and patronage and soon also to his links with Florentine exiles and the French king. The author tries to interpret 5LGROIL¶V political ideas often in relation to his future secretary, Donato Giannotti, although the remarks are often generic. Furthermore, no evidence is offered regarding the existence of any contact between the two men before GiannotWL¶V appointment (see the unsupported hypothesis about Lascaris at 65). The author does not present 5LGROIL¶V own ideas about republicanism and politics and no proof of an extended reflection by the cardinal on the subject (see for example at 75-76 the reconstruction of the incident between Antonio Petrei and Duke Alessandro GH¶ Medici and its political implications; see also 82). After this historical account, Part I goes on with an explanation of the sources of 5LGROIL¶V wealth and of the evolution of his fortune through the years, passing through the Sack of Rome and the difficult period of Alessandro GH¶ Medici duchy in Florence, until &RVLPR¶V duchy and the last years of the FDUGLQDO¶V life. Part II (89-216), the longest of the work, describes the cardLQDO¶V court and household on the basis of three treatises published in the 1540s and 1560s, which are considered to be built on the model of 5LGROIL¶V court: Cola da %HQYHQXWR¶V Italian Bookshelf 519 Del governo della corte G¶XQ Signore in Roma; Mauro 6DOYLGLR¶V Trattato dove brevemente si ragiona et discorre il modo che dovrebbe tenere et O¶RUGLQH che ci converrebbe osservare, nel UHJJHU¶ et governare la Corte di un magnanimo et generoso prelato; and Domenico 5RPROL¶V La singolare dottrina. First, the author discusses the philological problems of the three handbooks, especially the attributive question, then she moves on to a long description of the FRXUW¶V composition and its positions (cameriere, majordomo, coppiere, etc.) and gives a detailed account of the expenditures related to the household, travel, and official ceremonies. In the first half of the chapter the focal point is the content of the handbooks, and the author²with a slightly naïve assumption (see for example p. 265, ³WKH µYRLFHV¶ of the participants [to GiannottL¶V Dialoghi] are genuine enough to support the possibility that these conversations actually KDSSHQHG´ ²regards them as a true picture of the historical reality of the court. This section of the book (especially chapters 4 to 6, 91-195) would also have benefited from a reflection on the literacy rate and the purchasing power in regard to the question of the destination of these books: if we consider these factors and the dedicatory letters, it seems more appropriate to think that they were conceived for the signori and eventually the people occupying the highest ranks in the household, not for any (aspiring) members of the court who wished to learn the profession (see 92-93). In the second part the focus shifts to the material and financial aspects by privileging the use of archival records. Part III (217-89) is rather heterogeneous, jumping from one question to another, in some cases even without really explaining the relationships between the different sections: the FDUGLQDO¶V patronage, the Reformation, the need of a structural Reform and 5LGROIL¶V role in Vicenza, his entry in the city, the exile, and the consequences for the households, and finally the conclave of 1549 and his death. The section, which every reader would expect to be interpretative, is still rather descriptive: e.g., in chapter 8, the author deals with the problem of 5LGROIL¶V connection with the Spirituali and their ideas, but she merely illustrates the people linked to Ridolfi who were in Viterbo for short or long periods and speaks about the cardinal and his presence in his bishopric, without specifying which elements in 5LGROIL¶V religious perspective could suggest an influence of the Spirituali. Similarly, while talking about artistic patronage, the author states that the architects were charged with the work in Vicenza, but does not clearly state their tasks and the meaning of these commissions²the reader is not told anything about the architecture, the images painted, the decorations, etc. Indeed, it would have been interesting to know the significance of these works in relation to the public image of the cardinal as Byatt herself affirms their importance in this perspective. Overall, the book offers much information about cardinal 5LGROIL¶V court in terms of service and finances, and I would recommend it for historians interested in material and financial history, but with some important reservations for those 520 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) with larger interests in history, ideas, political and intellectual networks and arts. Byatt takes advantage of her research in libraries and archives, which allows her to discover important records and letters concerning Ridolfi and his circle, in addition to historically relevant documents about the political dynamics between Florence and Rome, disclosing new perspectives. The facts newly discovered, however, are not always contextualized and interpreted in an adequate framework, with comparisons with other accounts of the same events or with different points of view. Furthermore, the book might be a bit deceiving for scholars interested in artistic and literary patronage, in 5LGROIL¶V political and religious ideas, and in cultural history and erudition. In particular, the promise to examine and understand 5LGROIL¶V court as a ³KXE of NQRZOHGJH´ (ii) is not entirely kept, although the author could have made it happen, for instance, by using an in-depth study by Davide Muratore²La biblioteca del cardinale Niccolò Ridolfi. Milano: Edizioni GHOO¶2UVR 2009²which investigates the FDUGLQDO¶V entourage and the erudite project behind his library and his patronage, plus many others works (cursorily quoted in the footnotes). On this point it should be added that the bibliography has been updated since the doctoral dissertation, but the critical approach and the analyses sometimes overlook the recent bibliography about the cardinalate, Renaissance Rome, and patronage (few recent studies are quoted in footnotes and they are rarely used in the interpretations; moreover Italian, French, and German bibliography is underemployed). Amelia Juri, Université de Lausanne Santa Casciani, and Heather Richardson Hayton, eds. A Companion to Late Medieval and Early Modern Siena. Leiden: Brill, 2021. Pp. xiv + 356. Nonostante la sua illustre storia di eccellenze artistiche, culturali e politiche, la città di Siena, sito del patrimonio UNESCO dal 1995, continua a venir riduttivamente identificata come la città del Palio eterna rivale di Firenze e tende a rimanere ai margini della ricerca scientifica moderna, specialmente di quella non italiana. Questo erudito volume, il ventitreesimo della serie %ULOO¶V Companions to European History, intende colmare tale lacuna storiografica raccogliendo i contributi di tredici studiosi e studiose esperti della cultura senese medievale e della prima età moderna ed afferenti a diversi settori disciplinari, dalla storia alle scienze politiche, dalle arti visive alla letteratura, dalla religione alla musica. I contributi sono coerentemente organizzati in tre gruppi tematici ed un epilogo e propongono uno studio approfondito del periodo di maggiore prestigio della storia senese, dal XII and XVI secolo, ³ZKHQ Siena strengthened its powerful Commune by crafting a distinctive civic identity, and a recognizable Sienese culture, that remains intact VWLOO´ come spiega Heather Richardson Hayton QHOO¶LQWURGX]LRQH (2). Italian Bookshelf 521 La prima parte del volume ³7KH City and &RPPXQH´ si apre con lo studio dello storico Mario Ascheri (11-30) che, attraverso O¶DQDOLVL di fonti documentarie e rappresentazioni artistiche, presenta la storia politica del Comune e della Repubblica di Siena come forma complessa ma altamente rappresentativa di governo condiviso, concentrando O¶DWWHQ]LRQH sul Governo dei Nove (1287-1355), il problema dei vari gruppi di potere (Monti), O¶RUJDQL]]D]LRQH del Consiglio del Popolo (Populus), e le tre fondative leggi statutarie (Constituto) del 1262, 1310 e 1545. Il saggio di Bradley Franco (31-50) contestualizza la storica vittoria di Siena su Firenze a Montaperti nel 1260 mostrando come tale evento, pur sancendo un limitato periodo di indipendenza politica, abbia contribuito alla formazione GHOO¶LGHQWLWj collettiva senese a partire dal XV secolo²XQ¶HUD di ritrovata prosperità politica e sociale²in quanto connesso alla leggenda ²medievale ma deliberatamente arricchita nel Rinascimento²secondo cui la città donò le proprie chiavi a Maria Vergine prima della battaglia in un atto di sottomissione feudale. Fabrizio Nevola (51-68) considera la formazione GHOO¶LGHQWLWj collettiva senese dalla prospettiva della pianificazione urbanistica attorno a piazza del Campo nel periodo fino alla dominazione medicea (1300-1600), quando le migliorie urbanistiche ed architettoniche approvate da specifici provvedimenti legislativi contribuirono a dare significato e dignità allo spazio pubblico urbano ³O¶RUnato della FLWWj´  nonché a proteggere e rafforzare O¶LGHQWLWj civica di Siena nei tragici momenti di crisi. Jane Tylus (69-82) descrive O¶LQIOXHQ]D della città di Siena, dei suoi vari quartieri e del suo territorio sulla formazione GHOO¶LGHQWLWj della giovane terziaria domenicana Caterina Benincasa (1347-80), la cui determinazione e coraggio nel realizzare il proprio itinerario spirituale e la propria missione politica superando le costrizioni delle norme sociali del periodo tardomedievale è divenuto il simbolo della resilienza di questa santa e della sua città, nonché dei loro destini incrociati nel delicato equilibrio tra dimensione locale, nazionale ed universale. La seconda parte ³$UW and 5HOLJLRQ´ si apre con il contributo di Demetrio Yocum (85-112) sulla profonda influenza che O¶RUGLQH certosino esercitò sulla letteratura e la cultura religiosa senesi nel secolo XIV attraverso O¶HVDPH della presenza GHOO¶RSHUD Pietro Petroni (1311-61), complessa personalità profetica e visionaria, nelle opere di illustri autori quali Petrarca, Boccaccio, Giovanni Colombini e Caterina Benincasa. Il saggio di Sheri Shaneyfelt (113-31) analizza le innovative pale G¶DOWDUH mariane realizzate nel Trecento dai fratelli Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, offrendo un quadro significativo GHOO¶HUHGLWj artistica e pittorica della Siena medievale²il circolo di Duccio di Buoninsegna, Simone Martini², delle sue diverse forme di patronato, e della sua tipica devozione mariana. Andrea Beth Wenz (132-53) indaga il variegato ambiente culturale e religioso senese del XVI secolo²salotti intellettuali, confraternite, prediche, accademie, ma anche librerie, artigiani, barbieri²quale cornice ideale, nella sua apparente cattolicità, per la formazione dei cosiddetti spirituali nonché di alcuni 522 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) dei maggiori protagonisti del pensiero riformato italiano, Bernardino Ochino ed i fratelli Lelio and Fausto Sozzini. Santa Casciani (154-72) indaga O¶LQIOXHQ]D di san Bernardino da Siena (1380-1444), appassionato predicatore francescano osservante e devoto di Maria, sulla vita culturale e religiosa de /¶$TXLOD nel XV secolo; la poesia spirituale di Bernardino Fossa e la ricezione moralizzante di Dante nella città abruzzese sono esempi significativi della vasta influenza culturale di Siena oltre i propri confini. Nella terza parte ³&XOWXUH and 6RFLHW\´  Anna Peterson (175-94) identifica il comprensivo sistema sanitario assistenziale in vigore a Siena prima della peste del 1348 (ospedali, lebbrosari, centri per donne sole incinte e neonati abbandonati) quale riflesso GHOO¶RUJRJOLR civico e GHOO¶RUJDQL]]D]LRQH politica comunale. Elena Brizio (195-217) esamina fonti inedite G¶DUFKLYLR per ridefinire il ruolo determinante delle donne senesi nel travagliato periodo della fine della Repubblica (1560-65), e descrive il loro coraggio nel difendere il patrimonio familiare o QHOO¶DIIURQWDUH O¶HVLOLR dimostrando come, sia nelle campagne che nelle città, esse godessero in vario grado di una indipendenza economica, sociale e culturale maggiore delle loro corrispettive fiorentine. Konrad Eisenbichler (21840) considera la produzione poetica di svariate figure di letterate del Rinascimento senese ed il loro ruolo culturale di primo piano nei tenzoni poetici e DOO¶LQWHUQR dei vari circoli intellettuali cittadini. Colleen Reardon (241-60) esamina la produzione musicale di ambiente senese dalla prima età moderna al XVIII secolo insistendo sul profondo significato politico e sociale della musica post-tridentina nel cementare²attraverso educazione, performance, rituali devozionali, festival e giochi²O¶LGHQWLWj civica senese a seguito della perdita GHOO¶LQGLSHQGHQ]D politica. 1HOO¶HSLORJR del volume (263-87), Saverio Luigi Battente analizza la continua influenza GHOO¶HUHGLWj storica e artistica medievale di Siena sullo sviluppo dei progetti politici e culturali della città e sulla percezione della sua immagine nei secoli XIX e XX, dal Grand Tour G¶,WDOLD e GDOO¶LGHDOH gotico risorgimentale a quello degli intellettuali nazionalisti, mettendo in luce il delicato equilibrio tra mito e realtà storica che caratterizza O¶LGHQWLWj senese contemporanea. Il volume, rivolto ad un ampio pubblico interessato alla storia senese medievale e rinascimentale, colpisce per la sua immediata accessibilità e chiarezza espositiva, nonché per la diversificazione tematica, disciplinare e critica dei suoi saggi, raggruppati secondo un criterio logico coerente ed intuitivo. Completano O¶RSHUD un dettagliato indice dei nomi e delle cose notevoli (339-56), un ricco apparato iconografico di tredici splendide fotografie e cinque mappe (291-308) ed una estesa bibliografia delle fonti primarie e secondarie (309-38). Leonardo Giorgetti, University of California, Davis Italian Bookshelf 523 Corrado Confalonieri. ³4XHVWH spaziose ORJJLH´ Architettura e poetica nella tragedia italiana del Cinquecento. Napoli: Paolo Loffredo Editore, 2022. Pp. 258. Divided into eight chapters that cover a relatively far-reaching breadth of subjects, Corrado &RQIDORQLHUL¶V slim but weighty volume proposes a new approach to the Aristotelian unity of time and space in Renaissance architectural thought and literature. Confalonieri clearly sets up the theoretical framework of the book in the introductory chapter (1-22), citing Alina 3D\QH¶V methodology in how she investigates the osmosis between architectural treatises and literary culture. Unlike Payne, however, Confalonieri seeks to extract the epistemological underpinnings of the relationship between Renaissance rhetorical culture and architectural thought; he points to interdisciplinary influences including Michael %D[DQGDOO¶V Painting and Experience and )RXFDXOW¶V The Archeology of Knowledge. Whereas Payne focused on the process by which architectural discourse developed through her examination of literary contexts, Confalonieri, instead, proposes ³XQ¶DUFKHRORJLD GHOO¶XQLWj uno studio del modo in cui intorno a un apparente luogo commune come quello della metafora del corpo umano, prese forma un discorso QXRYR´ (21) which he says ultimately sheds light on the philosophical origins of the concept of the poetic unity of time and space. The scope of &RQIDORQLHUL¶V argument as presented in these introductory chapters would appear to be quite ambitious and the interdisciplinary impulse certainly admirable. The successive three chapters in this first half of the book establish the nodes of networks between poets and architects, showing how the porous boundaries between these fields create the conceptually symbiotic continuity from ³FRUSR edificio, e FLWWj´ (88). Confalonieri draws a comparison regarding the analogies between body and text as well as the scale between the body and building. This juxtaposition proves fruitful as he delves into the dynamics between the scenographic production of plays and the corresponding written works to show how discourse shapes imagined urban spaces, both for the reader and the viewer. Remarking on a gap in the current scholarship which either only examines the materially scenographic characteristics of a play, or the dramatic action conveying the Aristotelian unity of time and space, Confalonieri instead claims that ³RFFRUUHUHEEH così ripensare O¶LQIOXHQ]D tra le teoria e la pratica senza privilegiare né O¶XQD né O¶DOWUD´ (110). He goes on to write that ³LO fatto che gli attori si muovano sul palcoscenico condiziona il modo in cui si deve concepire la scena; GDOO¶DOWUR la foma della scenografia condiziona il movimento degli DWWRUL´ (113). Confalonieri is at his strongest in the third chapter, ³3DUDGLJPL di Movimento Nella Poetica del ¶´ (99-134), when he launches a defense for Ludovico &DVWHOYHWUR¶V commentary on $ULVWRWOH¶V Poetics by demonstrating how Castelvetro flips the hierarchy between dramatic action and scenic production. By mapping out the reception of $ULVWRWOH¶V unity of space and time in the culture that 524 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) these authors were operating in, Confalonieri depicts the osmosis between Renaissance scenography, architecture, and literature, thus showing that the overlaps in these fields yield productive insights on how the theatrical production of these plays influenced the public. After reconstructing a web of poets and architects to prove that their shared cultural equipment introduced innovations in the representation of visual place, Confalonieri begins his close-readings of Gian Giorgio 7ULVVLQR¶V Sofonisba Pietro AUHWLQR¶V Orazia, Luigi *URWR¶V Adriana, and Torquato 7DVVR¶V Re Torrisimondo. Chapters four through seven (135-208) mark a shift in &RQIDORQLHUL¶V methodology, transitioning from a more historiographical and theoretically-oriented perspective to close-readings of the authors at hand. In the fourth chapter, ³+LF cirta, hic VDOWD´ (135-60), he sheds light on the representation of the imagined urban fabric though the FKDUDFWHUV¶ dialogues, arguing that the character development in Sofonisba is determined by the time and space that the characters occupy. In the fifth chapter, ³7UDJHGLD come allegoria di una FLWWj´ (161-81), Confalonieri analyses the architectonic presence of Rome implied by the dialogues in Orazia, thereby proving that the tragic theatrical form demands a monumental backdrop; accordingly, this justifies the notion that the unity of place is not secondary to the unity of action, but rather it is the impetus that enables the action to take place. In Chapter 6, ³4XDQGR i luoghi raccontano le VWRULH´ (173208), Confalonieri explores the stakes of a tragedy where the action takes place in the same setting in which the play was being performed. This emphasis, Confalonieri argues, contradicts the position that *URWR¶V Adriana abolishes Aristotelian paradigms altogether, and instead attests to *URWR¶V understanding of the contested interpretations of $ULVWRWOH¶V poetics. In each of these plays, Confalonieri examines how the setting compels the characters to act, as well as how it motivates their speech. He passes through these DXWKRUV¶ interpretations of the unity of action, time, and space, in order to convey that there may have been anachronisms in the way that the scholarship has thus far addressed these texts. The approach taken in these close-readings is thus twofold: on the one hand, Confalonieri investigates how space is a discursive as well as material construction, and he uses the language of these plays to examine how space evolved in the DXGLHQFH¶V imaginary. On the other, he attempts to reconfigure the material backdrops of these tragedies through research on the scenographic qualities of the theatres these plays were performed in. The juxtaposition of the historic scenographic characteristics of the tragedies with the written text often yields fascinating results, though there is an almost marked methodological division between these last chapters and the ones that precede it. The architectural analysis in the first chapters is certainly well-researched and convincing, though this strand of thought seems to be secondary, if not sometimes absent, in the succeeding sections. The latter half of the volume relies sometimes exclusively on literary analysis, and a more thorough interweaving of sources might have been carried throughout the whole book to maintain the central line of thought. This Italian Bookshelf 525 might simply be an inherent risk that comes with the territory of any interdisciplinary endeavor, and &RQIDORQLHUL¶V work is otherwise very persuasive and insightful. Queste spaziose loggie presents a thought-provoking new reading of the enmeshment of architectural thought and Aristotelian unities. A wellresearched study that pulls from an impressive array of sources, &RQIDORQLHUL¶V work will be useful to those interested in Renaissance humanism, drama, and architecture. Angelica Modabber, PhD Candidate, Columbia University Gasparo Contarini. The Republic of Venice. De magistratibus et republica Venetorum. Ed. and Intro. Filippo Sabetti. Transl. Giuseppe Pezzini and Amanda Murphy. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 2020. Pp. lix + 135. This book provides the first English translation of Gasparo &RQWDULQL¶V De magistratibus et republica Venetorum since 1599. &RQWDULQL¶V text has been widely influential both during the early-modern period and in more recent scholarship, particularly because its idealized presentation of the Venetian government has helped shape the so-called ³0\WK of 9HQLFH´ This is an elegant translation that makes an at times fascinating text accessible to a broader audience. Contarini was a prominent Venetian patrician during the first half of the sixteenth century. Most notably, he served as an ambassador for Venice before becoming a cardinal in 1535. He wrote his De magistratibus in the years following the War of the League of Cambrai, more specifically between 1522 and 1525 with later revisions between 1533 and 1534. The work was published in Paris in 1543, one year after &RQWDULQL¶V death. De magistratibus enjoyed immediate popularity and multiple subsequent editions. For the book under review, Giuseppe Pezzini and Amanda Murphy follow other recent scholars by relying on the Latin found in the 1571 edition of the text. That version was published under the supervision of &RQWDULQL¶V nephew. In the De magistratibus Contarini described how, in theory, the Venetian government worked across its many different magistracies and offices. He organized his text into five books. The first book focuses on the philosophical underpinnings of the Venetian government as well as its Great Council. After praise for VeniFH¶V location and the importance of rule by law, Contarini defended the limited number of people permitted to participate in the Venetian republic. He describes the process by which patrician men gained entry to the Great Council as well as the complex means by which the Council elected most office holders. In the second book, Contarini turns to the doge, which he describes as the ³SULQFH´ of the republic. Much of the discussion revolves around the notoriously complex 526 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) means by which the Venetians elected this office and the limitations on the GRJH¶V power. Those first two books constitute the first half of De magistratibus, while three shorter books make up the second half. Book Three details the more powerful government bodies within the city of Venice itself. Contarini contends that the Venetian senate and Council of Ten follow $ULVWRWOH¶V advice to leave the governance of the republic primarily to the FRPPXQLW\¶V elders, who Contarini claimed were people between the large numbers filling the Great Council and the princely figure of the doge. Contarini details elections for and within the senate as well as several bodies charged with the administration of different sorts of crimes. In Book Four, Contarini introduces other judges and magistrates. Here, Contarini describes oversight of public monies²including the public shaming for embezzlement²coinage, health, the Arsenal, and the Procurators of Saint Mark. The last book turns to positions in the Venetian empire. Contarini describes the judicial powers of the podestà, the military powers of the captain, the financial powers of chamberlains, and the guardians of the castle. He justifies the FLW\¶V use of mercenaries and provides details on positions within the FLW\¶V navy as well as social distinctions within Venice itself. He concludes the work by praising Venetian stability and attributing their success to divine favor. As a political scientist, 6DEHWWL¶V Introduction to De magistratibus highlights the content and significance of the political thought in the text. Sabetti shows how Contarini presented Venice as ruled by a stable, secular government filled by the FLW\¶V selfless, devoted patricians, even as Contarini also revealed tools used to curb the potential ambitions and vices of officeholders. Sabetti highlights the significance of the tensions between ³VWDELOLW\´ and ³HIILFLHQF\´ throughout &RQWDULQL¶V work. Within that dichotomy, Sabetti argues that Contarini included concepts found in later thinkers, such as the idea of building delay into government to help slow ill-considered reactions and moderate extreme positions. Sabetti concludes by arguing for a much more significant place in the history of political thought for Contarini. Contarini, he claims, possessed the secularism usually attributed to Machiavelli, even as Contarini pushed past his more famous near-contemporary through his detailed description of the workings of government. Appendices on the historiography of the ³0\WK of 9HQLFH´ (by Filippo Sabetti) and the challenges of translating ContariQL¶V copious humanist Latin into readable English (by Giuseppe Pezzini and Amanda Murphy) conclude the Introduction. &RQWDULQL¶V text will be of interest to both scholars and students of early modern Europe as well as general readers interested in how one of (XURSH¶V most successful and long-lasting republics organized its government. At times Venetian structures were bewildering in their complexity. Most famously, the office of doge required an almost comical number of steps designed to weed out corruption and private interest. Yet, at other times, Contarini reveals that Venetians made appointments in much more straightforward manners. 6DEHWWL¶V Introduction Italian Bookshelf 527 convincingly shows how &RQWDULQL¶V work reflects the same secular and pragmatic political views espoused by the more famous Machiavelli, while Contarini also built upon such ideas by unpacking those assumptions in practice in Venice. In addition, Pezzini and Murphy have produced a lively and accessible translation, a true accomplishment given the challenges of both &RQWDULQL¶V technical material and his difficult Latin style. For all these reasons the De magistratibus is a welcome addition to the growing Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library. Brian Maxson, East Tennessee State University Jacques Dalarun, Sean L. Field, and Valerio Cappozzo. A Female Apostle in Medieval Italy. The Life of Clare of Rimini. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania P, 2023. Pp. 177. This book results from the collaboration among three medievalists bringing together their different research perspectives. Dalarun belongs to the French academia, and is an historian of the Franciscan movement, and in particular the female figures (he published a monographic study on Clare from Rimini in 1999). He was also appointed director of medieval studies at the prestigious École française de Rome between 1990 and 1997. Field is a professor of history at the University of Vermont, specializing in the Capetian dynasty in the thirteenth century, with an interest in the female religious movements (in 2012, he published a monograph study on the Christian lay religious order of the Beguines). Cappozzo is the director of the Italian program at the University of Mississippi, and, despite his background in medieval studies (with a focus on dream interpretation, Dante and Boccaccio), he has widely published on modern Italian literature as well. The outcome of this intersection is a very engaging and multifaceted book where no stone is left unturned to provide the reader with a multilayered portrayal of this unique figure of medieval religiosity. However, the approach adopted by the triad to convey their subject to their readership is quite accessible, as if addressing an audience of non-specialists. This feature is clearly displayed, for instance, when they tackle, in chapter 3, &ODUH¶V practice of harsh self-inflicting penance, which they explain by making a parallel with sports: ³,W is hard for us to understand this today. But seven hundred years from now, who will understand the apparently pointless suffering of a champion WULDWKOHWH"´ (27). In the same way, they use a similar, unexpected though useful simile: ³,Q the Middle Ages, the SHQLWHQW¶V µ%RRN of :RUOG¶V UHFRUGV¶ was the Lives of the desert IDWKHUV´ (27). The ERRN¶V structure consists therefore essentially of the close-reading of &ODUH¶V life (spanning roughly between 1260 and sometime between 1324 and 1329), composed by her hagiographer prior to her death in vernacular Italian, and copied in the second half of the fifteenth for the sisters of her community in Rimini on the only manuscript we still have (duly described in the ³Appendix´ 150-153). This didactic approach is shown again by how they focus on clarity and simplicity 528 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) for the audience: instead of presenting the whole text at once, they choose to follow the division of the KDJLRJUDSKHU¶V text into twelve chapters (plus an ³(SLORJXH´), a division both chronological and thematic. By doing so, they literally reverse the traditional manner of presenting the ancient documents: instead of drawing on the historic and cultural context to introduce the reader to the text, the starting point becomes the text itself. And, as they explicitly state, all this is done in the name of the ³LQQRYDWLYH [nature of the] text that we think [...] deserves an equally innovative WUHDWPHQW´ ³Introduction´ 4). Sure enough, the book turns out to be a captivating read, very accessible while never predictable. Yes, the authors chose to simplify to some extent their subject for the sake of vulgarization, but, yet, by the end, RQH¶V thirst for reading more has increased. As a result, a very rich and updated bibliographical section ³%LEOLRJUDSK\ and Suggestions for Further Reading´ 165-172) is found at the ERRN¶V end. In Chapter 1 ³6SDFH Time, Social 6HWWLQJ´ 9-14), we come to know about &ODUH¶V noble family and its tormented history within the politically unstable Italian context between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. In the second chapter ³)URP Human Desire to Divine /RYH´ 15-19), the authors tackle &ODUH¶V embrace of a religious lifestyle (connected to the practices spread by the Franciscan order) after her second KXVEDQG¶V death, showing how this change follows the path to sanctity established in the Medieval hagiographic tradition. In evoking &ODUH¶V penitential habits, the third chapter ³'RLQJ 3HQDQFH´ 21-29) stresses her special relation to St. )UDQFLV¶V monastic order and explains their significance within the context of female religiosity, as established by Caroline %\QXP¶V interpretation. In chapter 4 ³)DU from +RPH´ 32-37), the misfortune of &ODUH¶V brother is discussed, especially after the Malatesta family comes to power in Rimini around 1295, and &ODUH¶V care for him in Urbino (where he is exiled). Back in her hometown, she has the first revelation of &KULVW¶V passion when she collapses on the floor of the Dominican church and is assisted by the Bishop Girolamo of Rimini. In ³$ Room of 2QH¶V 2ZQ´ (39-47), the scholars draw an original parallel between Clare and Virginia :RROI¶V need for a private space where they could carry out their respective endeavors, although they refrain from calling the former a ³SURWR-IHPLQLVW´ (43). Clare is eventually able to find her cell in an enclosure carved out of the FLW\¶V walls, even if it is deprived of any comfort and is exposed to the weather. This move is another proof, if needed, of her independence, and provides her with the authority needed to start imparting ³KHU words of wisdom to RWKHUV´ (47) In ³7KH Shadow of +HUHV\´ (49-61), they comment on the accusation of heresy that preachers in Rimini (probably Dominican) had raised against her because of her ³XQUHJXODWHG life of SHQDQFH´ (52). However, this accusation fails because of her exemplary life, and, on the contrary, emphasizes once again her proximity to &KULVW¶V example. The chapter ends with an articulated examination of heresy in the Middle-Ages, helping to understand why &ODUH¶V words may have been interpreted in that sense. ³7KH Word of *RG´ (63-67) relates the conversions in the city inspired by &ODUH¶V Italian Bookshelf 529 words, while chapter 8 ³9LVLRQ of &RPPXQLW\´ 69-77) evokes the community of women forming around her. This allows the hagiographer to draw on direct witnesses, such as, for instance, when he recounts &ODUH¶V vision of God who ³ZDQWV her to live µZLWK additional VLVWHUV¶´ (73) and to buy the house of a certain Lapo (76). From ³Intuition to ,QVWLWXWLRQ´ (79-89) recalls another episode of &ODUH¶V imitatio Cristi, the two-day penitential suffering she inflicted on herself on Good Friday for several years as a public spectacle in the FLW\¶V main square. This episode coincides with the permission granted by the Cardinal Napoleone Orsini, who favored the Spirituals Franciscans, to have members of religious orders celebrate the divine office in her community. It was because of his protection, the authors argue, that Clare was not persecuted for having taken up &KULVW¶V role in the reenactment of the ³VDFUHG drama of the 3DVVLRQ´ (82). An ³$SRVWOH on the 5RDG´ (91-107) describes Clare as a ³PRGHUQ DSRVWOH´ (96) capable, in her travels, especially throughout Central Italy, to draw attention and raise adoration, as is the case when she goes to Assisi to receive the ³3RUWiuncula ,QGXOJHQFH´ (102) on August 1, 1211. When examining this episode, the authors offer glimpses into the ³LQIRUPDO world of unenclosed religious ZRPHQ´ (104) that the narration of her travels provides us with. In ³7KH Power of ,PDJHV´ (109122), four of &ODUH¶V powerful visions are evoked, where are related to the necessity for Clare to establish a more secure dominance within her community to counter her VLVWHUV¶ criticism. The authors reveal the iconographic underpinnings of &ODUH¶V last vision ³WKH Master of the 0DVWHUV´ atop a ELVKRS¶V or university PDVWHU¶V throne [...], surrounded by the apostle and John the %DSWLVW´ 114) in the frescos painted for the restoration of the St. Augustine church after the 1308 earthquake, which were inspired by the Apocalypse, the book of John, and apocryphal legends (114). Furthermore, this same iconography also occurs in a triptych dedicated to &ODUH¶V memory a few years after her death around 1330. Focusing on &ODUH¶V final days, ³Through a Glass 'DUNO\´ (123-35) insists on &ODUH¶V OLIH¶V recurring features (e.g., demonic temptations, penance, visions and ecstasies, and the importance of the Eucharist). In the chapter examining the sixteenth-century manuscript addition (the epilogue ³'HDWK Life, $IWHUOLIH´ 137150) the circumstances of &ODUH¶V death and canonization (she was canonized in 1785) are discussed. The fact that her death is not recounted makes the authors think that the Life is unfinished (141). The authors discuss at length the possible identity of the hagiographer (maybe her confessor, or the Bishop Girolamo of Rimini), examining the features of the PDQXVFULSW¶V vernacular, which is the language in which &ODUH¶V life has been originally written (and not in Latin as was common at that time). Despite all the information today available on female sanctity and religiosity, &ODUH¶V story, concludes the scholars, ³XQGHUOLQHV the impossibility of resolving long-running historical debates as to whether the Christian religion advanced or limited women¶V role in medieval VRFLHW\´ (134). And yet, the authors of this book 530 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) shed a great light on such a controversial and complex theme adding one essential piece toward the solution of the riddle. Enrico Minardi, Arizona State University Fulvio Delle Donne, and Guido Cappelli. Nel Regno delle lettere. Umanesimo e politica nel Mezzogiorno aragonese. Roma: Carocci, 2021. Pp. 239. This volume, written by two experts in Medieval and Renaissance Studies, provides us with a better insight into political thought and historical-political literature in Italian Humanism. The focus is placed on Southern Italy and specifically on the ³8PDQHVLPR DUDJRQHVH´ or ³8PDQHVLPR PRQDUFKLFR´ a meaningful definition that emphasizes the ³VSD]LR politico che fioru´ (190) in the kingdom of Naples under the Aragonese monarchs. This book presents the outcomes of the yearslong research by the two authors, thanks to a fruitful collaboration evidenced by the consistency of the volume, which represents a fundamental landmark in the field, especially for the innovativeness of its critical perspectives. The ground-breaking elements of this publication make it a must-have resource for the study of fifteenth-century Italy and, more broadly, the history of political ideologies. The exploration of the Mezzogiorno aragonese, an area partially neglected in international scholarship so far, proves it to play a crucial role in the evolution of Renaissance (and modern) culture. This thematic scope is closely connected with another innovative approach in the book: the acknowledgment of the centrality, in this age, of theories of monarchical power and literature devoted to it. Such output, only recently examined through unbiased critical lenses, has been given the deserved place in the history of Humanism and has been ³FOHDUHG´ from the scholarly marginalization it has undergone until the previous century. Indeed, this publication largely contributes to the progression of a recent strand of studies (fostered by the previous pioneering works by both authors) that goes beyond the partial stance predominant in twentieth-century scholarship, which mainly concentrated on ³UHSXEOLFDQLVP´ uncompellingly (and anachronistically) regarded as the chief current of thought in political Humanism. Conversely, the expansion of new interdisciplinary analyses of different sources (historical, literary, philosophical, artistic) liberated humanist theories from the traditional labels of ³QDLYH´ and too idealistic, leading to a reconsideration of interpretative categories which appear too narrow and inadequate to explain complex phenomena: in particular, a radical review of the category of ³FLYLF KXPDQLVP´ which this book contributes to reconsider, has brought a reassessment of the too clear-cut (and often groundless) distinction between republican and princely ideals. Another key point made by the book is that the theory framed by the ³8PDQHVLPR PRQDUFKLFR´ had a crucial influence on the gradual process that would lead to the emergence of the modern concept of the state. Moreover, the authors provide a comprehensive image of the close interplay between Italian Bookshelf 531 historiographical narratives and political treatises that gave life to Aragonese Humanism, with a look also at other genres, showing the eclectic and intercommunicating nature of the various forms of humanist literature. The synergy between historiography and political-theoretical works is at the core of the structure of the volume, which is divided into two sections. ³/D maiestas e la sua OHJLWWLPD]LRQH´ (by Delle Donne, 23-96) focuses on Alfonso the 0DJQDQLPRXV¶V reign and on the legitimization of his newly-established power which was carried out through the construction of a shared historical memory by means of historiographical texts. The second section (by Cappelli, 97-187), ³/D maiestas e la sua DIIHUPD]LRQH´ looks mainly at the reign of Ferdinando of Aragon and at the production of a ³WUDWWDWLVWLFD nelle sue forme più varie e IOHVVLELOL´ (192), which provides ideological support for²and represents²a specific model of the state: a centralized and organic system, based on the principle of body politics and on the mutual bond between a virtuous ruler and his people. The book opens with a Prologo, significantly entitled ³/D letteratura politica, la politica della OHWWHUDWXUD´ Chapter 1 illustrates the instauration of $OIRQVR¶V domain, concentrating on the legitimizing narratives produced by various authors and on the language through which this historical memory was disseminated. Chapter 2 reconstructs how Aragonese rule built a sophisticated system of cultural politics, in which the leading figure was Antonio Panormita, the ³DUWHILFH della svolta XPDQLVWLFD´ (50), who was committed to a cultural operation intended to ³OHJLWWLPDUH HURLFDPHQWH´ (55) the new power. This chapter is also devoted to other prominent authors, in particular Lorenzo Valla and Bartolomeo Facio, and to their contrasting ideas on historiography and its political function. Chapter 3 focuses on $OIRQVR¶V triumph, a milestone in the definition and representation of the NLQJ¶V ideology, an event that is significantly presented as ³LO trionfo GHOO¶8PDQHVLPR PRQDUFKLFR´ (76): indeed, the whole complex ceremony, based on an ³DFWLYH´ recovery of the classical tradition and aimed at conveying specific political messages, was narrated and illustrated by numerous humanists and artists. Chapter 4 moves on to the actual political theorization produced under )HUGLQDQGR¶V reign, whose most influential expressions can be found in the treatises by Giovanni Pontano, ³FDSRILOD indiscusso [«@ dei teorici di )HUUDQWH´ (109): the analysis concentrates on the De principe and De obedientia, which provide a full-length theory of the state, defining the conducts of both the leader and the subjects; but the investigation includes other authors too, paying attention also to poetry, and showing how this output as a whole gave life to ³XQD dottrina dello stato in nuce´ (114). Chapter 5 examines the conception of the state framed in 3RQWDQR¶V De obedientia and in works by other humanists (e.g., Diomede Carafa, Giuniano Maio), highlighting the centrality in this theory of the principle of ³RUJDQLFLVPR SROLWLFR´ (which was at the basis of most humanist political models, regardless of institutional forms) and of the interconnected topics of obedience, reprisal of dissent, and the building of 532 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) consensus. Chapter 6 comes to the rule of Alfonso II and the end of the reign, with a look also at the period ³ROWUH il UHJQR´ and authors active in the Cinquecento, pointing out how humanist doctrines have been appropriated by aristocracy. Finally, the Epilogo presents the conclusions, underscoring that the idea of maiestas, pivotal in the ³8PDQHVLPR PRQDUFKLFR´ was ³IRQGDWLYD dello stato PRGHUQR´ (193). In summary, this volume represents a substantial contribution to the study of Italian Humanism and an invaluable resource for scholars in different fields of Medieval and Renaissance studies, from history and literature to the history of political thought. Marta Celati, Università di Pisa Lorenzo Geri, Marco Grimaldi, and Nicolò Maldina, eds. La lirica italiana. Un lessico fondamentale (secoli XIII-XIV). Roma: Carocci, 2021. Pp. 344. Published in the Carocci series Studi Superiori, the volume La lirica italiana. Un lessico fondamentale (secoli XIII-XIV), edited by Lorenzo Geri, Marco Grimaldi, and Nicolò Maldina, offers a thematic map of important questions regarding medieval Italian poetry. The volume includes a ³3UHPHVVD´ (13-14), written by the editors, and twenty chapters, whose aim is to navigate the rich constellation of literary, historical, and philological issues of medieval lyric through its critical lexicon. As noted in the introduction (13), the most immediate frame of reference is that of companions and of similar lessici critici. The keywords selected as entryways to medieval Italian poetry are discussed by a host of scholars, all coming from Italian institutions, and at different points of their academic careers. The contributors are all engaged in Italian and Romance philology to a certain extent, a shared background that nurtures the whole book. The entries are presented in alphabetical order, and yet they might be read against the grain along three directions: main themes; places of production and reception; genres, models, and styles. The lessico fondamentale deals with love (Roberto Rea), city (Nicolò Maldina), comic mode (Marco Berisso), court (Lorenzo Geri), dialogue (Claudio Giunta), philosophy (Luca Lombardo), poetic genres and forms (Marco Grimaldi), geography (Federico Ruggiero), the lyric self (Lorenzo Geri), language (Irene Iocca), Biblical models (Nicolò Maldina), Classical models (Natascia Tonelli), Romance models (Simone Marcenaro), ethical issues (Marialaura Aghelu), music (Maria Sofia Lannutti), politics (Enrico Fenzi), reality and realism (Marco Grimaldi), rhetoric (Veronica Albi), sacred (Matteo Leonardi), and textual transmission (Giuseppe Marrani). The volume is presented as an up-to-date introduction ³XQ¶LQWURGX]LRQH agile e DJJLRUQDWD´ 13) for students of Italian literature and philology at the beginning of their undergraduate career, while still welcoming further research Italian Bookshelf 533 through the carefully selected bibliographical resources ³ELEOLRJUDILD critica [...] attentamente VHOH]LRQDWD´ 13). The fine balance between specialized research and EHJLQQHUV¶ manual is sought through the problematization ³LQ modo SUREOHPDWLFR´ 13) of fundamental questions in the study of lyric poetry: a difficult task indeed, especially in the context of Italian university curricula in Lettere moderne, whose undergraduate population is likely the most immediate audience. Editors and authors are thus trying to perform a complicated joust among goals in competition, and while most of the chapters are certainly successful in this endeavor, other entries fall short of their intended premises, at least as described in the HGLWRUV¶ very introduction. From the UHYLHZHU¶s perspective, the problematization of the subjects belies a difficulty that is inherent to the practices of university teaching, often strangled between advanced specialization and essential presentation of the topics. According to the editors, the problematization of this fundamental lexicon should work as a supplement to textbooks and anthologies ³FRPH integrazione dei manuali e delle DQWRORJLH´ 14). And yet, if we are to take the main goal of the book as an interpretive and pedagogical act that puts into question received notions regarding the poetry of the Duecento and Trecento, readers are seldom offered a host of hermeneutic problems. In fact, a few chapters read more as summative presentations of notions, rather than questions open to further investigation and reassessment. For the sake of brevity, I will discuss only some of the most successful entries treated in the book, those which are more closely following the directions delineated in the HGLWRUV¶ preface. Nicolò 0DOGLQD¶V entry ³&LWWj´ (25-34) provides the readers with a perspective often ignored in traditional accounts of medieval poetry (25). By reading medieval Italian lyric through its relationship with the urban settings of its production and distribution, the author weaves a strong narrative that connects literature to politics, and by identifying the diverse uses of urbanity in lyric poetry, provides a point of view that problematizes the courtly poetry of the following centuries. Dialogic literature has been one of Claudio *LXQWD¶V main research areas, and the agile chapter here presented (55-71) questions both the social uses of poetry, and the development of lyric introspection. Close-readings provide the readers with a host of examples on which to test the hermeneutic strategies of the philologist, thus pointing towards further investigation (see for instance 59-71). Enrico )HQ]L¶V magisterial entry ³3ROLWLFD´ (213-27) manages to digest an impressive amount of texts and contexts in an interpretive perspective that offers an ideological background to the political and social engagement of many of the authors at stake (see 224-25). Historical and theoretical questions are presented as openly as possible, thus centering political discourse as one of the main threads of Italian culture. The same can be said for Giuseppe 0DUUDQL¶V introduction to textual tradition and philology (27388), which truly reads as an advanced seminar for students interested in pushing their notions in ecdotics, from theory to practice. The textual vicissitudes of 534 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) medieval Italian poetry are always paired with concrete examples that beg for an open discussion in the classroom, truly providing a model for what problematization can be for a volume of this genre. There is undoubted value in many of the chapters presented, and in the YROXPH¶V concept as a whole, but the reviewer advises complementing it with additional bibliography, especially from an international perspective. In fact, out of more than four hundred works cited (292-315), only 9% are authored by critics from a non-Italian academic background, which belies a focus that is unfortunately too restricted. Some themes that could better problematize this critical lexicon might have included gender studies (especially for a perspective on love and the lyric self), Mediterranean cultures outside of the Latin Christendom (to complement the sections on ³0RGHOOL´  and socio-economic questions (in particular for political issues). Matteo Pace, Connecticut College Patrizia Grimaldi Pizzorno. Dopo la peste. Desiderio e Ragione nella Decima Giornata del Decameron. Firenze: Leo S. Olschki, 2021. Pp. 126. *ULPDOGL3L]]RUQR¶VERRNIRFXVHVRQWKHWHQWKGD\RI%RFFDFFLR¶V Decameron and, more specifically, on the theme that, according to the author, dominates the ODVW GD\¶V QRYHOODV GHVLUH DQG UHDVRQ :KLOH WKH RIILFLDO WRSLF RI WKH GD\ LV PDJQLILFHQFH NLQGQHVV DQG PDJQDQLPLW\ HDFK RI WKH GD\¶V WDOHV FRQWDLQV examples of desire and reason. The former is represented as virtuous love and, at times, concupiscence, while the latter is depicted as rationality often associated with virtue. Grimaldi Pizzorno states that the moral function of the novel is H[HPSOLILHG E\ %RFFDFFLR¶V OLQH ³Fognoscere quello che sia da fuggire e VLPLOPHQWHGDVHJXLWDUH´LQWKHLQWURGXFWLRQWRWKHDecameron, which she sees as DUHIHUHQFHWR$ULVWRWOH¶VWKHRU\RQWKHYLUWXRXVUHODWLRQVKLSEHWZHHQ ethos and SKURQƝVLV(12). However, Grimaldi Pizzorno believes that reason does not abide by the Augustinian philosophy which associates it with faith. It is, instead, purely earthly (36). After introducing the theoretical framework underpinning her thesis, Grimaldi Pizzorno points out that, due to the devastation caused by the pestilence that struck Florence in 1348, Boccaccio looks for equilibrium and harmony. It is no coincidence that Grimaldi Pizzorno titles the book Dopo la peste, in reference to the need to find equilibrium and comfort after the plague. Love and prudence, which are closely linked to reason, represent the cornerstones of this yearned-for order (17). The first instance in which reason is utilized is in the church of Santa Maria Novella, where Pampinea convinces the group of young men and women to seek refuge outside the city where they will hopefully be spared by the disease Italian Bookshelf 535 that is tearing Florence apart. Similarly, at the end of the Decameron, Panfilo will use reason to convince the group to return to the city (18). Despite a couple brief analyses of the nexus of desire and reason as it appears in other tales, the book largely discusses the presence of desire and reason in the tenth day of the Decameron*ULPDOGL3L]]RUQRDQDO\]HVWKHGD\¶VWHQQRYHOODVLQ chronologicDORUGHUVWDUWLQJZLWKWKHQRYHOODGHGLFDWHGWR0HVVHU5XJJLHULGH¶ Figiovanni. The first novella serves as an example of excessive desire for fame and glory, which can be deleterious if not kept in check (43). The novella represents a tale of progressive maturity, where the initial vanity underlying 5XJJLHUL¶VOXVWIRUIDPHDQGJORU\LVFRXQWHUEDODQFHGE\WKHQHFHVVLW\RIKXPLOLW\ and magnanimity (61). The second novella lacks any rational reasoning on the part of the characters, since the abbot from Clugnì is cured thanks to the fast imposed by Ghino the bandit (71). Virtue is here gained passively and miraculously. In the third novella, virtue shines again. The young and envious Mitridanes cannot gather the courage to kill the old and wise Natan after identifying him as his friend. Mitridanes incarnates excessive desire, whereas Natan represents selfless wisdom and reason. Desire and reason are here depicted as their respective extremes (81). Novellas four to seven feature characters who are overcome by carnal desire, which is synonymous with incontinence. They will only be able to tame their impulses and achieve a virtuous conduct when they mutate their urges into GLVLQWHUHVWHGORYH  ,QWKHIRXUWKQRYHOOD0HVVHU*HQWLOGH¶*DULVHQGLWDNHV care of NiFROXFFLR&DFFLDQHPLFR¶VVXSSRVHGO\GHDGZLIHDIWHUKDYLQJIDOOHQLQ love with her, and brings her safely back to Nicoluccio (84). In the fifth novella, 0HVVHU $QVDOGR UHIXVHV WR WDNH DGYDQWDJH RI 'LDQRUD *LOEHUWR¶V ZLIH DIWHU having won a bet with her (8  ,Q WKH VL[WK QRYHOOD .LQJ &DUOR '¶$QJLz LV VH[XDOO\DWWUDFWHGWRKLVKRVW¶VEHDXWLIXOGDXJKWHUVEXWLVEURXJKWEDFNWRUHDVRQ by the count of Monforte (89). The seventh novella is very similar to the previous RQH.LQJ3LHWUR'¶$UDJRQDFRPHVWRNQRZRI/LVD3XFFLQL¶VORYHGLVHDVHDQG despite being attracted to her, manages to marry her to a young nobleman and cure her of her malady (97). The eighth novella notably highlights the conflict between reason and desire. Gisippo gives his fiancé Sofronia away to his friend Tito, who has fallen madly in love with her. In doing so, Gisippo contravenes social norms and is eventually exiled from his land and forced to go to Rome, where Tito saves him from death (104). Conversely, the ninth novella lacks carnal desire. It celebrates, instead, the virtue of two wise men, Ser Torello da Stra and Saladino. Despite following different faiths, the two men can understand each other and therefore develop a deep friendship and admiration for each other (107). Finally, the tenth novella suppresses virtue entirely, according to Grimaldi Pizzorno, and gives way to pointless cruelty and selfishness. Husband Gualtieri decides to test the virtue and 536 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) resiliency of his wife Griselda by having her believe that he killed their children, and forces her to bear a number of insults, abuses, humiliations, and tortures (110). *ULPDOGL 3L]]RUQR¶V WKHPDWLF DQDO\VLV RI WKH WHQWK GD\ RI WKH Decameron DOORZVKHUWRJLYHDQRYHUYLHZRI%RFFDFFLR¶VODVWVHWRIQRYHOODVDQGOLQNWKHP together by their common themes, desire and reason, even though, at times, one is suppressed in favor of the other. What is interesting is that the common themes that Grimaldi Pizzorno identifies in the ten novellas are apparently different from the official topic of the tenth day, magnificence. This shows how there can be multiple interpretations not only of specific texts but of an entire set of texts; in SDUWLFXODURIWKHVHWRIWHQQRYHOODVWKDWPDNHXSWKHWHQWKGD\RI%RFFDFFLR¶V work. At the same time, magnificence implies virtue, thus making the topics alike. Additionally, Grimaldi Pizzorno connects magnificence with reason and desire. She brings the connection to Aristotle and his theories, citing the virtuous relationship that he establishes between desire and reason. She also argues that the topic of magnificence is directly connected to the moral function of the entire Decameron, which Boccaccio declares in the introduction to the work. In fact, Boccaccio warns the reader of the pain and suffering to be first endured in order to arrive at the sought-after delight of the latter stories. Much like the Divine Comedy, where there is a gradual progression from Hell to Heaven, the Decameron presents a progression from plague and suffering to the moral plane of magnificence (12). I believe that, unlike the Divine ComedyWKRXJK'LRQHR¶V final tale of Griselda instills doubt regarding the supposedly achieved morality, PDNLQJ%RFFDFFLR¶VZRUNOHVVOLQHDUWKDQH[SHFWHG Giordano Mazza, University of Illinois at Chicago Lucrezia Marinella. Love Enamored and Driven Mad. Ed. and transl. Janet E. Gomez, and Maria Galli Stampino. The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Toronto Series, 72. Toronto: Iter Press, 2020. Pp. 208. Janet E. *RPH]¶V and Maria Galli 6WDPSLQR¶V edition of Love Enamored and Driven Mad for The Other Voice series, follows the publication of Lucrezia 0DULQHOOD¶V most known works; the treatise The Nobility and Excellence of Women (Anne Dunhill ed. and transl., Chicago: the U of Chicago P, 1999), the epic Enrico (Maria Galli Stampino ed. and transl., Chicago: the U of Chicago P, 2009), and the Exhortation to Women and to Others if They Please (Laura Benedetti ed. and transl., Toronto: Iter Press, 2012). The aim of the volume is to ³LOOXPLQDWH another facet of 0DULQHOOD¶V extensive and wide-ranging literary ZRUN´ (48) making it accessible to a broader audience. The Amore inmamorato et impazzato text is based on the only existing printing (Giovanni Battista Combi, Venezia, 1618) digitalised by the University of Turin and open-access (on https:// archive.org/ details/ imageGIX398 NarrativaOpal). According to the Italian epic tradition, Marinella choses the Italian Bookshelf 537 ottava rima for her narrative poem; translators, however, opted for prose. They normalised punctuation and style (for instance substituting the ³SUHVHQWH VWRULFR´ with the past tense, and differentiating ³$PRUH´ and ³&XSLGR´  but preserved 0DULQHOOD¶V convolute Baroque writing, full of extravagant adjectives, repetitions, catalogues, complex allegories. Copious and detailed footnotes clarify the abundant and often intricate mythological references (e.g. ³WKH one who shows her white face to us below from the high VSKHUHV´ for Diana, XVIII, 1-2), detail literary sources (the Bible, as well as Latin, medieval and early modern Italian authors), cross-references (for instance the similarities between Ersilia and the character of Erina in 0DULQHOOD¶V Enrico), rhetorical figures, especially when not maintained in the translation, and a few inconsistencies in the texts (e.g. Ersilia defined ³KRSH of king (PLUHQR´ in I, 17, but (PHUR¶V daughter in II, 55). The introduction (1-47), beside a biographical profile and a detailed description of 0DULQHOOD¶V work in their historical contexts, lists and analyses the literary sources of the poem (Ovid, Prudentius, Dante, Boccaccio, Tasso) with special attention for Apuleius, whose Metamorphosis provides the main plot. The introductory essay emphasises, in particular, the ways in which Marinella, throughout her literary production, overturns expectations and reverses traditional gender roles. For instance, comparing $SXOHLR¶V and 0DULQHOOD¶V versions of the story of Cupid and Psyche, the first describes a goddess (Venus) envious of a young woman (Psyche), the second portrays a god (Cupid) envious of a young man (Iridio). In $SXOHLXV¶ Metamorphoses the main action is ignited by 9HQXV¶ envy and vengefulness, distinctive female vices according to the classical and medieval misogynist literary tradition; but Marinella, ascribes both sins to Cupid. Although an old stereotype saw Venus as a lustful, dissolute seductress, Marinella instead portrays the goddess as a devoted mother. For hundreds of years philosophers described women as irrational and sinful creatures unable to restrain themselves; but defying all stereotypes, in the Allegory of the Poem (51), Marinella states that, in her work, the male hero, Cupid, embodies the destructive, irrational power of concupiscence, while the main female character, Ersilia, represents rationality and virtue. In conclusion, with their highly readable translation, complemented by an accurate apparatus, and thought-provoking commentary, Gomez and Stampino not only make 0DULQHOOD¶V poem accessible to a non-Italian audience and to readers with a limited understanding of early modern Italian language, but they also provide proficient readers with a useful and up-to-date companion to the original text. Giordano Mazza, University of Illinois at Chicago 538 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Roberta Morosini. Rotte di poesia, rotte di civiltà: Il Mediterraneo degli dei nella Genealogia di Boccaccio e Piero di Cosimo. Roma: Castelvecchi, 2021. Pp. 128. 5REHUWD0RURVLQL¶VRotte di poesia, rotte di civiltà: Il Mediterraneo degli dei nella Genealogia di Boccaccio e Piero di Cosimo offers a nimble, integrative approach to the sprawling enormity of the Genealogia deorum gentilium, comprising 15 books subdivided into 700 chapters. Readers have long treated it as an encyclopedia, consulting its passages selectively, or have concentrated on %RFFDFFLR¶VGHIHQVHRISRHWU\LQWKHODVWWZRERRNV0RURVLQL¶VULFKHVVD\LQVWHad makes a case for an integral reading of the Genealogia by demonstrating the PHWDSRHWLF FRPSOH[LW\ RI %RFFDFFLR¶V RSHUDWLYH PHWDSKRU WKH YR\DJH RI WKH mariner-poet Giovanni traveling through the physical spaces of the Mediterranean in search of the truth of its ancient myths. 7ZRLQWHUSUHWLYHNH\VWKDWJXLGH0RURVLQL¶VDUJXPHQWILUVWWKDW%RFFDFFLR reads the land- and seascapes of the Mediterranean as the real, rationalized space of the mythic past. Empirical observation of ancient mythic sites can reveal truths about the character, interconnections, and events of their historical denizens. Second, that the Genealogia SUHVHQWV D ³FDUWRJUDSK\ RI SRHWU\´ D KXPDQLVWLF space in which the author salvages the relics of a shipwrecked past (11), ancient fables and other kinds of poetic activity. The operative definition of poetry driving %RFFDFFLR¶VP\WKRJUDSK\DVDSURFHVVRILQVSLUHGFUHDWLYLW\UDWKHUWKDQDSURGXFW GLVWLQJXLVKHGE\IRUPRUVW\OHKHFDOOVLW ³FHUWDLQ IHUYRUIRUGLVFRYHULQJQREOH ideas, and WRVD\DQGGHVFULEHWKHVHGLVFRYHULHV´  *HRJUDSK\LVDQDQDORJRXV process of discovery (through travel and empirical observation) and cartographic revelation of its truths. Morosini recognizes that geography and poetry share a narrative function: to locate truth on the map of the Mediterranean. Morosini identifies the truths sought by the sea-faring Giovanni with the Genealogia¶VXQLILHGSUHVHQWDWLRQRIDUDWLRQDOL]HG mythology that accounts for the origins of human civilization, independent of the arbitrary interventions of SDJDQGHLWLHV6KHWUDFNV%RFFDFFLR¶VDWWHQWLRQWRWKHDQWKURSRORJLFDO-historical FRQWHQWRIWKRVH*UHHNDQG5RPDQP\WKVZKLFKHQFRGHKXPDQV¶GLVFRYHU\DQG invention of technologies²both social and material²that made communal life flourish. This sort of rationalized mythology is necessarily rooted in the empirically-informed topography of the Mediterranean world, where the places testify to the ancient civilizations constructed through their poetry. For a concrete example, an early VHFWLRQ ³7RSRJUDILD DQWURSRQLPLFD´ -34) frames the historicity of place in the Genealogia DV DQ ³HDUWKO\ PLUURU´ RI WUXH P\WKV sidestepping more supernatural lore that reveals nothing about the civilization built by ancient people. Morosini illustrateVWKHVHFULWHULDDWZRUNLQ%RFFDFFLR¶V account of the mediterranean travels of Io/ Isis (Genealogia IV.46). He ignores Aeschylus as a source, whose version has Io transformed into a wandering white cow, and who gave names to both the Ionian Sea and the Bosphorous strait. Instead, Boccaccio records a more naturalistic version of the myth by the obscure Italian Bookshelf 539 7KHRGRQWLXV NQRZQYLD3DRORGD3HUXJLD" ZKHUH,VLV¶KXPDQWUDLWV²ambition, confidence, resourcefulness²prompt her voyage to Egypt on a ship emblazoned with a cow. With an industrious spirit inherited from her father Prometheus, she teaches the locals both writing and farming, two transformational developments in the history of Egyptian civilization. Morosini further argues that Boccaccio rejects an alternative version of the myth supplied by Leontius: too many incongruences of time and space made the story so wholly unbelievable that even the search for veiled truth seemed impossible (28). 0RURVLQL¶VSURMHFWSUHVHQWVDPDMRUFRQWULEXWLRQWRWKHVWXG\RI%RFFDFFLR¶V theories of realism, and invites further inquiry into his theory of the fantastic in mythology. Through several close readings, she shows that Boccaccio rejects P\WKRORJLFDOORUHWKDWLV³WRRIDQWDVWLFDO´RU³LPSODXVLEOH´  IRFXVLQJLQVWHDG on realistic, rationalistic stories of the gods. But what is the realism of the mythic world? What does it mean for Boccaccio to dismiss some stories of the gods as improbable, illusory, and irrelevant to his modern world, while upholding the truth of others? What are the criteria by which he salvages these mythopoetic relics²0RURVLQL¶VPHWDSKRUKHUHHFKRHV%RFFDFFLR¶V²from a shipwrecked past (11)? :LWKLQWKHVSDWLDOGLPHQVLRQRI0RURVLQL¶VFDUWRJUDSKLFIUDPHZRUNWKHYHU\ contours of the Mediterranean traced in the Genealogia reflect the sum total of human industry and ingegno encoded in the myths of antiquity (68). The sea becomes a generative, poetic space that teaches humans first to build boats, then to move, discover, trade, form communities, and sing (77). The second half of Rotte di poesia deeply explores these civilizing themes and anthropological history encoded in the myths of Prometheus and Vulcan. In other words, %RFFDFFLR¶V Genealogia salvages an account for the progression of humanity from its feral state to its capacity for civilization. Morosini finds corroboratiRQ IRU KHU DVVHVVPHQW RI %RFFDFFLR¶V UKHWRULFDO aims in the mythological scenes painted by Piero di Cosimo, who reveals himself to be an attentive reader of the Genealogia. She argues that Piero translates %RFFDFFLR¶V SUHGLOHFWLRQ IRU WKH FXOWXUDO DQG PDWHrial inventions that foster collective life into the visual sphere. In a marvelous, early-16th c. depiction, Perseus flies to rescue Andromeda from a horrible sea monster, while spectators avert their eyes from the gruesome violence expected to occur (AndrRPHGD¶V father has sacrificed her to the monster to save his kingdom). Morosini recognizes %RFFDFFLR¶V DOOHJRULFDO SHUVSHFWLYH DW ZRUN LQ 3LHUR¶V VFHQH WKH ZLVH YDOLDQW Perseus arrives light on the wind, seeming to hail from the orderly, peaceable city on the distant hill at right. This is the city of poetry and philosophy, where reason JRYHUQV3HUVHXV¶DUULYDOWKXVVLJQDOVWKHDGYHQWRIFLYLOL]DWLRQVLQFHKHSXWVKLV mind and might into slaying the menacing beast (78). Following the allegory: the monstURVLW\UHSUHVHQWVLUUDWLRQDOYLROHQFHEOLJKWLQJKXPDQLW\¶VIHUDOVWDWHRQFH slain, the era of gods and monsters is relegated to the past, and Perseus can usher 540 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) humanity into an era of reason. Piero focuses his gaze on the object of the Genealogia: the human, historical content of myths, and what they reveal about the emergence of civiltas (79). 0RURVLQL¶V VWULNLQJ LQVLJKW LQWR WKLV PDJLFDO-realist scene is its subtle yet GHYDVWDWLQJ FULWLTXH RI 3LHUR¶V RZQ FLYLOL]DWLRQ 7KH E\VWDQGHUV¶ UHIXVDO WR countenanFH $QGURPHGD¶V YLROHQW HQG²the putative source of their own security²renders each one complicit in the bitter, senseless violence of her death. )RU0RURVLQL3LHURHQFRGHVDSRLQWHGFULWLFLVPRIKLVRZQVRFLHW\¶VUHIXVDOWR acknowledge the irrational brutality of femicide and paternalistic control of daughters, sisters, mothers. Rotte di poesia, rotte di civiltà thus invites an important critique of the Genealogia¶V XQGHUO\LQJ QDUUDWLYH RI SURJUHVV WKDW HPHUJHVIURP%RFFDFFLR¶VVHDUFKIRUFLYLOL]DWLRQLQWKe mythic Mediterranean. Maggie Fritz-Morkin, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Riccardo Raimondo. Le Phenix Poëte et les Alouëtes. Traduire les Rerum vulgarium fragmenta de Pétrarque en langue française (XVIe-XXIe siècle): histoires, traditions et imaginaires. Bruxelles: P.I.E. Peter Lang, 2022. Pp. 502. Le Phenix Poëte et les Alouëtes is a longitudinal study of the francophone reception and formation of Petrarchism and a comparative analysis of French WUDQVODWLRQVRI3HWUDUFK¶VRerum vulgarium fragmenta. The title alludes to the first FRPSOHWH YHUVH WUDQVODWLRQ RI 3HWUDUFK¶V Fragmenta into French by Vasquin 3KLOLHXO  ZKROLNHQVKLPVHOIWRDFRXQWU\ODUN µUXUDOHDORXHWH¶ LQFRQWUDVW to Petrarch, the poet of rebirth, the phoenix poet. ,QWKH³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ -36), the author, Riccardo Raimondo, explains the ERRN¶VDLPDV³GHOLQHDWLQJWKHFRQWRXUVRIDWUDQVODWLRQWUDGLWLRQ´GHILQHGKHUHDV D³VHWRISUDFWLFHVcultural referents, and abstract or concrete forms of knowledge that make a canon of translated texts homogenous in both a synchronic and GLDFKURQLF SHUVSHFWLYH´  P\ WUDQVODWLRQ  7KH ERRN FRPELQHV WUDQVODWLRQ history with reception history by focusing RQZKDW5DLPRQGRFDOOV³SDWWHUQVRI WUDQVPLVVLRQ´WKDW³LOOXVWUDWHWKHPHFKDQLVPVZLWKZKLFKWUDQVODWRUVDSSURSULDWH HOHPHQWVRIWKHSDVWDQGWKHDOWHULW\RIWKHVRXUFHVWRZKLFKWKH\ZRUNWRZDUG´ (28). Raimondo is currently an assistant professor of French and Translation 6WXGLHVDWWKH8QLYHUVLWjGL&DWDQLDDQGZURWHWKLVERRNDVD0DULH6NáRGRZVNDCurie Global Fellow conducting research attached to the University of Oslo and the Université de Montréal (2019-2022), making him amply qualified to write this ERRN7KLVUHYLHZZLOOHYDOXDWHWKHERRN¶VVWUXFWXUHVWUHQJWKVDQGZHDNQHVVHV and recommendations will be offered to readers. 7KHWKUHHPDLQSDUWV³2EMHWVHWPpWKRGHV´ - ³/HVRULJLQHV´  DQG³2XYHUWXUHV´ -420), are bookended by a preliminary section (1736), containing a foreword, some initial notes, and an introduction, and an annex, complete with statistical and methodological notes and graphs and an exhaustive Italian Bookshelf 541 bibliography (421- ³2EMHWVHWPpWKRGHV´LVWKHEULHIHVWRIWKHthree, divided LQWRHLJKWFKDSWHUVDQGGHGLFDWHGWRWKHVWXG\¶VWKHRUHWLFDOIUDPHZRUN,WEHJLQV with a brief historiography of translation (Ch. I, 38-42), a few notes on periodization (Ch. II, 43-44), the choice of translators (Ch. III, 45-60), the Italian and French corpora (Ch. IV, 61-64), the selection of poems (Ch. V, 65-80), the theory of translational zones (Ch. VI, 81-88), and ends with translation studies and hermeneutics (Ch. VII, 89-98) and history and imaginaries (Ch. VIII, 99-106). Part I is worthwhile to readers interested in translation theory, particularly the trio of chapters III, V, and VI. 7KH ILUVW RI WKH WKUHH SRVLWV WKH TXHVWLRQ ³:KDW LV D WUDQVODWLRQ"´ DQG LQ doing so, discusses critical epistemological, semantic, translational, and theoretical concerns. To better distinguish between a translation and, say, an LPLWDWLRQUHZULWLQJRUFRPPHQWDU\5DLPRQGRUHVRUWVWRWKHWKHRU\RI³VHPDQWLF PDWWHU´ - 7KLVIRUHJURXQGVWKHUHDGHUO\FKDUDFWHURIWUDQVODWLRQD³lecture écrite´ >ZUitten reading] (49), and, therefore, throws the semantic basis of a ³analytique lectoriale´>UHDGHUO\DQDO\WLF@  ,QVLPSOLILHGWHUPVDWUDQVODWLRQ must demonstrate the predominance of a stable semantic matter. Ultimately, translations are readings that engage with the source-text within the framework of an intersubjective dialogue and are thus considered traces of an interpretive reading. According to Raimondo, this allows us to transcend traditional dichotomies in translation studies, such as source or target orientation, form and content, et al., and move beyond concerns about literary and formal choices. After delimiting the corpus, Chapter V tackles the issue of its size and GLYHUVLW\5DLPRQGR¶VXVHRIGLJLWDODQGVWDWLVWLFDOPHWKRGVRIIHUVUHDGHUVDVROLG precedent for similar projects involved with large and unstable corpora. In the FDVHRI3HWUDUFK¶VFragmenta, the analysis shows that translators indeed tend to engage with a standard set of poems, forming a defined translation tradition. In Chapter VI, building upon the concept mentioned above of readerly analytic, Raimondo explains the theory of translational zones. Since poems contain specific stylistic features, these provide a privileged locus of analysis, what he labels the signifying zones of the source-text. When translated, a dialogue is established with this signifying zone, becoming, in turn, a translational zone. This horizontal space allows for a process akin to core sampling because it provides both a surface and a vertical/temporal depth on a finite but significant data set. This is by far the JUHDWHVWVWUHQJWKRI5DLPRQGR¶VVWXG\EHFDXVHLt provides substantial support for studying the principal characteristics of translations and their cultural referents and translational imaginaries (35). ³/HV RULJLQHV /HV SUHPLHUV WUDGXFWHXUV françoys (XVIe-XVIIe VLqFOHV ´ IRFXVHVRQ3HWUDUFK¶VILUVW)Uench translators with individual chapters dedicated to Clément Marot, Jacques Peletier, Vasquin Philieul, Jean-Antoine Baïf, Étienne GX 7URQFKHW -pU{PH G¶$YRVW 3KLOLSSH GH 0DOGHJKHP DQG 3ODFLGH &DWDQXVL Each chapter provides a narrow yet focused analysis of each translator through 542 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) the theory of translational zones. This contraction may be misconstrued as a ZHDNQHVV EXW FRQVLGHULQJ WKH WHPSRUDO VFDOH RI 5DLPRQGR¶V VWXG\ EUHYLW\ LV necessary to avoid textual dispersion. Conversely, readers are rewarded with reference points and opportunities for further analyses. Lastly, the chapters of the WKLUGSDUW³2XYHUWXUHV´DUHQRWGLYLGHGE\WUDQVODWRUEXWE\ZKDWLVVRXJKWWREH translated, as a result of the natural evolution of translation theory, from the classic SDLURI³OHVHQV´ - DQG³ODIRUPH´ -18) to more modern concepts such DV ³OH JpQLH´ -  DQG ³OH FRUSV´ -54). This last part also includes an interesting and valuable example of semiotic analysis of paratextual elements, leading WRD³P\WKRFULWLTXHGHVWUDGXFWLRQV´DQGDVXFFLQFWFRQFOXVLRQ The first part of this book is highly recommended to academics interested in analyzing large textual corpora across several centuries in more than one language. In contrast, the second part is perfect for students and junior scholars seeking to study individual translators further. The last part is ideal for both, particularly those wanting to analyze multimodal translations or translations accompanied by images, from landscapes to frontispieces or paratextual elements. ,Q VXP 5DLPRQGR¶V ERRN VKRXOG DGRUQ WKH VKHOYHV RI DQ\ERG\ LQWHUHVWHG LQ transnational and translingual research in literature or translation studies. 0RUHRYHULWLVZRUWKPHQWLRQLQJWKDWWKURXJKRXWWKHERRN5DLPRQGR¶VZULWLQJ is gender-inclusive, a refreshing sight. Sandro-Angelo de Thomasis, The Juilliard School Christian Rivoletti, ed. /¶2UODQGR furioso oltre i cinquecento anni. Nuove prospettive di lettura. Bologna: il Mulino, 2023. Pp. 395. This book is a compilation of the papers presented at the conference /¶³2UODQGR IXULRVR´ROWUHLDQQLProblemi aperti e prospettive. Modelli, interpretazione del testo e ricezione, held at the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in 2017²one of the many events dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the first edition (1516) of the poem. The contributing scholars range from the authors of now classic works on Ariosto from the last 40 years to emerging Italianists and scholars of other disciplines. The topics and approaches broadly follow the trends of the numerous initiatives dedicated to the above-mentioned anniversary, but the volume is indeed DEOHWRSURYLGHVRPH³QXRYHSURVSHWWLYH´DVSURPLVHGLQWKHWLWOH The most nuanced contribution this volume offers is found in the essays in WKHILUVWSDUWRIWKHERRN ³3URVSHWWLYHGLOHWWXUDGHOWHVWR´-202), which shed OLJKWRQWKHFRPSOH[UHODWLRQVKLSEHWZHHQUHDOLW\DQG$ULRVWR¶V PHWD ILFWLRQ² traditionally considered a self-enclosed and self-referential fantastic narrative. $OEHUW 5XVVHOO $VFROL ³/D Vera Historia GL $ULRVWR´  VKRZV KRZ WKH SRHP¶V distinction between storia (always used to refer to a narration, truthful or fictional, or even simply the act of narrating) and vero (history as actual events) is someWLPHV EOXUUHG UHYHDOLQJ $ULRVWR¶V DZDUHQHVV RI WKH GLIILFXOW\ RI Italian Bookshelf 543 GLVWLQJXLVKLQJEHWZHHQILFWLRQDQGWUXWK&KULVWLDQ5LYROHWWL ³µ&UHGHWHDFKLQ¶KD IDWWR HVSHULPHQWR¶ SOXUDOLWj H FRHUHQ]D GHL ULIHULPHQWL DOOD UHDOWj QHOO¶Orlando furioso´  YHU\ VXEWO\ DQd skillfully identifies many nuances within the various types of reference to reality in the poem (a subtlety his analysis and the poem VKDUH DOWKRXJKVRPHWLPHVWKHFDWHJRU\RI³UHIHUHQFHWRUHDOLW\´VHHPVWREHFRPH diluted into a more generic realism (8SRLQW &RUUDGR&RQIDORQLHUL¶VHVVD\ ³2OWUH LO SULQFLSLR GL LQGHWHUPLQD]LRQH /HJJHUH O¶LURQLD GL $ULRVWR IUD WHVWR LQWHQ]LRQH H UHDOWj´  LV DQ DFXWH DQDO\VLV RI WKH ZD\V LQ ZKLFK FRQWUDGLFWRU\ statements in the poem have been interpreted through the ages and a healthy reminder for us to remain open to the possibility that the Furioso might contain PLVWDNHVWKDWFDQQRWQHFHVVDULO\EHVROYHGE\LQWHUSUHWLQJWKHPDVWKHQDUUDWRU¶V LURQ\6HUJLR=DWWL ³/DPRGHUQLWjGHOFurioso´ V\QWKHVL]HVWKHSULQFLSal ways LQZKLFK$ULRVWR¶VPDVWHUSLHFHFDQEHGHILQHGDVPRGHUQWRXFKLQJXSRQZHOOrecognized features of the poem (private and frustrated quêtes, chaotic reality, how this translates into the Ariostean entrelacement, irony, and meta-narrative) while also emphasizing less discussed aspects of the Furioso¶VPRGHUQLW\, like its psychological complexity: if the characters have often been described as SV\FKRORJLFDOO\IODWLWLVEHFDXVH³OHGLQDPLFKHVRJJHWWLYHYHQJRQRWUDVIRUPDWH da Ariosto in struttura QDUUDWLYDHLSHUVRQDJJLQHVRQRVHPSOLFHPHQWHLYHWWRUL´ (194). Other essays in this section offer useful background to the question of the UHODWLRQVKLSEHWZHHQWKHSRHPDQGUHDOLW\7LQD0DWDUUHVH ³µ$JXLVDGLWHDWUR¶ ORVSD]LRGHOODVFHQDQHOO¶Orlando furioso´ GHWDLOVWKHLQIOXHQFHWKHDWHULQ)HUUDUD KDG RQ WKH SRHP ,UHQH )DQWDSSLq ³µ9HUDPHQWH FRQIHVVR PHQWLUH¶ 5HDOWj H ILQ]LRQHWUD/XFLDQRGL6DPRVDWDHO¶Orlando furioso´ DQDO\]HVWKHLPSRUWDQFH of neglected Lucianean documents for reflections on fiction in early sixteenthcentury Ferrara (although few direct connections can be established between these GRFXPHQWVDQGWKHSRHP (OHRQRUD6WRSSLQR ³*HQHDORJLHGHOFurioso´ GUDZV connections between weddings in the poem and weddings in the Este family, revealing a complex interplay between politics (reality) and verse. )UDQFHVFR)HUUHWWL ³/DUHWRULFDGHOODVDJJH]]DQHOFurioso´ IRFXVHVRQKRZ WKHSRHPWHDFKHVZLVGRP$ULRVWRGRHVQRWSUHVHQWKLPVHOIDVZLVHEXWDV³DPDQWH HPDWWR´MXVWOLNH2UODQGo²while employing, Ferretti argues convincingly, the conventions of the elegiac genre, leaving the task of showing how to contrast folly WR KLV FKDUDFWHUV )UDQFHVFR %UDQFDWL¶V HVVD\ ³µ&RVH RUULELOL H VWXSHQGH¶ OD Commedia dantesca nel Furioso tra memoria poetica e rifunzionalizzazione ideologico-QDUUDWLYD´ QRWGLUHFWO\FRQQHFWHGWRWKHUHODWLRQVKLSEHWZHHQSRHWU\ DQG UHDOLW\ EXW UHSUHVHQWLQJ DQRWKHU SRVVLEOH ³SURVSHWWLY>D@ GL OHWWXUD´ LV GHGLFDWHGWRLQWHUWH[WXDOFRQQHFWLRQVZLWK'DQWH¶VCommedia. The VHFRQGSDUWRIWKHERRN ³3HUFRUVLQHOODVWRULDGHOOHµOHWWXUH¶´-73) is more variegated. Several essays reveal new aspects of the Furioso¶VFHQWUDOLW\ in the debates on genre that have occurred over time and across different countries. 544 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Daniel Javitch ³/¶Orland furioso FRPHIRQWHSDUDGRVVDOHGHOODWHRULDVXOO¶HSLFD QHO&LQTXHFHQWRLWDOLDQR´ GHPRQVWUDWHVKRZLQWKH,WDOLDQVL[WHHQWK-century epic theory was largely based on reflections about what epic should not do that used $ULRVWR¶VURPDQFHDVDQHJDtive example. The discussion often revolved around whether the romance was a subpar epic poem or a different genre²inferior and PRUHSRSXODU7KHTXHVWLRQRIWKH³SRSXODULW\´RIWKH Furioso is at the heart of &KULVWRSKHU *HHNLH¶V RULJLQDO HVVD\ ³µ/D IHFFLD GHO SRSROD]]R¶ LO WHPD GHOOD FODVVHVRFLDOHHODGHFDQRQL]]D]LRQHGHOO¶Orlando furioso´ ZKLFKIRFXVHVRQWKH QHJOHFWHG LVVXH RI WKH VRFLDO FODVV RI $ULRVWR¶V ILUVW UHDGHUV LQ WKH contemporaneous debates on epic (accessible to educated upper classes) vs. URPDQFH HQMR\DEOH E\ PRUH SRSXODU UHDGHUV  %HUQKDUG +XVV ³3UHVHQ]H DULRVWHVFKHQHOSRHPDHSLFRGHO5LQDVFLPHQWRIUDQFHVH´ VKRZVKRZWKHFurioso functioned as an exemplary text for Renaissance French epic writers, who recognized it as a poem in which the French traditions of the roman and the epic chanson de geste ZHUH ERWK VWLOO DOLYH .DUOKHLQ] 6WLHUOH ³$ULRVWR H OD FULWLFD URPDQWLFD WHGHVFD´  UHYHDOV KRZ )ULHGULFK 6FKOHJHO¶V ILUVW IRUPXODWLRQ RI 5RPDQWLFLVPZDVPRGHOHGRQ$ULRVWR¶V³URPDQFH´SRHWry that was able to mix the natural aesthetic instinct of classical epic and the unavoidable selfconsciousness and artificiality of modern poetry²³QRQqGLSRFRSHVRFKH$ULRVWR DEELDPRVWUDWRLOFDPPLQRDOURPDQWLFLVPR´  0DULR0DQFLQL ³$ULRVWRH SWHQGKDO´ H[SORUHVHFKRHVDQGVLPLODULWLHVEHWZHHQ$ULRVWRDQGDQRWKHUPRGHUQ writer, Stendhal. This section also studies the vitality of Ariosto in other media. Florian 0HKOWUHWWHU ³$VSHWWL GHOOD ULFRGLILFD RSHULVWLFD GHOOD IROOLD GL 2UODQGR´  compellingO\ DQDO\]HV KRZ 2UODQGR¶V PDGQHVV LQ WKH SRHP²wordless and expressed only through the narration of his actions²is conveyed by a medium, OLNH RSHUD WKDW FDQQRW UHO\ RQ QDUUDWRUV /XGZLJ )HVHQPHLHU ³4XDQGR µO¶DOWD YRFH QH YD SHU WXWWL L SDOFKL¶ LO FDVR GHOO¶Orlando furioso RJJL ´  FRQGXFWV D linguistic analysis of how the Furioso has been read aloud in various performances²a meaningful way of integrating the live events that accompanied WKH DQQLYHUVDU\ LQWR VFKRODUO\ GHEDWHV &KULVWLQD 6WUXQFN ³$ULRVWR in context: FLFOL ILJXUDWLYL GHO 6HWWH H GHOO¶2WWRFHQWR D FRQIURQWR´  SURSRVHV D QHZ convincing interpretation of the frescos in the Villa Valmarana ai Nani and the Casino Massimo in Rome that are based on the Furioso. Francesco Lucioli ³/¶Orlando furioso LQXQ¶LJQRWDVLOORJHGLPRWWLSHUO¶(SLIDQLD´ VWXGLHVWKHXVH of the Furioso in yet another context: early modern books of jokes and games. )LQDOO\0DULD&ULVWLQD&DEDQL ³'DOODFULWLFDPHWDIRULFDDOODFULWLFDDQDWRPLFD O¶RWWDYD´ RIIHUVDKLVWRU\RIWKHVWXGLHVRI$ULRVWR¶Vottava, penetrating not only WKHPHFKDQLVPVRI$ULRVWR¶VFUDIWEXWDOVRWKHFULWLFV¶UHVSRQVHWRWKHP $V D FRQFOXGLQJ WKRXJKW ZH FDQ VD\ WKH YROXPH GHOLYHUV WKH ³nuove prospettive di lettura´ SURPLVHG LQ WKH WLWOH LQ GLIIHUHQW ZD\V LQQRYDWLYH approaches that some of the contributors already developed in their past monographs (e.g., Ascoli, Rivoletti, Stoppino, Zatti, Javitch), here updated and Italian Bookshelf 545 proposed together with new studies on the Furioso and its context; and new explorations of the vitality of the Furioso in different eras, countries, and media. Francesco Brenna, Towson University Massimo Scalabrini. Commedia e civiltà. Dinamiche anticonflittuali nella letteratura italiana del Cinquecento. Ravenna: Longo editore, 2022. Pp. 137. 7URYDUH OD ³FLIUD´ GL XQD FXOWXUD OD FDUDWWHULVWLFD GLVWLQWLYD OD FRVWDQWH FKH QH abbracci i tanti aspetti è impresa ripetuta in molti periodi storici. Le distinzioni di Mme de Staël fra la cultura dei popoli del Sud e i popoli del Nord sono un indizio lontano di questo modus operandi3DUODUHGHOOD³JUD]LDLWDOLDQD´RGHO³UHDOLVPR LVSDQLFR´RGHO³SUDJPDWLVPRLQJOHVH´SXzDLXWDUHDFRJOLHUHFDUDWWHULVWLFKHGLXQD cultura. Tuttavia tali formule possono essere contraddette, perché le tradizioni culturali incorporano movimenti che contrastano con intensità diverse la tradizione. Eppure questo tipo di ricerca continua a svolgersi perché offre uno strumento metastorico nella ricerca di un Geist che, pur inafferrabile, fornisce O¶LQWXL]LRQHGLXQDYLFHQGDFXOWXUDOH$GHVHPSLRTXDQGR*UDPVci si chiedeva ³SHUFKpODOHWWHUDWXUDLWDOLDQDQRQqSRSRODUHLQ,WDOLD´SRQHYDXQSUREOHPDFKH descrive un modo tutto italiano di vedere e di produrre letteratura. O quando ci FKLHGLDPRSHUFKpO¶,WDOLDFKHSHUSULPDWHRUL]]zLOJHQHUHWUDJLFRQRQHEEHuna tale tradizione, la risposta si ritrova non in un autore, bensì in una consuetudine culturale. Questa premessa introduce un libro che indaga problemi del tipo indicato, e risulta interessante, agile e rápido, ripartendo un vasto argomento in tre tappe e formulando sintesi non generiche, con dati e prove documentate. Esso illustra la FDWHJRULDGHO³FRPLFR´GLXQFHUWRWLSRFKHKDSODVPDWRODFXOWXUDGHOVXRWHPSR con conseguenze tanto profonde da caratterizzarla e conferirle un profilo inconfondibile. Massimo Scalabrini, studioso di vari aspetti del comico nei suoi lavori su Folengo e sul macaronico, lo considera qui come linguaggio indicante O¶DSSDUWHQHQ]DGHLSDUODQWLDGXQDVWHVVDFDWHJRUtDDQWURSRORJLFDJHQHUHQRQSL ridanciano o dissacratorio, ma che diviene indulgente autoironia. È il linguaggio VRWWLOH GHOOD ³IDFH]LD´ FKH VRUULGH GHOOH XPDQH LPSHUIH]LRQL ,O FRPLFR GLYLHQH riflessione sociale e morale nel microcosmo delle corti e parte integrante della paideia cortigiana ed urbana rinascimentale. Scalabrini ricava tali intuizioni GDOO¶Etica e dalla Poetica aristoteliche, dal De oratore ciceroniano, dalla Institutio oratoria GL4XLQWLOLDQRHGDWHVWLPLQRUL,QWDOLRSHUHFKHIRQGDQRO¶HVWHWLFDVXL SULQFLSLGHOO¶HWLFDLOFRPLFRYLHQHLOOXVWUDWRLn contrapposizione al tragico, che non viene negato, ma eluso attraverso la risoluzione di situazioni conflittuali potenzialmente tragiche, e si evolve in una socialità che smussa le tensioni. Si chiarisce altresì perché i maggiori trattati cinquecenteschi sul comportamento HVXOOH³EXRQHPDQLHUH´TXDOLLOCortegiano, il Galateo e la Civil conversazione 546 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) dedichino intere sezioni alle facezie. Del problema si sono occupati Giulio Ferroni, Amedeo Quondam, Peter Berger ed altri. Scalabrini considera tali studi, ma va oltre gli schemi generali per capire come il comico, in quanto tendenza atta a smussare potenziali elementi tragici, si imponga fino a rimanere traccia SHUPDQHQWHQHOO¶identikit della cultura italiana. 1HOSULPRFDSLWROR³&LYLOWjGHOFRPLFR´ -46), si delinea un profilo di tale ³FRPLFR´2SHUD]LRQHGLIILFLOHSHUFKpXQDGHILQL]LRQHFKHHYLGHQ]LLOgenus e la differentia incontra varie difficoltà. Infatti il genus abbraccia una vasta gamma di sfumature e la differentia non distingue chiaramente le qualità specifiche del genere, poiché esistono molte tipologie di comicità, e distinguerle crea confusioni che ingarbugliano le linee del discorso. Onde evitare ciò, Scalabrini compie un andirivieni continuo fra le indicazioni classiche e le applicazioni moderne, sino a IDUQHHPHUJHUHXQDVHULHGLSRVVLELOLWjDWWXDWHQHOO¶D]LRQHFRQFUHWD6LDQDOL]]DQR vari attributi del comico faceto, tra cui la convenientia, il prepon, la discretio, il decus, le qualità illustrate nel De sermone di Pontano, come il lepos, la festivitas, la facetudo, e una dotta girandola di sfumature del comico che costituiscono le virtù minori a corollario della temperantia, la virtù cardinale. Emerge dalla disamina una potente nozione del comico come misurato atteggiamento di controllo, VDJJH]]DDUPRQtDDXWRFHOHEUDQWHVLQHOO¶DSSURYD]LRQHGHJOLDVFROWDWRUL in una reciproca intesa. Il comico è il collante e il colorante della civiltà cortigiana e cittadina, ingrediente indispensabile alla conversazione che allieta la convivenza; esso crea una quotidianità di belle maniere, assimilate fino al punto da apparire naturali e spontanee. Il comico si integra perfettamente alla nozione GL ³FODVVLFLVPR´ XWLOL]]DWD SHU LQGLFDUH O¶DWWULEXWR SULPDULR GHOOD FXOWXUD rinascimentale; e, attraverso tali tHVWLPRQLDQ]H VL DIIHUUD O¶HVVHQ]D GHO comportamento cortigiano che tanti studiosi (da Elias a Quondam) hanno cercato di illustrare e che Scalabrini sintetizza in modo convincente. /¶DXWRUH YHULILFD OH VXH LQWXL]LRQL QHOO¶RSHUD SL FHOHEUDWD GHO QRVWUR Rinascimento, /¶2UODQGR IXULRVR. Scelta impegnativa, per la mole della OHWWHUDWXUDFULWLFDFKHO¶DYYROJHPDDQFKHIHOLFLVVLPDSHUFKpLO Furioso, con la sua ironia, incarna perfettamente il tipo di comico individuato da Scalabrini. Con lucida perizia si attraversano le spesse coltri degli studi critici sul poema e si HVDPLQDLQSDUWLFRODUH ³ODGLQDPLFD GHOORVFDPELRHGHOOD SHUPXWDFKHGRPLQD O¶XQLYHUVRGHOFurioso´  ULSUHQGHQGRODWHVLGL6HUJLR=DWWLHVSOLFLWDPHQWH citato. Scalabrini studia alcuni episodi del poema di cui si riferisce qui il senso. Il FRPLFRqXQOLQJXDJJLRSDUWLFRODUHFKHVWULQJHXQ¶LQWHVDUHFLSURFDWUDLSDUODQWLH nasce con la confidenza di essere capiti e compensati per la fiducia che si accorda DOO¶LQWHUORFXWRUH,OSRHPDqDQLPDto dalla generosità dei personaggi che danno e ULFHYRQR H TXHVWR VFDPELR PXRYH O¶D]LRQH SULQFLSDOH GHOOD WUDPD FKH D YROWH VILRUDODWUDJHGLDPDULHVFHVHPSUHDVYHQWDUOD/¶D]LRQHGHO Furioso è continuata ma anche pervasa da una circolarità che la rinnoYD DOO¶LQILQLWR H VX GL HVVD VL SURLHWWD LO VRUULVR GHOO¶DXWRUH FKH WRJOLH DO PRQGR FDYDOOHUHVFR RJQL HFFHVVR LQ GLUH]LRQHWUDJLFD/HDQDOLVLGL6FDODEULQLVRWWROLQHDQRTXHVWRFRQWUROORGHOO¶DXWRUH Italian Bookshelf 547 sulla materia, pur permettendole di dipanarsi secondo la logica interna che egli stesso ha ordito, che ignora il sopruso ed è dominata dal principio etico-cortese della reciprocità. /¶XOWLPR FDSLWROR ³6FHQH GL SDFLILFD]LRQH´ (75-110) è dedicato alla commedia, e congiunge il titolo del libro al soggetto indicato. Il tema GHOO¶LQFKLHVWDqOD³QDWXUD´HQRQLO³JHQHUH´GHOFRPLFRFKHLPSURQWDWXWWDXQD FXOWXUD/DFRPPHGLDqLOJHQHUHOHWWHUDULRFKHKDO¶DSSDQQDJJLRGHOODFRPLFLWj PDO¶DUJRPHQWRGHOOLEURqXQFRPLFR sui generis; e quindi bisogna specificare che ci si riferisce alla commedia erudita, nata a corte e destinata ad un pubblico che amava vedere esaltati i propri valori e ideali di garbo e di misura della tradizione antica assunta a modello. Anche se le analisi vertono principalmente sulle commedie ariostesche, vengono altresì considerate quelle del Bibbiena e di 0DFKLDYHOOLHO¶DQJRODWXUDG¶RVVHUYD]LRQHqLQVROLWDVLFRQFHQWUDLQIDWWL VXJOL VSD]LVFHQRJUDILFLLQFXLVLVYROJHO¶D]LRQHDPELWLUD]LRQDOLHDUPRQLFLSURLH]LRQL di quella medietas comica priva di eccessi satirici e delle ovazioni iperboliche di inesistenti virtù perfette. Il libro circoscrive pochi soggetti, ma il suo contributo è notevolissimo e PRVWUDFKHLOFRPLFRFRPH³DQWLFRQIOLWWR´SODVPDODFLYLOWjFRUWLJLDQDGHOne quid nimis e diventa imprescindibile chiave di lettura della nostra civiltà rinascimentale FKH FRPSHWH FRQ TXHOOD FKH ILQR DG RUD KD GRPLQDWR JOL VWXGL FLRq O¶DPRUH SODWRQLFR /¶DPRUH DYHYD SODVPDWR OD FLYLOWj FRUWHVH PHGLHYDOH OHJDQGR OD passione alla virtù. Infatti il trovatore-amante vedeva in esso una sorgente di SHUIH]LRQDPHQWR PRUDOH FKH OR ³PLJOLRUDYD´ ³DPHOLRUDUVH´ q LO WHUPLQH SURYHQ]DOH HOHYDQGRORDOODSHUIH]LRQHGHOO¶DPDWD3HUODSULPDYROWDDOO¶DPRUHVL attribuiva tale funzione etica, e fu questa la ragLRQHSULQFLSDOHSHUFXLO¶DPRUHHLO VXROLQJXDJJLRSHUPHDURQRXQDFXOWXUDGXUDWDVHFROL/¶DPRUHGLVWDPSRILFLQLDQR QRQ HEEH XQD IXQ]LRQH DQDORJD SHUFKp VROR FKL HUD JLj ³FRUWHVH´ R FRUWLJLDQR poteva carpirne il senso. Il trovatore cantava pubblicamente la singolarità del proprio amore, ma sapeva che, per essere apprezzato, doveva attenersi al modello FKHODWUDGL]LRQHJOLSUHVFULYHYDHFRVu ILQJHQGRGLFHOHEUDUHO¶XQLFLWjGHOVXR VHQWLPHQWRHJOLWHQHYDYLYRLOPRGHOORLVSLUDWRUH/¶DPRUFRUWHVHWUDVIormò una SDVVLRQHQDWXUDOHLQXQIDWWRFXOWXUDOH4XHVWRQRQDFFDGGHFRQO¶DPRUHILFLQLDQR o almeno non su vasta scala. Scalabrini attribuisce una simile funzione FLYLOL]]DWULFHDO³FRPLFR´DQWLFRQIOLWWXDOHLQWHVRTXDOHSUHYHQ]LRQHDOOHVROX]LRQL tragiche e come fattore etico-estetico orientante le aspirazioni di quella civiltà alla compostezza, al decoro, alla libertà in cui realizzarsi come persone sociali. Non è SRFRO¶DYHUSRVWRQHOODOXFHGRYXWDODQR]LRQHGHOFRPLFROLEHUDWRULROHWWDLQPRGR inedito, non quale forza corrosiva o dissacrante, bensì come spinta costruttiva che smussa le diversità senza cancellarle, cementa ciò che il riso sgretola; e smaschera e punisce, non con velleitario sarcasmo, né con irrisione, ma col sorriso. /¶LGHQWLILFD]LRQH GL questo atteggiamento spiega perché le buone maniere dei cortigiani non siano monotone, in quanto accolgono la forza rigeneratrice della 548 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) IDFH]LD FKH FHOHEUD O¶LQWHOOLJHQ]D GL FKL OD SURIHULVFH H GL FKL O¶DSSUH]]D ( chiarisce anche perché essa abbia inciso tanto sulla nostra cultura fino ad entrare QHOVXR'1$GDQGROHO¶LPSURQWDSHUPDQHQWHGLTXHO³FODVVLFLVPR´FKHWRUQDQGR D*UDPVFLKDWHQXWRODQRVWUDOHWWHUDWXUDORQWDQDGDOFRQVXPR³SRSRODUH´ Commedia e civiltà è libro gratificante che schiude panorami, stimola ad esplorarli, coinvolge i lettori con una prosa precisa e senza imbottiture. Queste doti si ritrovano solo in chi davvero res tenet e, consapevole della fecondità della propria scoperta, procede ad esporla senza indugiare in vanti. Paolo Cherchi, University of Chicago / Università di Ferrara Clara Stella. Lodovico Domenichi e le 5LPHGLYHUVHG¶DOFXQHQRELOLVVLPHHW virtuosissime donne (1559). Women and Gender in Italy (1500-1900) / Donne e gender in Italia (1500-1900) 3. Paris: Classiques Garnier, 2022. Pp. 288. In her study Lodovico Domenichi e le 5LPH GLYHUVH G¶DOFXQH QRELOLVVLPH HW virtuosissime donne (1559), Clara Stella poses three main questions: Who were these very virtuous and most noble ladies? Who are the main actors who make possible this cultural enterprise? And what does this anthology tell us concerning the networks of women poets of the mid-Cinquecento? Her examination moves from macro considerations of political conflicts in Europe and on the Italian peninsula with their ensuing ideological pressures on presses and editorial production in the decades leading up to 1559 to micro analyses of poems and the archival investigations of personal correspondences. Her conclusions rest on GHWDLOHGWH[WXDOHYLGHQFHDUJXLQJWKDW'RPHQLFKL¶VRime has a key place in the querelle des femmes, and understanding this place necessitates grasping its collocation in other simultaneous debates, particularly those involving politics and religious heterodoxy. The anthology, the first collection of poetry authored by various women contributors, contains 330 poems by fifty-three women. The compositions are predominantly sonnets of Petrarchan emulation, collected by Domenichi over the course of more than a decade from women of wealth or connections in northern and central Italian courts and academies. A surprising number of the poems, which also include madrigals, canzoni, octaves, and compositions in terza rima, engage topics other than amorous feelings, including death, spirituality, and female friendship, solidarity, and expressions of reciprocal esteem. The collection of Rime LVVDQGZLFKHGEHWZHHQ'RPHQLFKL¶VYROXPHLa nobiltà delle donne, a publishing success that championed women, and his 1564 treatise La donna di corte RI D PRUH PLVRJ\QLVWLF WRQH ³VXOOH FRUGH DSSDUHQWHPHQWH SLXWWRVWR PLVRJLQH´ 7KHRime did not enjoy the same success as La nobiltà and had its shortcomings, including the exclusion of important poets of the time, such as Laura Terracina and Laura Battiferri degli Ammannati, as well as their contemporaries active in intellectual centers south of Naples. Stella does an Italian Bookshelf 549 admirable job of documenting WKHUHIUDFWLRQDQGFKDQJHLQ'RPHQLFKL¶VDWWLWXGH toward women as cultural agents. The anthology is framed by two dedicatory letters to and from men (the editor Domenichi to Giannotto Castiglioni, and the publisher Vincenzo Busdraghi to Gerardo Spada). In her analysis, Stella underscores both the way in which their DXWKRULW\ FRQIHUV UHQRZQ RQ GHVHUYLQJ ODGLHV EXW DOVR KRZ WKH PHQ¶V participation in this publishing endeavor puts them in the company of defenders of women, such as the admired characters of GiXOLDQR GH¶ 0HGLFL DQG 3LHWUR %HPERLQ%DOGDVVDUH&DVWLJOLRQH¶VBook of the Courtier (1528). The first chapter RI6WHOOD¶VPRQRJUDSKLVGHGLFDWHGWR%XVGUDJKL¶VKHWHURGR[UHIRUPLVW(UDVPLDQ sympathies and the turn that his isolated press in Lucca takes after his encounter ZLWK'RPHQLFKLLQ³/¶RIILFLQDGHOOHRime di donne´ -46). The second chapter GHOYHVLQWR'RPHQLFKL¶VSUHYLRXVSXEOLVKLQJH[SHULHQFHDVZHOODVKLVSHUVRQDO and professional connections in amassing his collection of poems for the anthology LQ³'RPHQLFKLSHUVRQDJJLRWUDWWDWLVWDHODSURPR]LRQHGHOOHDXWULFL´ (47-81). The FHQWUDOFRUHRI6WHOOD¶VVWXG\ZKLFKZDVSXEOLVKHGLQWKHVHULHV³:RPHQ and Gender in Italy (1500- ´ LV WKH LQGLYLGXDWLRQ RI ³/H FRURQH GHOO¶DQWRORJLD´ WKH FURZQV 9LWtoria Colonna, who is the poetic and spiritual auctoritas of the collection, and Veronica Gambara, considered the only poet not noble by blood to be included in this collection of nobilissime. With Gaspara Stampa, this anthology forwards a trio of women poets corresponding to the earlier canonized Three Crowns of Italian literature (Dante Alighieri, Giovanni Boccaccio, and Francesco Petrarca). The other fifty poets find their place in ³1RELOLVVLPHHYLUWXRVLVVLPH/DVFKLHUDGLYRFLGHOOHRime di donne´ 7-162). While most are treated in subsections organized by geographical city or region (only one, Marguerite de Navarre, is not Italian), other intriguing dimensions FRPH LQWR IRFXV WKURXJK 6WHOOD¶V NHHQ LQWHUSUHWDWLRQ RI SUHYLRXV ZRUN E\ Lodovico Dolce (Dialogo della instituzion delle donne, 1545) and especially *LXVHSSH%HWXVVL¶V9HQHWLDQHGLWLRQRI%RFFDFFLR¶V De mulieribus claris, which extended the collection of biographies of famous women to include some select women contemporaries. Stella successfully maintains the unique voice of each poet she profiles while tracing the non-linear relational lines among them. 6WHOOD¶V VHFRQGDU\ FULWLFDO RULHQWDWLRQ IURP KHU VXEVWDQWLDO ELEOLRJUDSK\ DQG analyses is deep and nuanced. Ultimately, she seeks to define her project in FRQWUDVW WR 'HDQQD 6KHPHN¶V NHHQO\ FURVV-GLVFLSOLQDU\  VWXG\ ³7KH &ROOHFWRU¶V&DELQHW´²³7KH&ROOHFWRU¶V&DELQHW/XGRYLFR'RPHQLFKL¶V*DOOHU\ RI:RPHQ´LQStrong Voices, Weak History: Early Women Writers and Canons in England, France, and Italy, eds. Pamela J. Benson, and Victoria Kirkham, Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P, 2005, 239-262²which offered to readers of the Rime an HQWLUHO\GLIIHUHQWZD\RIWKLQNLQJDERXW'RPHQLFKL¶VDQWKRORJ\DVDQRIIHULQJRI curated rarities and marvels. Stella returns to and builds upon the work of earlier 550 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) scholars, especially Marie-Françoise Piéjus²³/D 3UHPLqUH $QWKRORJLH GH SRqPHV IpPLQLQV O¶pFULWXUH ILOWUpH HW RULHQWpH´ in Le Pouvoir et la plume: LQFLWDWLRQFRQWU{OHHWUpSUHVVLRQGDQVO¶,WDOLHGX;9, e siècle. Actes du colloque international (Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, 14-16 mai 1981), Paris: Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, 1982, 193-213²LQ KHU FRQFOXVLRQ ³'D TXHVWD DQDOLVL emerge un certo controllo del curatore sui testi delle Rime di donne secondo una prospettiva che va al di là di una semplice Wunderkammer, e che va interpretata piuttosto alla luce del percorso politico e agli interessi poco ortodossi del loro curatore, come suggeriva già Piéjus (1982, 205)´ (207). ,QVXP6WHOOD¶VFDUHIXO work will be most welcome to scholars, especially those interested in understanding the complex matrices of poetic genealogy, patronage, friendship, and religious and political ties among the female poets and their promoters. Much of the rest of the volume points toward a longed-for critical HGLWLRQ RI WKH SRHPV WKHPVHOYHV ,Q IDFW WKH ³&RQVLGHUD]LRQL PHWULFKH´   WKH PLQXWH FRPSDULVRQV RI VW\OH LQ ³8QR VWLOH µ%DVVR UR]]R VFKLHWWR H IHPLQLOH¶7HPLHVWUXWWXUDGHOOHRime di donne´ -206), the appendix of the list of poems (215- WKHWDEOHVRI'RPHQLFKL¶VVRXUFH WH[WVDQGWKHUK\PH schemes of the included poems, along with the description of the edition (231238) already seem to provide much of the requisite front matter of a critical edition of the Rime. We can only hope that it is an imminent follow-up volume for Stella and Classiques Garnier. Sherry Roush, Penn State University Julie Van Peteghem. Italian Readers of Ovid from the Origins to Petrarch. Responding to a Versatile Muse. Leiden: Brill, 2020. Pp. xii + 345. Italian Readers of Ovid, di Julie Van Peteghem (associate SURIHVVRUDOO¶+XQWHU college, CUNY, e responsabile del progetto digitale Intertextual Dante), intende RIIULUH XQ TXDGUR GHOOD ULFH]LRQH GL 2YLGLR QHOO¶,WDOLD WDUGR-medievale, concentrandosi prevalentemente sui testi volgari in versi, dai poeti delle Origini (e dai loro modelli provenzali) a Petrarca; particolare attenzione è rivolta allo studio della ricezione dei testi (tramandati nella loro interezza, corredati da un commento o da glosse, oppure pervenuti per excerpta) e alle tecniche attraverso le quali i poeti reimpiegarono i materiali ovidiani. Il volume è suddiviso in due sezioni principali, dedicate rispettivamente alla OHWWXUD H DOO¶XWLOL]]R GL 2YLGLR SUHFHGXWH GDOO¶LQGLFH Y-vi), dai ringraziamenti (vii-viii), e dalle tavole delle abbreviazioni (ix) e delle figure (x-xi). /D SULPD VH]LRQH ³:ULWHUV DV 5HDGHUV´ (1-70), è costituita da XQ¶LQWURGX]LRQH ³2YLG WKH 3KLORVRSKHU ZKR ZURWH ERRNV DERXW ORYH´ -12), volta a inquadrare la figura di Ovidio nel Medioevo e a offrire una panoramica GHOFRQWHQXWRGHOYROXPHHGDXQFDSLWROR ³2YLGLXV-Ovidi-Ovide-Ovidio: A History of Reading Ovid in the Due- DQG 7UHFHQWR´ -69) che fornisce una Italian Bookshelf 551 ULFRVWUX]LRQH GHL GLYHUVL VLVWHPL GL OHWWXUD GHOOH RSHUH RYLGLDQH QHOO¶,WDOLD GHL VHFROL;,,,H;,9/HSULPHSDUROHGHOO¶³,QWURGX]LRQH´FLULSRUWDQRDOO¶LQFRQWUR tra Brunetto LatiQLH³2YLGLRPDJJLRUH´QHOTesoretto, avviando un confronto con la rubrica della miniatura che illustra la scena nel ms. Fi, BML, Strozzi 146, c. Y³2YLGLRILORVDIRFKHIHFHOLEULG¶DPRUH´. Partendo proprio dal confronto fra WHVWRHLPPDJLQHO¶DXWULFHULYHODILQGDOO¶LQL]LRODYHUVDWLOLWjGHOODILJXUDGHOSRHWD FODVVLFRFKHQHOO¶,WDOLDPHGLHYDOHDVVXQVHGLYHUVLVLJQLILFDWL,OFDSLWROR IRUVH il più interessante per quanto concerne la ricezione e la circolazione dei testi) intende approfondire il quaGURFXOWXUDOHDOO¶LQWHUQRGHOTXDOHVLVLWXDODSURGX]LRQH in versi che si rifà a Ovidio: da un lato i poeti italiani sono posti in relazione con L ORUR PRGHOOL IUDQFHVL H SURYHQ]DOL GDOO¶DOWUR YHQJRQR DQDOL]]DWL L FDQDOL GL diffusione delle opere ovidiane, con particolare riguardo per i commenti, inerenti soprattutto alle Metamorfosi (tra i più famosi quelli di Lattanzio Placido, Arnolfo G¶2UOpDQV JOL Integumenta Ovidii GL *LRYDQQL GL *DUODQGLD O¶Expositio e le Allegorie di Giovanni del Virgilio, e ancoUDO¶Ovide moralisé). /D VHFRQGD VH]LRQH ³5HDGHUV DV :ULWHUV´ (71-287) è ripartita in quattro capitoli (2-5), e si estende dalla poesia dei provenzali fino a Petrarca. Il capitolo ³([DPSOHV 1RW WR)ROORZ7KH)LUVW,WDOLDQ2YLGLDQ3RHPVDQG7KHLU2FFitan 0RGHOV´ -123), si concentra da un lato sulla presenza nella poesia occitana e italiana di due storie ovidiane principali, quella di Narciso e quella di Piramo e 7LVEH GDOO¶DOWUR VXOOD FLWD]LRQH HVSOLFLWD GL 2YLGLR FRPH auctoritas, interrogandosi sulla effettiva conoscenza da parte dei poeti medievali dei testi ovidiani (per intero o attraverso excerpta"  ,O FDSLWROR  ³6RPHWKLQJ 2OG 6RPHWKLQJ1HZ'DQWH&LQRGD3LVWRLDDQG2YLG´ -168), mette in risalto gli elementi innovativi che caratterizzano Dante e Cino da Pistoia rispetto ai loro SUHGHFHVVRULLQSDUWLFRODUPRGRULJXDUGRDOO¶XVRGHLPDWHULDOLRYLGLDQLFKHULYHOD una più dettagliata conoscenza dei testi latini. I primi due paragrafi sono dedicati rispettivamente alla Vita Nova (125-133) e alle Rime petrose (133-144), e illustrano la capacità di Dante di utilizzare al contempo materiali centrali e periferici delle opere di Ovidio, e di citare personaggi al di fuori di quelli tradizionali della lirica delle Origini. Il terzo e ultimo paragrafo di questo capitolo WUDWWDGHOODSRHVLDGL&LQRHVLHVWHQGHDFRQVLGHUDUHODWHPDWLFDGHOO¶HVLOLRDFFDQWR D TXHOOD GHOO¶DPRUH ,O FDSLWROR  ³2YLG LQ 'DQWH¶V Commedia´ -222), è dedicato esclusivamente alla presenza di Ovidio nella Divina Commedia, ed è al suo interno tripartito. Il primo paragrafo ripercorre la storia degli studi VXOO¶³2YLGLRGL'DQWH´DSDUWLUHGD*KLVDOEHUWL  ULFRUGDQGROHLSRWHVLVXL commenti che potevano accompagnarlo e su specifici manoscritti ancora conservati; il secondo paragrafo parte dal testo della Commedia per mostrare in che modo Dante abbia messo a frutto la lettura di Ovidio: prendendo in esame O¶HSLVRGLRGL&DFFLDJXLGD Par. xv-[YLL O¶DXWULFHLOOXVWUDFKLDUDPHQWHOHWHFQLFKH GLULSUHVDHUHLQWHUSUHWD]LRQHGHLGLYHUVLWHVWLRYLGLDQL QRQVROWDQWRO¶2YLGLRGHOOH Metamorfosi PD DQFKH LO SRHWD G¶DPRUH H TXHOOR GHOO¶HVLOLR  ,O SDUDJUDIR FKH 552 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) chiude il capitolo cerca di instaurare una connessione con i temi e i poeti della lirica italiana, considerando prima il trattamento dei personaggi ovidiani lì maggiormente diffusi (Narciso, Piramo e Tisbe), poi lo scambio con Bonagiunta (Purg. [[LY ,OTXLQWRFDSLWROR³3HWUDUFK¶V6FDWWHUHG 2YLGLDQ9HUVHV´ (223-287), è tutto incentrato su Petrarca e Ovidio: dopo una breve introduzione sulle traduzioni volgari dei testi ovidiani nel Trecento, si ripercorrono affermazioni inerenti a Ovidio nelle opere di Petrarca e citazioni annotate nei margini dei suoi manoscritti, per poi passare a esaminare riprese e adattamenti di Ovidio nel Canzoniere. In chiusura troviamo: la bibliografia citata (289-  O¶LQGLFH GHL OXRJKL (324- HGHLPDQRVFULWWL  HO¶LQGLFHJHQHUDOHGHOYROXPH -345). Il libro di Van Peteghem è interessante perché fornisce una panoramica della poesia italiana tardo-medievale dalle Origini a Petrarca seguendo il fil rouge delle riprese e delle tecniche di utilizzo dei testi ovidiani. La struttura del volume si avvicina a quella del Companion, ma risulta nella prima parte innovativa per O¶LQWHQWRGLDSSURIRQGLUHORVWXGLRGHOOHYLHHGHLPRGLGLFLUFROD]LRQHGHOOHRSHUH ovidiane nel Medioevo. Si tratta nel complesso di uno strumento utile, ma sono necessarie alcune segnalazioni: non viene citata parte della bibliografia recente che ha contribuito ad approfondire in maniera significativa gli studi sulla ricezione di Ovidio in Dante (ad es. non sono considerati: Stefano Carrai, Dante elegiaco, Firenze, Olschki, 2006; Roberto MeUFXUL³2YLGLRH'DQWH´Dante VI (2009), 2137; Stefano Carrai, 'DQWH H O¶DQWLFR, Firenze, Sismel, 2012; Miti, figure, PHWDPRUIRVL/¶2YLGLRGL'DQWH, a cura di Carlota Cattermole e Marcello Ciccuto, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2019), e nel capitolo 1 è citato come inedito il volgarizzamento gaddiano delle Heroides, che è stato invece pubblicato a cura di $OIRQVR G¶$JRVWLQR H /XFD %DUELHUL 0LODQR OHG   6DUHEEH TXLQGL auspicabile in futuro una seconda edizione del volume in veste ampliata e leggermente riveduta. Alessia Tommasi, PhD Candidate, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa SEVENTEENTH, EIGHTEENTH, & NINETEENTH CENTURIES Richard Andrews. Classical Comedy 1508-1786. A Legacy from Italy and France. Cambridge: Legenda, 2022. Pp. xvi+292. Opening with a generic definition of Classic Comedy as a dramatic work about ³WKH urban IDPLO\´ its plots concluding with ³D happy HQGLQJ´ the ³REVWDFOHV GHIHDWHG´ and containing some ³ODXJKDEOH FKDUDFWHUV´ ³JHQHUDWLRQDO FRQIOLFW´ and ³GHFHLW and misuQGHUVWDQGLQJ´ (3-5), Andrews recounts the complex and complicated history of the genre in Italy and France over the course of almost Italian Bookshelf 553 three centuries. Classical Comedy 1508-1786 makes an encyclopedic contribution to the history of comedy, with a particular focus on the transformation of comedy in Paris, where the greatest playwrights preserved the JHQUH¶V positive vision and harnessed the vitality of the Italian ³Arte´ to create their more serious comedies of character. Although the comic skirmishes of the Commedia GHOO¶$UWH are, for the most part, an end in themselves, Andrews shows how Molière, ³WKH pivotal SRLQW´ (265) in this history, embedded them in his plays to elicit laughter and to enhance his portrayal of characters and their interactions. The book is divided into two sections: the first, ³1DUUDWLYH´ (11-98), presents a sweeping narrative of the history of comedy from the Roman inspired commedia erudita initiated by Ariosto at the court of Ferrara in 1508. Literary comedy was challenged midcentury by troops of professional actors later dubbed the Commedia GHOO¶$UWH who transformed staged comedy with masked villains, improvisational dramaturgy, and female actors. However, already by the ¶V the Humanist Charles Estienne had translated into French and published Gli Ingannati, a commedia erudita composed in Siena in 1532, and in 1548 Cardinal %LEELHQD¶V hit Calandra was performed by Italian actors in Lyons before Henri II and Caterina de Medici. Comedy finds fertile ground with both aristocrats and commoners in Paris by the last quarter of the sixteenth century. In Paris the characters and plots of scripted comedies mature through the efforts of dramatists of genius and an on-going, fruitful exchange occurs between playwrights dedicated to literary comedy and the professional actors of the ³Arte´ There is a twenty-year period when the Italian troops are excluded from France as Cardinal Richelieu attempted his reform of French civilization, but after his death in 1642, the Italians returned with new directors and virtuoso actors. By the mid seventeenth century, Molière is active at the Petit Bourbon theater, which he shared with an Italian troupe, and he channels the modular improvisation of the commedia GHOO¶DUWH as well as some slapstick antics into his comedies of character. Besides Molière, Andrews focuses on four dramatists who both maintained the essence of classic comedy and renewed it in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: &RUQHLOOH¶V plots explore of both the self and love; Marivaux redirects laughter from ridicule to amorous sensibility; Goldoni, working in Paris and Venice, reforms Italian comedy which had become calcified by the practices of the Commedia GHOO¶$UWH and finally Beaumarchais, who integrates elements of drame sérieux into Le Marriage de Figaro, creating what Andrews calls ³RXU last great classical FRPHG\´ (148). Among other topics, Andrews traces the introduction of music to comedy, which promoted the collaboration of Da Ponte and Mozart in the creation of the extraordinary Le Nozze di Figaro, premiered at the Venetian imperial court in 1786. The ³1DUUDWLRQ´ tends to gloss over interesting and audacious choices by writers of the commedia erudita because the basis for inclusion is whatever contributed to ³D standard comic UHSHUWRLUH´ (236). The comic vitality that 554 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) explains why commedia erudita could inspire classical comedy in Paris is lost, comic geniuses like Angelo Beolco almost omitted. This section is occasionally misleading, especially when it comes to the role of women. Discussing the surprising choice of prose in $ULRVWR¶V first comedies (1508; 1509), Andrews offers only the explanation that Isabella G¶(VWH ³WKRXJKW it better to use simple SURVH´ (17). Whatever Ariosto was thinking, his use of prose becomes the standard when it is celebrated for its modernity and naturalness by Bibbiena in Calandra. Andrews also suggests that there were female actors in the 1548 performance in Lyons of Calandra before the king and queen, based on the diary of the nobleman Pierre Bourdeille, who was eight-years old at the time of the performance. Andrews walks back the claim in Chapter 24, ³:RPHQ and 0HQ´ (207-26), but it is distracting to lead with it. The ³$QDO\VHV´ (99-269) section of Classical Comedy 1508-1786. A Legacy from Italy and France is particularly valuable. It is divided between technical questions and plot or character issues, and the technical discussions, informed by Andrews extraordinary knowledge and deep understanding of how comedy works, are outstanding. For example, Andrews focuses on the question of masks, defined as a recurring and ³Iixed VWHUHRW\SH´ (177). We learn how this system of stereotyping, which might have been a limitation, actually allowed the continuation and transformation of the genre. Whether physical masks, used in Roman comedy, were part of the commedia erudita is unknown. With the advent of the ³Arte´ troops, partial face masks became part of the SXEOLF¶V experience of comedy, along with names for the ridiculous characters. Masks are important to understand why character determines plot in comedy, although, as Andrews illustrates, a well-known named mask could defy audience expectations and break out of character. Andrews also discusses how virtuoso actors who played the ridiculous roles, like Molière, could evoke a complex response from the public: both condemnation for the character and admiration for the actor. Masks are the starting point of the ³PRGXODU GUDPDWXUJ\´ of the Commedia GHOO¶$UWH which Andrews describes in detail and brilliantly in another chapter. They allowed ³Arte´ troops to satisfy audience expectations and ingeniously defy them and entertain, with constant variation. Masks gave rise to treatises like Les Moeurs du Siècle by La Bruyère (1681), and a work proposed by Piccolomini in the previous century, which would have allowed playwrights or ³Arte´ actors to mix and match in a game of contaminatio. The book provides an excellent Chronology, with 1700 designated as a turning point after which comedy in France became more ³UHILQHG and perhaps more OLWHUDU\´ (255) and Bibliography. Laurie Shepard, Boston College Italian Bookshelf 555 Giovanna Capitelli, and Olivia Santovetti, eds. Lettrici italiane tra arte e letteratura. 'DOO¶2WWRFHQWR al modernismo. Roma: Campisano Editore, 2021. Pp. 212. This excellent volume gathers a series of interdisciplinary essays devoted to the figure of the reader²and its equivalent ³SDLQWLQJ-ZDWFKHU´²in Italian novels and paintings of the 19th century, with opening and closing ventures into 20th and 21st century poetics. It comes with a rich iconographic appendix that allows the reader to follow the visual analyses along, and a postface devoted to the cover image, Mosé %LDQFKL¶V stunning painting La lettura. As Giovanna Capitelli and Olivia Santovetti explain in their introduction, the figure of the female reader in 19th century texts is a contradictory one²both ³UDVVLFXUDQWH´ and ³LQTXLHWDQWH´ (8); while her potential for transgression dates back to at least Dante and Boccaccio, it is only in the 19th century that the rise of female literacy²readership and authorship²and the advent of modernity at large confer a broader realism and resonance to this image, both in Italy and abroad. Working off a rich literature on the topic (Flint, Lyons, Baudry and Finocchi among others), the collection creates a vast network of authors and sources that enter in dialogue across media. One of the merits of the collection lies precisely in its multifaceted approach to this topical figure, so as to reveal its consistent relevance across authors, media, and styles while highlighting its evolution across time. Many essays focus on the political and gendered aspects of representation; Ann Hallamore Caesar ³5HDGLQJ for pleasure, reading for self-improvement; women and the novel in post-Unification ,WDO\´ 37-48) argues that for postUnification women, ³ERRNV and printed materials became an important site of the tug-of-war between private and SXEOLF´ (39) at a time in which the division of spheres was being enforced more strongly than before. While ZRPHQ¶V reading was often surveilled and scrutinized by male authorities, it was nonetheless through periodicals and books that women acquired knowledge otherwise unavailable to them, as happens to the protagonist of 1HHUD¶V novel, Teresa. In her discussion of the representation of ZRPHQ¶V libraries ³/LEUL scaffali e biblioteche nei romanzi della lettrice: spazi di autoriflessione nel romanzo italiano di fine 2WWRFHQWR´ 49-65), Santovetti explores the image of the lettrice in instances in which her reading habits are itemized, and argues that these libraries, often filled with French novels, are indicative of increasingly more solitary and empathetic reading habits. As such, they serve as a trope for mass reading at large, embodying the anxieties and promises that growing literacy brought to the Italian public sphere. Annick Paternoster ³:RPHQ on Books for Women: Reading Lists in Turn-of-the-Century Etiquette %RRNV´ 95-110) also offers examples of prescriptive lists of books to read, this time included in women-authored etiquette manuals, and shows how the lists most often ³GR not venture outside the literary FDQRQ´ of male authors, from Dante to Manzoni (105)²a choice that confirms 556 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) the moral character attributed to reading, and the containing efforts enacted by the cultural establishment. Focusing on specific examples, Stefano Cracolici ³6RUHOOH di Fabiola: il romanzo cattolico e le sue OHWWULFL´ 111-24) also works on the µJRRG ERRNV¶ of the time, Catholic novels in his case; he shows that the best-selling Fabiola by Nichola Patrick Wiseman, with its female martyr protagonist, prompted the development of a genre and of an exploitative set of sequels, spin-offs, stage plays and illustrations, reaching a more varied public than we might think. Ursula FanniQJ¶V original approach to 6HUDR¶V fiction ³0DWLOGH 6HUDR¶V Cautionary Tales: the case of Fantasia´ 159-68) focuses on the importance of µFULWLFDO UHDGLQJ¶ skills (or lack thereof) on the part the QRYHO¶V female protagonists: ³KRZ 6HUDR¶V female protagonists read [...] literary conventions in this text ultimately determines their GHVWLQ\´ (166). Edwige Comoy )XVDUR¶V essay ³/¶HURH fallito e la µQXRYD OHWWULFH¶ una lettura metalettoriale di %DFLDOH¶O pié e la man bella e bianca di Camillo %RLWR´ 179-88) also tackles how reading²in a short story by Boito, in this instance²might not be meant to signify what we think, i.e. a way to knowledge, but, rather, a cognitive process bound to mistakes and misunderstandings. Ombretta )UDX¶V analysis ³/LEUL chiusi e pagine bianche. Lettrici ingannevoli in Jolanda e 6ILQJH´ 81-93) connects visual and literary representations of reading, to highlight the tension between traditional visual representations of female readers and the literary descriptions to be found in writers such as Jolanda and Sfinge. She highlights how these ZULWHUV¶ female FKDUDFWHUV¶ superficial ³SRVLQJ´ as readers does not mask ignorance or acquiescence, rather the rise of a subversive agency within their lives. In 19th century European painting, the subject of the female reader is a veritable trope, pointing in symbolic, literary and/or literal directions. As Capitelli and other scholars illustrate, artists all over the peninsula (Zandomemeghi in Venice, Netti in Naples, Lega in Tuscany, Morbelli and De Amenti in Lumbardy, but also Faruffini, Corcos, the Indunos and Pellizza da Volpedo) proposed endless variations and version of this ³PRWLYR figurativo di VXFFHVVR´ (Capitelli, ³/D lettrice in pittura (e in scultura). Note sulla ricezione critica di un soggetto à la mode´ 67-80; 67). They tackled it in allegorical representations (Magni), intimate portraits (Faruffini, Netti, Lega, Favretto), or as variations of an increasingly inescapable subject (Zandomeneghi, among others). In her essay, Ilenia Falbo ³7UD intrattenimento ed educazione: la lettura in famiglia nella pittura di genere del secondo 2WWRFHQWR´ 127-36) focuses on family and group reading scenes, touching on the historical moment in which the representation of reading in a family setting comes to indicate ³XQ nuovo modo di essere e di porsi agli occhi DOWUXL´ (128); David Lacagnina ³*LXVHSSH Pellizza da Volpedo, Ricordo di un dolore, 1889. Una lettrice (e una lettura) per O¶HODERUD]LRQH del OXWWR´ 169-78) thoughtfully examines the intersection of literature and visual arts at the origin of Ricordo di un dolore (1889), a work that goes beyond what was by then the welltrodden ³IHPDOH UHDGHU´ genre towards a more avant-gardist sensibility. The Italian Bookshelf 557 female visitor to DUWLVWV¶ studios (a ³UHDGHU´ of paintings) is also to be understood²in the essays by Jessica Calipari ³/D visitatrice nello studio GHOO¶DUWLVWD o la PHWDSLWWXUD´ 137-50), Falbo, and Maria Saveria Ruga ³µ&Lz di cui non dovrebbero sognare le UDJD]]H¶ libri e lettrici nei quadri di Vittorio &RUFRV´ 151-58)²as a sign of modernity, endowed with a ³SRO\VHPLF IXQFWLRQ´ (Calipari, 146) that bespeaks of each DUWLVWV¶ poetics, but also of the changing function of art in modern society. In the opening and closing essays, Alessandro Del Puppo ³/HWWXUD assenza, desiderio. Variazioni sulla tematica GHOO¶DVVRUELPHQWR´ 17-26) and Raffaele De Berti ³6RJQL e realtà della lettrice/spettatrice nel cinema ³JLDOOR´ italiano degli anni 7UHQWD´ 199-206) broaden the horizon of the collection by bridging the visibility of the female reader subject in 19th century texts and art towards the new media of cinema and/or a trans-historical poetics of ³DEVRUSWLRQ´ Del Puppo opens by pointing out the multifaceted vocation of this trope, bound to be used in public, patriotic ways, as a key to intimacy and domesticity, and/or as an indicator of moral (or immoral) contexts; De %HUWL¶V work on 1930s ³JLDOOR´ cinema graciously carries forward, into a moving image landscape, the theme of the voracious reader, combining one last time books and images into objects of consumption on the part of a female subject poised to gain more and more agency in the modern world. His essay is the ideal conclusion to this wonderful overview of figures, tropes and functions. Lettrici italiane tra arte e letteratura. 'DOO¶2WWRFHQWR al modernismo successfully shows how the same theme can serve so many different purposes, and at the same time work as an organizing hermeneutic tool to build an original and interdisciplinary analysis of the Italian modernity. Silvia Valisa, Florida State University Daniela '¶(XJHQLR Paroimia: Brusantino, Florio, Sarnelli, and Italian Proverbs from the Sixteenth and Seventeen Centuries. Purdue Studies in Romance Literatures 83. West Lafayette: Purdue UP, 2021. Pp. xxiii + 545. Il volume studia la nascita e lo sviluppo della letteratura paremiaca, nonché la sua presenza nelle maggiori letterature europee. /¶DQDOLVL GHOO¶DXWULFH si concentra su tre interessanti casi di studio circoscritti ai secoli XVI e XVII, cioè Le cento novelle di Vincenzo Brusantino ‚  i Firste Fruites e i Second Frutes di John Florio (1552-1625; con uno sguardo particolare al suo Giardino di ricreatione), e i Posilecheata di Pompeo Sarnelli (1649-1724). Il saggio si compone di quattro capitoli, seguiti dalle conclusioni ³&RQFOXVLRQV´ 253-68), un lungo indice delle paremie utilizzate nelle tre opere qui trattate ³Index of Paremias in Le cento novelle, Firste Fruites, Second Frutes, and Posilecheata´ 269-384), dalle note ³1RWHV´, 385-464), da una nutrita bibliografia ³Works Consulted´ 465-534), e da un utile indice dei nomi ³Index of 1DPHV´ 535-43). 558 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Nel primo capitolo, teorico e programmatico GHOO¶LQWHUD opera, ³/LWHrary History and Theories of 3DUHPLDV´ (1-40), O¶DXWULFH ripercorre per due volte O¶DUFR cronologico che dalla letteratura GHOO¶DQWLFD Grecia arriva fino ai giorni nostri: nel primo excursus (1-15) '¶(XJHQLR traccia sinteticamente la storia del genere e dei maggiori studi VXOO¶DUJRPHQWR fornendo al contempo un ricco elenco di raccolte di paremie e di opere letterarie in cui la presenza paremiaca risulta emergere in misura rilevante GDOO¶DQWLFKLWj fino al secolo XXI. Nonostante la brevità GHOO¶HVSRVL]LRQH O¶DXWULFH rileva puntualmente i collegamenti intertestuali più significativi tra raccolte paremiache, soprattutto di origine classica, e le maggiori opere successive. '¶(XJHQLR presta una particolare attenzione alle numerose sillogi medievali e rinascimentali sia in volgare che in latino, nonché a quelle più nutrite e rigorosamente assemblate dei secoli XIX-XXI, sempre indicando quelle che si peritano di corredare le singole paremie (o, almeno, le più oscure o interessanti) con una spiegazione atta a chiarirne il significato e, sovente, persino il contesto storico-geografico. Nella seconda parte del capitolo (16-40), la studiosa affronta O¶DQQRVR e antico problema della decodificazione del termine ³SDUHPLD´ operazione, questa, necessaria a stabilire gli esatti confini del genere stesso. Anche in questo caso O¶DXWULFH ripercorre i tentativi dei maggiori intellettuali del periodo classico, medievale, rinascimentale e moderno di fornire una definizione esaustiva del lemma. Una riflessione speciale viene poi dedicata alle più recenti teorie di Temistocle Franceschi (26-30), a cui segue uno studio VXOO¶XVR e VXOO¶HYROX]LRQH della letteratura paremiaca in ambito di genere, culturale e di linguaggio (30-33). Il capitolo si conclude con XQ¶LSRWHVL tripartita di categorizzazione delle diverse forme paremiache in proverbi, frasi proverbiali e wellerismi (33-40). Nel secondo capitolo, ³9LQFHQ]R %UXVDQWLQR¶V Le cento novelle: Paremias and Tridentine Ethics in Reinterpreting the Decameron´ (41-120), '¶(XJHQLR si occupa della riscrittura del capolavoro volgare di Boccaccio in forma di poema epico-cavalleresco in ottave per mano di Brusantino sulla scorta del successo dei testi di Boiardo e di Ariosto. La studiosa puntualizza che, investito dal clima controriformista, Vincenzo Brusantino non si limita a riadattare la prosa del Decameron in ottave di endecasillabi (47-50), ma si impegna bensì in una vera e propria revisione in chiave moralistica GHOO¶LQWHUD opera secondo i dettami del Concilio Tridentino (51-56). Alla luce di tale prospettiva '¶(XJHQLR rileva che O¶XWLOL]]R di inserzioni proverbiali, di riboboli e di detti celebri non ha solo facilitato il lavoro DOO¶DXWRUH cinquecentesco, ma ha pure apportato un valore aggiunto al progetto di riscrittura del capolavoro boccacciano, ed è altresì O¶DPELWR in cui emergono maggiormente le peculiarità e i meriti GHOO¶RSHUD]LRQH di Brusantino. Nel terzo capitolo, ³John )ORULR¶V Firste Fruites and Second Frutes: Paremias and Elizabethan Teaching of the Italian /DQJXDJH´ (121-94), la studiosa si concentra VXOO¶RSHUD]LRQH linguistica che Giovanni Florio introduce QHOO¶,QJKLOWHUUD elisabettiana. /¶DXWRUH infatti, il cui profilo culturale si pone perfettamente a cavallo tra O¶,WDOLD controriformata e O¶,QJKLOWHUUD protestante, idea un interessante metodo di insegnamento della lingua italiana basato Italian Bookshelf 559 VXOO¶DFFRVWDPHQWR di una serie di paremie in italiano e della loro traduzione in inglese. In XQ¶,QJKLOWHUUD letteraria dominata dal petrarchismo e in cui quella italiana veniva percepita come la lingua colta per eccellenza, O¶RSHUD]LRQH di Florio suscitò un interesse tale da spingere O¶DXWRUH a redigere una seconda versione dei suoi Firste Fruites (153-158), i Second Frutes (158-61), nella quale DOO¶HOHQFR di paremie e alle loro traduzioni egli aggiunse una folta serie di spiegazioni, così arricchendo le traduzioni letterali dei singoli lemmi con un approfondimento sui loro significati e sui possibili contesti G¶XVR Nel quarto capitolo, ³Pompeo 6DUQHOOL¶V Posilecheata: Paremias and the Multifaceted Neapolitan %DURTXH´ (195-252), '¶(XJHQLR si sposta nel vibrante ambito culturale della Napoli barocca, valorizzando XQ¶RSHUD molto ben radicata nella storia letteraria e culturale del Regno di Napoli (195-202). La studiosa evidenzia come Sarnelli concepisca una raccolta di novelle in stile comico attraverso la quale possa inserirsi a buon titolo nel dibattito della questione della lingua, DOO¶HSRFD ancora aperto e prolifico, al fine di promuovere la superiorità del dialetto napoletano su quelli del Centro-Nord Italia (202-10). Viene altresì puntualizzato come il ricorso insistente a costruzioni paremiache, presenti sia nella scena del banchetto introduttivo (210-27), che nei cinque cunti della raccolta (227-51) assolva il compito di mostrare O¶Hfficacia e O¶LPPHGLDWH]]D della lingua napoletana, nonché la sua potenza comunicativa e O¶DOWR valore semantico delle sue espressioni proverbiali. Con O¶HOHJDQ]D di stile che contraddistingue O¶LQWHUR volume, Daniela '¶(XJHQLR sceglie tre casi di studio tra loro assai diversi (per tipologia di genere letterario e per ambito linguistico di riferimento), con i quali dimostra la potenza comunicativa e O¶LPPHGLDWH]]D di comprensione propria della letteratura paremiaca. Eppure, quelli studiati GDOO¶DXWULFH non si configurano come esempi isolati: va infatti rilevato come nella nostra tradizione abbondino sia le opere prettamente paremiache, sia O¶LQVHULPHQWR di strutture paremiache nei generi letterari più diversi. Si veda, per esempio, quanto accade in ambito novellistico: il ricorso frequente DOO¶HVSHGLHQWH paremiaco conferisce agilità e immediatezza comunicativa al Trecentonovelle di Franco Sacchetti e, in misura minore, al Novelliere di Giovanni Sercambi. Inoltre, il lavoro di Brusantino trova proprio nel Decameron di Giovanni Boccaccio la sua stessa ragion G¶HVVHUH mentre il Sarnelli si affida per la sua raccolta DOO¶KXPXV linguistico e letterario del Cunto de li Cunti di Giambattista Basile. Ciò significa che questo saggio non è utile solo per fare il punto sugli studi relativi al genere paremiaco prodotti sino ai giorni nostri, né si rivolge esclusivamente alle raccolte di paremie, ma si pone piuttosto come solido testo di riferimento per chiunque decida di occuparsi di questo ambito di ricerca QHOO¶DOYHR delO¶LQWHUD letteratura italiana. Nicola Esposito, University of Notre Dame 560 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Stefano Lazzarin, and Mariella Colin, eds. ³/HV mystères urbains en Italie ± volume 1: Les textes du XIXe VLqFOH´ Transalpina 25 (2022). Pp. 118. Questo numero di Transalpina si propone di rivalutare la letteratura italiana che ha raccontato i misteri urbani GHOO¶2WWRFHQWR e la critica che si è occupata di questo fenomeno letterario. Il numero contiene XQ¶LQWURGX]LRQH al tema centrale (Stefano Lazzarin e Mariella Colin ³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ 9-16), e sei saggi di approfondimento che constituiscono il fulcro centrale di questa recensione. Da notare anche un saggio su Machiavelli e la questione biografica (Julien Le Mauff, ³0DFKLDYHO et la question ELRJUDSKLTXH´ 121-136) e uno sulla ricezione GHOO¶RSHUD quasimodiana (Heloïse Moschetto, ³3RpWLTXH et polémique: le paradoxe du prix Nobel attribué à Quasimodo et ses conséquences dans la réception de son °XYUH en )UDQFH´ 137- 154). Il numero si conclude con una corposa rubrica dedicata alle recensioni e segnalazioni bibliografiche ³5HFHQVLRQ ELEOLRJUDSKLTXH´ 155181). I contributi tematici di questo numero riflettono la diversità delle opere letterarie che, nella seconda metà del XIX, hanno tratto spunto dai Mystères de Paris di Eugène Sue. Per quanto riguarda il caso italiano la peculiarità più evidente è la diversità geografica in cui sono ambientati i vari misteri a cui corrisponde, come spiegano i curatori del numero, Stefano Lazzarin e Mariella Colin, una diversità altrettanto vasta di tematiche e registri narrativi che spaziano ³GHV intrigues ténébreuses aux pamphlets anticléricaux, des romans criminels aux reportages journalistiques, des enquêtes sociologiques aux manifestes politiques anarchistes ou VRFLDOLVWHV´ ³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ 12). Benché i misteri urbani italiani vengano ancora spesso percepiti come una semplice emulazione del modello francese, i saggi qui esaminati offrono una serie di spunti per una riflessione più approfondita. In ³8Q eccentrico mistero nella Roma di metà Ottocento: Una vedova e un mistero. Storia del secolo XIX (1864) di Cesare 0DOSLFD´ (17-32), Stefano Pifferi, ad esempio, propone una riflessione VXOO¶HYROX]LRQH del romanzo e del canone letterario che prendendo una piega transnazionale, mette in risalto le difficoltà di voler imitare ad ogni costo O¶HVSHULHQ]D francese per adattare un genere letterario basato essenzialmente sul realismo sociale in XQ¶,WDOLD che non offre un altrettanto adeguato tessuto urbano, economico, sociale e politico. Dobbiamo però riconoscere che il rapporto letteratura-realtà rimane O¶HOHPHQWR chiave dei misteri urbani italiani, i quali, infatti riflettono a pieno le contemporaneità storiche, politiche e sociali delle città italiane in cui sono ambientati i misteri. I tipici bassifondi parigini di Sue si trasformano allora in bettole palermitane, monasteri napoletani, senza risparmiare il parlamento romano e il Vaticano. Ambientazioni che insieme ad oculate scelte narrative, tematiche ed editoriali permettono ad autori come Francesco Mastriani, Paolo Valera, Benedetto Naselli, Enrichetta Caracciolo e Cesare Malpica, tra gli altri, di rappresentare precise situazioni storiche, sociali e politiche locali che confluiscono in XQ¶XQLFD realtà storica nazionale²quella del Risorgimento²che porterà DOO¶8QLWj G¶,WDOLD I valori Italian Bookshelf 561 politici dei misteri ambientati nelle città italiane si allineano dunque a un esplicito anticlericalismo e a un attacco diretto alle autorità competenti con O¶LQWHQ]LRQH di contribuire ³DOOD formazione di XQ¶RSLQione pubblica nazionale improntata ai valori patriottici e al culto della PHPRULD´ (Marina Formica, ³'HOLWWL e misteri. Modalità discursive, immagini e rappresentazioni nella narrative ottocentesca G¶DPELHWD]LRQH URPDQD´ 51-68, 55). Altrimenti detto, il Male, invece di albergare nei bassifondi popolari, come nella Parigi di Sue, trova il proprio ambiente di elezione in Vaticano e in Parlamento evidenziando da un lato ³OD natura dittatoriale della Roma papale >«@ per indebolire il clero e permettere a Roma di essere annessa DOO¶,WDOLD e diventarne poi la FDSLWDOH´ e GDOO¶DOWUR ³LO parassitismo, gli intrighi, le macchinazioni del potere [dei] deputati e VHQDWRUL´ (Formica, 62, 66). In questo contesto anticlericale e anti-governativo spicca O¶DQDOLVL di Laura Fournier-Finocchiaro nel suo contributo ³/HV Misteri del chiostro napoletano G¶(QULFKHWWD Caracciolo, entre mystère urbains, récit anticlerical et roman QDWLRQDO´ (69-86): la storia di una donna costretta a farsi suora che si trova a dover affrontare la vita monastica e la privazione della libertà. Una vicenda narrativa che si intreccia con la realtà storica della Napoli del Risorgimento. Caracciolo infatti associa O¶HOHPHQWR anticlericale con le feroci critiche DOO¶RSSUHVVLRQH borbonica del popolo napoletano. Una doppia oppressione che O¶DXWULFH e i numerosi revisori dei suoi Misteri hanno armonizzato per rappresentare il luogo religioso²il monastero appunto²e la corte reale come dei bassifondi e cioè come ambiente fertile per mettere in pratica i meccanismi e le forme di una tollerata camorra GHOO¶HSRFD Insomma, per dirla con Formica, ³QRQ sembra del tutto peregrina O¶LGHD di considerare i misteri come una fra le tante ramificazioni della letteratura risorgimentale, come un mezzo, cioè, volto a rendere riconoscibile una collettività GDOO¶LGHQWLWj ancora debole e ad acculturarla sui progressi recenti del cammino della OLEHUWj´ (56). Un altro tema correlato al connubio letteratura-realtà è quello GHOO¶LQJLXVWL]LD sociale e in particolare, della netta divisione tra classi sociali, che rimodula i valori morali non tanto di coloro che abitano i bassifondi delle città italiane, bensì GHOO¶DOWD società. Come discute Pifferi, ad esempio, Malpica evidenzia in quale misura ³QRQ sia necessariamente la miseria materiale quanto quella morale a segnare la degenerazione e le malefatte di una certa parte della società >O¶DOWD società per O¶DSSXQWR@´ (Pifferi, 30). O, ancora, la denuncia contro la società borghese e capitalistica che sfrutta e opprime il sottoproletariato Milanese che² come argomentato da Luca Bani in ³3DROR Valera: ideologia e critica sociale nella Milano dei misteri XUEDQL´ (101-20)²permette di riconoscere a Valera una ³SLHQD onestà nel voler rappresentare la gravità delle condizioni di una larga fascia di popolazione a causa GHOO¶LPSRQHQWH e forzato processo di industrializzazione promosso dalla borghesia LPSUHQGLWRULDOH´ (Bani 107). Nel caso di Benedetto Naselli, si tratta del contesto sociale precapitalista di una Palermo del fine Settecento, ³LQFHQWUDWR sulla raffigurazione di un ceto 562 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) aristocratico sopraffattorio o indifferente, coadiuvato da una borghesia impiegatizia parassitaria, avida e disonesta, che sfrutta il suo legame con i nobili per tormentare la SRSROD]LRQH´ (Daniela Bombara, ³, misteri di Palermo di Benedetto Naselli: la tragedia del proletariat siciliano fra povertà, oppressione nobiliare, FRUUX]LRQH´ 33-50, 35). Tuttavia, i contributi critici che compongono questo volume dimostrano che nella maggior parte dei misteri italiani si nota la totale mancanza di un qualsivoglia meccanismo consolatorio. Il testo di Naselli, ad esempio, è scevro di ogni possibilità di ³ULVFDWWR dalla miseria per O¶LQWHUYHQWR risolutore GHOO¶(URH o una possibile integrazione fra classi, che il feuilleton francese SURVSHWWDYD´ (Bombara 35). Sono simili le conclusioni a cui giunge Stefano Serafini in ³*RWLFR e misteri QHOO¶,WDOLD post XQLWDULD´ (87-100) proponendo, attraverso la lente del gotico urbano, XQ¶DQDOLVL dei misteri che enfatizza come in queste opere il già labile confine tra povertà e criminalità svanisca legittimando così il nuovo repressivo ordine politico e sociale. A tal proposito, La folla (1901) di Valera è senza dubbio XQ¶RSHUD propositiva forse proprio perché pubblicata DOO¶LQLzio del Novecento. Inoltre, come argomenta Bani attraverso una lente transnazionale, la maturazione politica GHOO¶DXWRUH durante O¶HVLOLR londinese gli permette di prospettare un tentativo di integrazione del sottoproletariato e quindi in una certa misura una risoluzione GHOO¶LQJLXVWL]LD sociale. In questo volume è pure di un certo rilievo il tentativo di alcuni contributi (si vedano in particolare i saggi di Fournier-Finocchiaro su Caracciolo e di Bani su Valera) di collegare i misteri alla condizione femminile per promuovere XQ¶HPDQFLSD]LRQH della donna ostacolata ³GDOOH norme che la opprimono e sulle quali si fonda la società borghese, a cominciare dal vincolo PDWULPRQLDOH´ (Bani 115). Uno spunto che merita sicuramente un ulteriore approfondimento, con particolare riguardo a XQ¶DQDOLVL comparata dei misteri con testi pubblicati in epoche successive, anche in tempi recenti. Non a caso, O¶RSHUD di Caracciolo è servita da fonte di ispirazione a Simonetta Agnello Hornby per il suo romanzo La monaca (2011). Per concludere, è doveroso ricordare che O¶DSprofondimento critico di Transalpina sui misteri urbani non finisce qui. Il prossimo numero della rivista si concentrerà infatti sulla posterità e sulle ramificazioni nel XX secolo di questo genere letterario. I contributi di questo volume fanno in modo che i misteri G¶,WDOLD del XIX secolo non vengano dimenticati come genere rappresentativo GHOO¶RSHUD letteraria e della cultura italiana nonché come fenomeno letterario transnazionale GHOO¶HSRFD Soprattutto, rimane cruciale che la critica letteraria si soffermi su tali opere per abbandonare una volta per tutte i preconcetti critici sulle varie forme di letteratura di consumo e proporre invece XQ¶DQDOLVL rigorosa del ruolo di questi testi in ambito domestico e transnazionale e la loro influenza VXOO¶HYROYHUVL della società e dei vari generi letterari, nonché sul canone letterario nel senso più ampio del termine. Marco Paoli, University of Liverpool Italian Bookshelf 563 Giovanni Meli. La Lirica II (capitoli berneschi, canzoni, ditirambo, elegie). Ed. Gaetano Cipolla. Palermo: Nuova Ipsa Editore, 2022. Pp. 200. Il libro²VHFRQGR WRPR GHO TXLQWR YROXPH GHOO¶LQWHUR SLDQR HGLWRULDOH GHGLFDWR DOO¶opera omnia meliana²raccoglie la produzione lirica del poeta e medico siciliano compresa tra il 1760 al 1787, peculiare per scorgere i capisaldi GHOO¶DWWLYLWjGL*LRYDQQL0HOLFRQWUDVVHJQDWDGDXQODWRGDOOHLQIOXHQ]HFODVVLFRDUFDGLFKH LQ SDUWLFRODUH 0HWDVWDVLR GDOO¶DOWUR GDJOL VWXGL VFLHQWLILFL H GDOO¶DWWHQ]LRQH QHL FRQIURQWL GHJOL (QFLFORSHGLVWL GL /HLEQL] Gel naturalismo radicale di Robinet e dello scetticismo di Fontenelle: queste eterogenee spinte, corroborate da un netto sostrato pessimistico del suo carattere²tema sul quale LQVLVWHPROWRLOFXUDWRUH*DHWDQR&LSROODQHOO¶³,QWURGX]LRQH´ (5-29)²porteranno MHOLDVRVWHQHUH³LOIDOOLPHQWRGHJOLLGHDOLGHOO¶,OOXPLQLVPRHGHOODUDJLRQH´   dilaniato tra la volontà di aderire alla società coeva e di farsi carico, allo stesso tempo, di denunciare le tensioni e le contraddizioni sociali che caratterizzavano la SiFLOLDGLILQH6HWWHFHQWRDTXHVWRSURSRVLWRqHYRFDWLYDO¶LPPDJLQHSUHVHQWH nella Canzuni III QHOOD TXDOH LO VHFROR ;9,,, YLHQH GHILQLWR ³QXQ OXFL´ PD ³PHFFX´RVVLD³VWRSSLQR´ Y  *Lj QHOOH SULPH ³FLFDODWH´ FRPSRVWH SHU O¶$FFDGHPLD GHO %XRQ *usto, si QRWDTXHVWDWHQGHQ]DLO³SRHWLQR´VHGDXQODWRULSHUFRUUHXQJHQHUHGLIIXVRWUD OH DFFDGHPLH VHWWHFHQWHVFKH ULIDFHQGRVL DOO¶DVVRGDWD WUDGL]LRQH GHO FDSLWROR EHUQHVFR GDOO¶DOWUR LQIDUFLVFH LO WHVWR FRQ ULIOHVVLRQL HWLFR-sociali destinate a trovare spazio nelle opere più mature, il tutto calibrato da un saggio ed efficiente XVRGHOO¶LURQLD1HIn lodi di lu purci (32-38), uomini e animali sono uniti dallo stesso destino, come dimostra la commistione di sangue tra uomo e pulce² GHILQLWD DO Y  ³FXFLQX FDUQDOL´  ²e finiscono per essere imparentati. /¶LQVHWWRDOFRQWUDULRGHOSRHWDFKHVLYHGHULILXWDUHGDOODGRQQDDPDWDULHVFHD esplorare il corpo femminile: proprio per questo, in barba al disprezzo nei FRQIURQWLGHOO¶DQLPDOHJHQHUDWRGDOOD³YHUJRJQDGHOVHFRORSUHVHQWH´ODSXOFHq degna di nota. La pulsione erotica non è da ascriversi esclusivamente allo spirito voyeuristico tipico di certi componimenti settecenteschi bensì, alla luce degli studi PHOLDQLDOODFRQFH]LRQHGHOO¶HURVTXDOHIRU]DDWWUDWWLYDHVWUXPHQWDOHDOO¶LQWHUQR del disegno della natura, il cui rigetto rappresenta un atto contro la natura stessa e un ostacolo al principio della conservazione delle specie, come peraltro supportato dal confronto con un altro testo del siciliano, la Pirsuasiva amorosa (117-18). Al genere degli enkomia adoxa è da annoverarsi un altro capitolo, In lodi di la musca. Meli, rifacendosi alla favolistica antica e medievale (Luciano, Fedro, Leon Battista Alberti) e la Moscheide di Folengo e Lalli, elogia la mosca quale DQLPDOHQRELOHFDSDFHGLYLYHUHLQDUPRQLDVHFRQGROHOHJJLGLQDWXUD ³YXODQWL UHSXEEOLFDPRVFKLQD´Y HGLDQQXOODUHRJQLGLIIHUHQ]DGLFHWRHUDQJR Particolarmente interessante è la seconda parte del componimento, dove Meli, ULHODERUDQGRLOPLWRSODWRQLFRGHOO¶DQGURJLQRHVSRQHWHPLFKHVDUDQQRSUHVHQWL nelle Favuli morali sulla scia degli insegnamenti di La Fontaine, attivando una 564 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) serie di corrispondenze tra mondo umano e animale. I primi uomini alati, trasformati in mosche dopo aver sfidato gli dèi, perdono sì la parola, ma DFTXLVLVFRQR³WULPLODHWDQWLILQLVWUHGGL´DPR¶GLRFFKLDOODEDVH³GLO¶HFFHOOHQWL VXL FRJQL]LRQL´ YY  H    FRPH SUHYHGRQR OH WHRULH VHQVLVWH orientandoli al raggLXQJLPHQWRGHOO¶LQWHUQDFRQVRODQ]DHDOODVLQFURQLDFROPRQGR FLUFRVWDQWH$VXSSRUWRGLFLzODFLWD]LRQHDOYGHOO¶Artaserse metastasiano ³XQ¶DOPD JUDQGH q WHDWUR D VH VWHVVD´   OH PRVFKH KDQQR OD YRFD]LRQH D investigare loro stesse e a comprendere le passioni che le spingono ad agire e a reagire. /DJLjDFFHQQDWDGLVLOOXVLRQHYHUVRLOVHFRORG¶RURJHQHUDLQ0HOLXQFRVWDQWH sentimento pessimista che, quale fiume carsico, affiora in molta della sua produzione. Nelle tre cupe elegie Lu chiantu di Eraclitu, Su lu stissu suggettu I e II (99-111) una natura fredda e decadente, non benevola come nella perduta età GHOO¶RUR ID GD VIRQGR DOOD SUHVD GL FRVFLHQ]D GHO SRHWD XQ GHVRODQWH ³WHDWUX RUUHQGXGLPLVHULDXPDQD´ Y SDUDIUDVDQGRDQFRUDXQDvolta Metastasio. Rispetto alle Bucoliche, è qui sparito ogni miraggio eudemonico: la fonte dei mali FKHDWWDQDJOLDQRO¶XRPRQRQqSLGDULQWUDFFLDUVLFLWDQGR$OILHULQHO³YLOVHFRO´ PDDOO¶LQWHUQRGHOO¶XRPRVWHVVRLQXQDVRUWDGLSURFHVVRDXWROHVLRQLstico (Meli SDUOD GL ³RORFDXVWX´ QHO VHQVR VDFULILFDOH GHO WHUPLQH Y    PROWR IRUWH O¶LPPDJLQHGHLYY- ³,QYLGLLUDLODVWXSLGL]]DEUXWDFKLOLFFDOXFXWHGGXFKL O¶RFLGLHPRULFRPXYDPSDFKLV¶DVWXWD´ GRYHSHUDOWURWRUQDODPHWDIRUa della fonte luminosa che si spegne in chiusa di secolo. Al poeta non rimane che O¶DQQLHQWDPHQWRHODWUDVIRUPD]LRQHLQXQ³FLXPLG¶DPDUL]]D´ Y  Nel secondo testo Meli, avvolto da una caligine impenetrabile, vaga sulle rovine di un mondo in sfaFHORGRYH³VW¶HUYLVWLSLDQWLVW¶DUYXOLIUXQGXVLVXFDGDYHULG¶RPLQL HGLEUXWLFXWHUUDHGDFTXDµQ]HPPXODFRQIXVL´ YY-27, 103). Con rimandi alle Riflessioni sopra il meccanismo della natura rapporto alla conservazione e riparazione delli individui (1777), Meli si rivolge al Fattore una serie di domande VHQ]D ULVSRVWD YHQWLODQGR O¶LSRWHVL GL XQD HIIHWWLYD HVFOXVLRQH GHOO¶XRPR GDL SURFHVVL GL QDWXUD ³)RUVH q LQ SHQD GHOO¶XRPR VFRQRVFHQWH"  0D SHUFKp QH partecipa il bruto, / e ogni animale semSOLFH H LQQRFHQWH"´ YY -48, 104): sebbene, in fin dei conti, la concezione di un Deus, sive natura di stampo spinoziano rimanga salda (come dimostrerà il tardo Innu a Diu), il poeta siciliano, QHOSRUUHO¶XRPR-atomo di fronte alla catena distruttiva e riproduttiva della natura, si fa portavoce di riflessioni che verranno poi sviluppate da Leopardi. Gli stessi temi vengono riproposti en travesti in un testo di ben altra fattura, il Ditirammu di Sarudda (70-97). Di ambientazione palermitana, il protagonista, XQR ]RWLFRQH GHOOD FLWWj YHFFKLD VL WUDVIRUPD QHOO¶DOWHU-ego di Meli: infatti, la VFHOWD GL DEEDQGRQDUVL DOO¶HEEUH]]D GHO YLQR YD LQ GLUH]LRQH GL XQ DOWUR annientamento, come suggerisce l¶XVRUHLWHUDWRGHOOHIRUPHGHOYHUER³VFDWWDUL´ (vv. 83, 116, 338, 353). ,O SROLPHWUR FKH FRQWLHQH O¶HORJLR GL %DFFR H OH indicazioni dei migliori vini per ogni tipologia di bevitore, elementi tipici del genere, si trasforma in una denuncia sociale rivolta alla Statua del Vecchio Italian Bookshelf 565 Palermo, con numerosi attacchi contro la nobiltà, il clero e la moda francesizzante. Colto da un malore, Sarudda, prima di stramazzare al suolo in una spassosa scena melodrammatica, affida ai presenti il suo testamento, ossia essere tumulato DOO¶LQWHUQRGLXQWLQRVRORFRQO¶XEULDFDWXUDLOPRQGRFRVWHOODWRGDLQJLXVWL]LHH JXDLSXzWUDVIRUPDUVLLQXQ³WHDWUXGLGHOL]LL´ (v. 380, 92). Francesco Sorrenti, Università degli Studi di Genova Giovanni Meli. /D/LULFD,,, /¶RULJLQHdi lu munnu, Cantu funebri, Elegia, Satiri). Ed. Gaetano Cipolla. Palermo: Nuova Ipsa Editore, 2023. Pp. 250. Il WHU]RWRPRGHOOHOLULFKHPHOLDQHXOWLPDSDUWHGHOYROXPH9GHOO¶LQWHUD opera omnia, raccoglie essenzialmente la produzione satirica del poeta siciliano. Essa rappresenta la massima espressione del disagio meliano nei confronti del suo WHPSRHJOLOXQJLGDHVVHUHXQ³PRUDOLVWDIDQDWLFR´ ³,QWURGX]LRQH´GL*DHWDQR Cipolla, 18), non è mai guidato da animosità personale, ma da una reale e sincera cRPSUHQVLRQHGHOOD QDWXUDGHOOHLOOXVLRQLFKHDIIOLJJRQRO¶XRPRVFDWXULWDGDOOD VXDDFXWH]]DGLRVVHUYDWRUHVRFLDOHHGDOO¶HPSLULVPRGDPHGLFR-scienziato. /¶RULJLQL GL OX PXQQX (20-63), realizzato tra il 1768 e il 1780 durante il soggiorno a Cinisi, è da cRQVLGHUDUVLLOSULQFLSDOHODYRURVDWLULFRGL0HOL/¶RSHUD è da ascriversi al dibattito intorno alle teorie del filosofo Vincenzo Miceli, il quale DYHYDSRVWXODWRDWWUDYHUVRDOFXQLVXRLVFULWWLO¶HVLVWHQ]DGLXQVLVWHPDRUGLQDQWH tutte le scienze, che potesse conciliare il pensiero filosofico di Spinoza e Wolff con la dottrina cattolica. Meli, coadiuvato dal professore della Real Accademia degli Studi di Palermo Francesco Carì, teologo e giansenista, si era schierato con gli antimiceliani e in questo poemetto bernesco di 75 ottave egli dà voce, DWWUDYHUVR XQ LPPDJLQDULR FRQFLOLR GHJOL GqL DO SURSULR ³VFHWWLFLVPR DQWLGRJPDWLFRHDQWLVLVWHPDWLFR´ ³,QWURGX]LRQH´ SURSRQHQGRXQDSDURGLD dei sistemi filosofici del passato, per bocca delle varie divinità. Un vagabondo Giove, ritratto come un mediocre cittadino palermitano che cerca di piazzare i SURSUL ILJOL GHFLGH GL FUHDUH ³XQ JUDQ WHDWUX GL YLYHQWL´ FKH DGGLWDWL TXDOL ³IXUPLFXOL´ YY -87, 26), potessero intrattenere gli dèi con le loro comiche vicende. Le successive discussioni tra Giove, Giunone e i figli in merito a come questo mondo debba essere creato sono espedienti che consentono a Meli di esperire i principali modelli creazionistici: vi si trovano il principio della ragione VXIILFLHQWHO¶DWRmismo, la teoria del mondo eterno, il meccanicismo cartesiano, il SDQWHLVPR OD WHRULD GHOO¶XRYR FRVPLFR H TXHOOD EXIIRQLDQD 2JQL VLVWHPD filosofico viene, con ironia, sviscerato, vagliato e confutato dal padre degli dèi. Alla fine trionfa il panteismo spinoziano: tutto ciò che esiste è una modificazione della sostanza divina. Giove viene così squartato dai suoi figli e ogni sua parte genera una porzione del mondo conosciuto. Proprio in occasione della morte del Carì, nel 1798, Meli scrive un Cantu Funebri (64-73): in un efficacissimo gioco di chiaroscuri, lo studioso viene 566 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) identificato quale protettore della Filosofia che, una volta liberata dal giogo GHOO¶pOLWHFXOWXUDOHSDOHUPLWDQDHGHOSHGDQWLVPRJHVXLWDHUDDVFHVDDVVLHPHDOOH Grazie, al Parnaso. AnFKH0LQHUYD³FXOLVSDUVLFDSLGGLWUDOHIDFFLVLDSSRMD DOO¶XUQD´ YY -64), piange la morte di colui che rischiarava le tenebre GHOO¶LJQRUDQ]DLO³JUDQIDQDOL´FKHJXLGDYDO¶XRPRYHUVRODJLXVWL]LDFDOSHVWDWRUH GHOO¶,GUD³GLULDFUHGXOLWjSUHFLSLWXVD´ Y  Nelle sette Satiri (76-135), Meli si diverte a sbeffeggiare i costumi e le ostentazioni culturali del secolo rispolverando vecchi temi cari alla letteratura GHOO¶HSRFDSURSULRJUD]LHDQFKHDOODSURIHVVLRQHGLPHGLFRFKHJOLFRQVHQWLYDGi frequentare le case della nobiltà e della borghesia cittadina più abbiente, ma di essere al contempo addentro agli strati più poveri della società. Ne Lo Tempiu della fortuna (76-83), Meli giunge alle porte di una cittadella, assaltata da torme di persone che cercano il successo: solamente quelle meno meritevoli, che fanno uso della sopraffazione, vengono fatte accedere, accolte da quattro donzelle (Cabala, Frode, Ipocrisia e Adulazione) e da Capriccio, un ³IUDVFKLWWXQL´ Y FRQVHPELDQ]HGLDYROHsche, che esaminano con dovizia LSL³PHULWHYROL´1HLa moda (84-95), Meli immagina che la rovina dei costumi SDOHUPLWDQL SHVDQWHPHQWH LQIOXHQ]DWL GDL FRVWXPL G¶2OWUDOSH VLD GLVFHVD GD XQ ³QXYXOXQLIDWWXDQDYL´ Y VDOSDWRGDOOD/XQDFKH KDGiffuso così ogni YL]LRHPDOFRVWXPHLQFLWWj6LJQLILFDWLYDqO¶LPPDJLQHGL0DUWHFKHVSULJLRQD³OD JXHUUDGLVSDWLHEDVWXQL´ Y GHOOHFDUWHGDJLRFRJOL³VFRQWUL´HURLFRPLFL che si svolgono nelle bettole cittadine rievocano a Meli le battaglie del Furioso e GHOO¶Eneide, rimarcando così la frattura tra ethos ed epos. La mercificazione della letteratura, che richiama La caduta pariniana, è argomento della terza ode (96 O¶DQRQLPRLQIRUPDWRUHVXGGLYLGH³VWDSURYLQFLD´ Y LQTXDWWURUDmi FRPPHUFLDOLG¶DULD ILORVRILDHSRHVLD WHUUD VFLHQ]DHVWRULD DFTXD LUDSSRUWL WUD PHFHQDWL H VDFFHQWL  H IXRFR LO UDSSRUWR FRQ OH GRQQH JLXGLFDWR ³SXWLD GL ORUGX´HGDQQRVRSHULOOHWWHUDWRY  Nel mondo dei poeti clientesO¶DUPDGHOODVDWLUDFDSDFHGL³WUDSDQDULQWUDOD FDUQL YLYD´ Y ULPDQH XQDYLDSHUFRUULELOH(LO PHUFLPRQLRGHOODSRHVLD ritorna nelle ottave de La villiggiatura (104-09), nella quale Meli descrive con amarezza lo sperpero di risorse e denaro dietro questa pratica molto diffusa anche tra la borghesia palermitana. Aspra critica al Secolo dei Lumi²tema ricorrente in Meli²si trova ne Lu Cafeaos (110-15): recuperando i temi de /¶RULJLQH GH OR munnuLOSRHWDSDUWHFLSDDOO¶RVVHUYD]LRQHGLXQDWHODGLSLQWDGDXQ ³*HQLR´H[WUDtemporale, al servizio del demiurgo platonico, incentrata sulla rappresentazione GHO6HWWHFHQWR0HOLFKLDPDWRDHVSULPHUQHXQSDUHUHQRWDILQGDVXELWRL³FXOXUL FDSULFFLXVL´ODFRQIXVLRQHGLLGHHORVIRJJLRGHOODFXOWXUDVHQ]DULVYROWL pratici, ³WXWWXqILQWXHGDUWHIDWWX´ Y  Nella satira Cagliostrissimu (116-31), il cui titolo evoca le note peripezie del WUXIIDWRUH *LXVHSSH %DOVDPR LO SRHWD LURQL]]D VXOO¶LPSRVWXUD H VXOOD FUHGXOLWj WUDHQGR LVSLUD]LRQH GDOOH YLFHQGH GHOO¶DEDWH Giuseppe Vella, il quale aveva spacciato per autentici due codici pseudoarabi relativi alla dominazione araba in Italian Bookshelf 567 Sicilia. /¶DELOH 'RQ 3DQFUD]LR UDJJLUD XQ FUHGXORQH LQ SRVVHVVR GL XQ DVLQR reputato prodigioso da una schiatta di ruffiani che volevano LQJUD]LDUVLO¶XRPR FRQYLQFHQGRORGLHVVHUHLQJUDGRGLLQVHJQDUHDOO¶DQLPDOHDOHJJHUHHVFULYHUHLQ WUHGLFL DQQL ,O SDGURQH GHOO¶DQLPDOH VLFXUR GL SRWHU ULFDYDUH DQFRUD SL riconoscimento dal suo tesoro, fa sottoscrivere un lauto contratto da precettore: il WUXIIDWRUHYLYUjFRVuVXOOHVSDOOHDOWUXLULFRUGDQGRDXQDPLFRFKH³O¶RPXFK¶q FRQFHWWXVXGLVHVWLVVXOLVWUDYDJDQ]LVXLFULGLPLUDFXOL´ YY- /¶XOWLPD satira (Contra li Cirimoni e lu Galateu, 132-35), una cicalata, recitata presso O¶$Fcademia dei Pastori Ereini di Palermo, vede Meli, nei panni di un pecoraio, farsi propugnatore del vivere genuino e sincero, solo apparentemente incivile, della vita di campagna, in contrasto con la falsità e la cerimonia che aleggia nei consessi cittadiniGHVFULWWDHIILFDFHPHQWHFRPHXQFXQHRFKH³WUDVLSULFKLDWWXH VEDUDFFKuDOXOLJQL´ YY-42, 134). Francesco Sorrenti, Università degli Studi di Genova Valeria Miani. Amorous Hope, A Pastoral Play. A Bilingual Edition. Ed. and Transl. by Alexandra Coller, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Toronto Series, 83. Toronto: Iter Press, 2020. Pp. 368. Valeria 0LDQL¶V valuable poetic and theatrical production is a good example of the obliteration of women writers from the literary canon. Miani, in fact, enjoyed great success among contemporaries, as well as among prestigious letterati in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries. Her works were included in Francesco Agostino della &KLHVD¶V Theatro delle donne letterate (1620) in &UHVFLPEHQL¶V poetry volume (1698), and in collections by Bergalli (1726), Quadrio (17391752), Ferri (1842), and Facchini (1824). Her fame, however, started to fade in the Twentieth century (mentioned in Bertana, 1905, and Forti, 1903; but ignored by Brunelli, 1921). In the 1990s and early 2000s Miani appears in a few articles (Magliani, 1995; Decroisette, 2002; Rees, 2008 and 2014; Coller, 2017), but she is missing in prominent publications on women writers (Costa-Zalessow, 1982; Arslan, Chemello and Pizzamaglio, 1991; Gianni, 1997; Morandini, 2001). Alexandra &ROOHU¶V volume, along with Valeria )LQXFFL¶V edition of Celinda (2010), for the Other Voice series, therefore, aims to fill this gap (8-11). In the ³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ Coller addresses 0LDQL¶V biography (5-7), emphasising in particular her cultural connections in native Padua (a city known for its literate ladies, such as Isabella Andreini, Giulia Bigolina, and Camilla Erculani) and Venice, ³WKH centre of theatrical publication of the SHQLQVXOD´ (7-8); as well as her central role in seventeenth-century Italian theatre. While ³FRPHGLHV authored by women are virtually non-exiVWHQW´ with the only exception of Margherita &RVWD¶V 568 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Li buffoni (1641), 0LDQL¶V Celinda (1611), is the only example of a tragedy penned by a woman (1-2). The introduction also describes at great length the Academy of the Ricovrati of Padua (12-18), and a debate on the education of women discussed at the Academia in 1675 (18-23); both useful to shed light on the milieu of 0LDQL¶V publications, and, more generally, on the reception of women writers in seventeenth-century Italy. In the following sections of the introduction (23-47), the editor offers a detailed reading of 0LDQL¶V surviving poems, appearing in the collections Polinnia, 1609 (by the Ricovrati¶V official publisher), Gareggiamento poetico, 1611 (edited by Carlo Fiamma), and in the collection of rime spirituali edited by Paolo Bozi in 1614 (the Italian texts of 0LDQL¶V poems can be found in the Appendix, 347-54). In the final part of the Introduction (47-72), Coller offers a summary of the plot of 0LDQL¶V Amorosa speranza, detailing its structure and themes, and enlightening the relationship with illustrious predecessors (namely &DPSLJOLD¶V Flori, and $QGUHLQL¶V Mirtilla, 1588). 0LDQL¶V originality, Coller claims, lies in the ³DPELYDOHQFH in love PDWWHUV´ (57) displayed by the protagonist, Venelia (abandoned by Damone after their wedding, in love with Lucrino, who also leaves her, and courted by Alliseo and Isandro). While the author GRHVQ¶W show explicit protofeminist tracts (13), along with Marinella and Fonte, she harshly criticises the double standards in love matters; exposes PHQ¶V sins; accuses them of inconstancy and lasciviousness, and reverses ancient stereotypes on female volatility. In Amorous Hope, female characters (Venelia and Tirrenia) demonstrate ZRPHQ¶V moral and intellectual superiority by lecturing men. In doing so, Coller argues, Miani utilises the prototype of the moral dialogue (where one person dominates the conversation, while the other takes a passive role), but reversing the usual hierarchy, and giving female characters the leading role (60-61). Miani also models these dialogues or ³OHVVRQV in GLVJXLVH´ (63) on the questioni G¶DPRUH genre, where ³WKH dominant speakers >«@ [tests the] interlocutor by weighing in on and judging his answers, gradually eliminating his misconFHSWLRQV´ (62). Venelia and Tirrenia are therefore educators, ³VSRNHVSHUVRQV for ZRPHQ¶V neglected YRLFHV´ (65) but also embody reason and civility as opposed to the world of shepherds, goatherds and satyrs, ruled by misogyny and lawlessness. Both victims of abusive males, the two nymphs, exposing their trauma, overturn the myth of the pastoral world, denouncing it as a threat to ZRPHQ¶V chastity (65). The text is transcribed from the only extant publication, the 1604 print from the Marciana Library, and is also available in the public domain by the Folger digital image collection, through the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, and other American Universities websites (72-73). &ROOHU¶V very readable translation is supplemented by two separate sets of notes. The notes to the translation explain in great detail all mythological elements, clarify ambiguous terms and frequent references to $QGUHLQL¶V Mirtilla, making the text available to the general public. The notes to the Italian text, on Italian Bookshelf 569 the other hand, provide the academic audience with more complex historical and literal references. Marianna Orsi, University College School London Pietro Piana, Charles Watkins, and Ross Balzaretti. Rediscovering Lost Landscapes. Topographical Art in North-West Italy, 1800-1920. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2021. Pp. xi + 308. One of the most controversial issues in landscape theory is the ambiguity often generated by the overlap between three different understandings of what a landscape is. As a medium, a landscape could in fact serve as 1. the content of an artistic product, wherein a view of a territory is represented; 2. a socioenvironmental text with embedded cultural, geological, and historical messages and meanings that need to be decoded; and 3. a social practice and shared reality, capable of expressing relationships of power and identity. The three authors of Rediscovering Lost Landscapes engage explicitly with the first two concepts of landscape listed above. As they state, the lost landscapes WKLVERRNLV VHWWRUHGLVFRYHUDUHWKH³PDQ\ODQGVFDSHGUDZLQJVSDLQWLQJVDQG SKRWRJUDSKVE\DZLGHUDQJHRI%ULWLVKDQG,WDOLDQWRSRJUDSKLFDODUWLVWV´PDGHLQ the period that roughly stretches from the end of the Napoleonic wars to the end of the FirVW:RUOG:DU  2QWKHRWKHUKDQGWKRXJKWKH\DLPWRUHFRYHU³WKH diverse historical landscapes of north-west Italy, most now transformed by very extensive land abandonment and the growth of modern industries and intensive DJULFXOWXUH´   ,Q VR Going, they also intend to demonstrate the value of topographical art for geographical and historical analyses of cultural landscapes DV ZHOO DV SHUKDSV D ELW PRUH WHQWDWLYHO\ IRU WKH ³FXUUHQW FRQVHUYDWLRQ DQG SURPRWLRQRIWRXULVP´  (YHQWKRXJKWRSRgraphical art is often dismissed as a regional or casual by-product of tourism, Piana, Watkins, and Balzaretti claim WKDWLWFDQERWKGHPRQVWUDWH³LQWLPDWHUHODWLRQVEHWZHHQDUWLVWVDQGSODFHV´DQG SURYLGH³LQVLJKWVLQWRWKHZD\LQZKLFKODQGVFDSHVRIWKHpast were shaped, used, DQGSHUFHLYHG´   To accomplish their goal, the three authors used a hybrid approach based equally on extensive research into (mostly digital) archives and on field explorations meant to compare the topographical drawings and paintings with the actual physical landscapes. The structure of Rediscovering Lost Landscapes mirrors such multifaceted engagement as chapters move from a set of biographical sketches of some of the main artists active during the time span under consideration &KDSWHU³/DQGVFDSH$UWLVWVLQ1RUWK-:HVW,WDO\´-44) to a final analysis of the influence of health tourism on the topographical and environmental shape of the Ligurian Riviera &KDSWHU³/X[XULRXV/DQGVFDSHV´ 237-66). In between, we have a variety of investigations: the book advances through varied and somewhat uneven chapters, engaging with topics that range 570 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) from the relationship between art and landscape photography (45-68) and the effects of British tourism in north-west Italy (69-95), to a series of descriptions of how British artists represented the coast (101-24); villages and castles (125-54); productive landscapes (155-90); river landscapes (191-212); and what the authors FDOO ³ODQGVFDSHV RI PRGHUQLW\´ LH WKH FRQVWUXFWLRQ RI UDLOURDGV roads, and industrial complexes (213-36). To accompany the abundance of topics, Rediscovering Lost Landscapes contains 27 colored plates, 91 figures (mostly black and white drawings and photographs), and one map to help readers unfamiliar with north-west Italy to orient themselves. Orientation is indeed an issue in the face of such copious and specific information. The book is an abundant landscape itself, as the authors present a strikingly large number of mostly little-known wealthy British artists/tourists engaged in what appears to be a shared cultural practice of representing²and therefore understanding and reproducing for their peers back home²,WDO\¶V North-West. This very abundance, however, while remarkable, runs the risk of resembling a catalogue, listing one name or artwork or location after another. Indeed, the book stems from a website project that²as the authors write² ³LQFOXGHV D VL]HDEOH GDWDEDVH RI DUWLVWV DQG D 7ZLWWHU DFFRXQW´   ,Q RWKHU words, occasionally the volume reads more descriptive than analytic, and we readers are lost, too, in such a panorama, searching for meaningful inroads but restricted to hovering at the perimeter. To be clear: Piana, Watkins, and Balzaretti ask and answer very interesting questions: for instance, whether WKHUH ZHUH ³LQWHUFRQQHFWLRQV EHWZHHQ DUW DQG SKRWRJUDSK\´   RU FULWLFDOO\ WR ZKDW H[WHQW WRSRJUDSKLFDO YLHZV SURYLGH ³YHU\YDOXDEOHHYLGHQFHFRQFHUQLQJWUDGLWLRQDODJULFXOWXUDODQGWUHHPDQDJHPHQW SUDFWLFHV´WKDWDUHQRZORVW  7KHLVVXHLVWKDt, at times, Rediscovering Lost Landscapes either neglects or (unwittingly?) invites other questions that seem PRUHFUXFLDO$JRRGH[DPSOHFRPHVIURPFKDSWHUGHYRWHGWR³9LOODJHVDQG &DVWOHVµ([TXLVLWH3LFWXUHVTXHQHVV¶´ -90). In the brief intro, the authors tell XVWKDWHYHQWKRXJK³,WDOLDQYLOODJHVKDGORQJIDVFLQDWHGWUDYHOHUV´(but why?), most of the nineteenth-FHQWXU\%ULWLVKWRXULVWV³HPSKDVL]HWKHSRYHUW\DQGSRRU KHDOWKRILQKDELWDQWV´  RIWHQZLWKZKDWDSSHDUVWREHGLVSDUDJLQJODQJXDJH more or less influenced by contemporary scientific discourses. One would expect that such a remark would trigger an investigation of how the inevitable colonial prejudices of the British artists impacted their topographical art. Instead, such an issue is never brought up, the following paragraph swiftly morphing into a neutral DFFRXQWRI³WKHPRVWSLFWXUHVTXHDVSHFWVRIWKHVHOHVV-NQRZQ,WDOLDQODQGVFDSHV´ (125). Truly, the reasons behind the focus on British artists instead of, say, German ones, or the power mechanisms ingrained in every form of tourism, are issues left almost completely unexplored. Comparatively, it seems less important that readers are also neveU IXOO\ DSSULVHG RI WKH UDWLRQDOH EHKLQG WKH ERRN¶V geographical and chronological limitations. Of course, these omissions are not Italian Bookshelf 571 flaws per se, as scholarship does not need to engage with socio-political and/or epistemological concerns to be significant or convincing. Rediscovering Lost Landscapes does in fact reconstruct quite thoroughly a cultural landscape made of British expats and their artistic fascination with the Italian territory, and perhaps this overall view is what ultimately matters, regardless of its potential flatness. Yet, given the impressive research and expertise of the three authors, the lack of engagement with dynamics of visual appropriation, of power and identification, cannot but look at times like a missed opportunity. Damiano Benvegnù, University of St Andrews Gabriella Romani, Ursula Fanning, and Katharine Mitchell, eds. Matilde Serao: International Profile, Reception and Networks. Paris: Classiques Garnier, 2022. Pp. 264. This refined book of conscientious documentation of translation, readership and reception of Matilde Serao (1856-1927), moves beyond mere description, to encompass the complex portraiture of Serao as a presence in the Italian literary canon. The rich number of contributors (13 in all) will be described later in more detail in the review of this multicultural piece. However, the editors lucidly introduce the themes and purpose of the volume from the very beginning. Their editorship brilliantly underscores the complexities of transnational annexationist and hypertextual translations, adaptations, and cultural implications of readership DQGSXEOLFDWLRQRI6HUDR¶V ZRUNV7KLVVWXG\LVSDUWLFXODUO\ ZHOFRPHVLQFHKHU position in the canon is still ambivalent to this day, notwithstanding feminist and recent scholars who addressed her ethical solicitude for the poor and marginalized, as well as her self-GHILQHG ³FRVPLF FHOHVWLDO´ FRQFHUQ ZLWKRXW FDOOLQJLW³HFRFULWLFLVP´  Serao was an exceptional and contradictory woman, who fought for ZRPHQ¶V protection but refused any feminist definition for her political engagement. She worked as a public figure at a time when women were so marginalized that they could not vote, nor request equal rights. She was the first woman in Italy to be the editor of a newspaper, at first with her husband (Il Corriere di Roma and Il Mattino), and then, after their divorce, totally by herself (Il Giorno). She was a prominent figure in the Roman salons, but often criticized for being too ³ORXG´ a gendered label which indicates the social expectation about women as soft-spoken and self-restrained. More importantly, perhaps, Serao was repeatedly and dismissively stereotyped as ³&DWKROLF female, Italian and 1HDSROLWDQ´ (8). Regionalism and sentimentalism were the standard labels for her work. Many of the contributors to this volume call this typecasting into question and some go as far as overtly and specifically exposing the FULWLFV¶ masculine bias. Ursula Fanning brilliantly describes the ³KLJKO\ JHQGHUHG´ stance of Anglocentric and Italian eyes, also 572 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) contesting the subsequent ³JHQGHUHG process of canon IRUPDWLRQ´ (88). Furthermore, Fanning points out the ³OLQNLQJ of gender with SODFH´ and the ³GRXEOH RWKHULQJ´ of both the Italian South (Naples in particular) and Serao qua woman. Othering her work as woman and her Neapolitan roots is ³D commonplace in male critics no matter where they are ORFDWHG´ (82). This attention to a double othering is methodologically valuable for most readers of Italian women writers. This volume presents a fascinating history of 6HUDR¶V international reception which ultimately re-formulates her critical portrait as composed by her contemporary critics. She was disparagingly labelled a prolific writer, the assumption being that quantity always works against quality. She was also pigeon-holed as a pedagogical inspiration for children, reiterating the notion that her work was sentimental and educationally conformist. This engaging book does not provide close textual analyses of 6HUDR¶V works but, coherent with the indication of the ³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ (7-16) provides a map of the ZULWHU¶V international reception that ultimately shows her texts as read, interpreted, and used. Readership and criticism not just in Italy, France and the Anglocentric world, but also in Bulgaria, Russia, Austria, Finland, Spain, and Sweden account for the importance of Serao as an artist, and a strong woman. Ultimately the volume makes us wonder: was her international popularity determined by her conformity to societal norms? Each chapter provides a critical piece focusing on the many different aspects of reception: translation, adaptation, alteration, and re-writing. These contributions are informed by thoughtful knowledge of Reception and Translation Studies. Furthermore, at the end of each chapter a specific Bibliography of 6HUDR¶V translated fictions documents the different fortunes and uses of her works internationally. Cultural contextualization is a constant focus and feature of all the contributors to this volume, sometimes with surprising outcomes. For example, Nadezhda Alexandrova and Boyka Ilieva (35-58) highlight the role of ³D mediating ODQJXDJH´ (38) in the translation of 6HUDR¶V works. They cite Venda .LWRYD¶V translation as an example of Serao ³UHDFKLQJ Bulgaria from a Polish VRXUFH´ (p.39). Viola Parente-Capkova (131-57) notes how ³6HUDR travelled to Finland by many different URXWHV´ (135). Maria Belova (59-78) discusses circulation and critical reception in Russia and (perhaps surprisingly) she highlights the presence of multiple translations of the same work ($OO¶HUWD sentinella!). This case study, referring to as many as 9 translations, highlights the fact that the title of the novel varied based on the WUDQVODWRUV¶ ³GHVLUH to adapt this story for different UHDGHUVKLS´ (64). Concurrently, the contributors highlight the uses of 6HUDR¶V work for educational and often moralistic purposes, directed towards women and children, and reiterate the cultural predominance of a critical masculine canon in the evaluation of 6HUDR¶V works. Maria Laura Iasci and Amelia Sanz (179-99) focus Italian Bookshelf 573 on ³FRPPXQLFDWLYH PHPRU\´ (197) and highlight the risk of sabotaging cultural memory because of censorship and ³SDVVLYH UHFROOHFWLRQV´ (198). Some chapters address specific issues of cultural relevance: Gabriella RomanL¶V discussion of the significance of 6HUDR¶V visit to the ³+RO\ /DQG´ (15977), as tourist vs. pilgrim, addresses literary genre and Catholic portraiture; Ulla $NHUVWURP¶V examination of her ³/RVW Nobel 3UL]H´ (17-33) compares her style with that of Deledda (who got it); and Rossana Meli s and Maria Luisa :DQGUXV]ND¶V discussion of Leo 6SLW]HU¶V Lecture on Serao (95-129) provides a valuable insight on the significant differences between Croce and 6SLW]HU¶V appreciation of her work. In conclusion, this is an important contribution to criticism, highlighting the global reception of a national writer and her works. It proves how very different readerships and interpretations are driven by similar prejudices. It also turns the critical mirror from the author towards the critics, pointing to the shortcomings of the hegemony of a male critical gaze. This is a book with diverse potential readers: those specifically interested in Serao and those historically and theoretically interested in historical reception, translation and publication. This is a truly critical history of 6HUDR¶V reception since it highlights cultural prejudice and textual manipulations driven by hegemonic ideology and marketing imperatives. A must read for scholars of Serao and of Italian women writers. Carla Locatelli, University of Pennsylvania Paolo Traniello. Le opere e i libri. Foscolo, Leopardi, Manzoni alle soglie GHOO¶HGLWRULD moderna. Roma: Edizioni di storia e letteratura, 2021. Pp. 191. Paolo 7UDQLHOOR¶V volume examines the relationship between three of the most important literary figures in Italian literature and the modernization of the FRXQWU\¶V publishing industry. Traniello focuses on Foscolo, Leopardi and Manzoni because they are considered the three primary contributors to the rebirth of Italian literature in the first half of the nineteenth century (x). In addition, they left behind a number of letters and a substantial correspondence, which illuminate how their works were shaped. Traniello stresses how the transition from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century was characterized by a shift in the professional and social status of the intellectual. Although up until the eighteenth century the intellectual had been at the service of the Church or the court, he gained more independence in the nineteenth century. Unfortunately, that intellectual independence did not come with economic independence (2). Ugo Foscolo is the first of the three writers, who are presented in chronological order. Foscolo pursued the ideal of a pure intellectual who could establish himself through his writing. At the same time, he struggled financially, employed first by the military before acquiring other positions (3). Foscolo 574 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) decried the role of the modern ³HGLWRU´ whose purpose, in his view, was simply to make money. He preferred, instead, to think of himself as an editor, and wanted to declare the autonomy of his work and separate his intellectual property from the menial processes of printing (8). As Traniello argues, Foscolo opposed the idea of publishing as a business and was blind to the reality of the evolving publishing industry in Italy and in Europe (31). Giacomo LeoSDUGL¶V relationship with the publishing world started when he was nineteen. While Foscolo openly blamed and opposed publishers, Leopardi had a more nuanced understanding of their role. He noted how difficult it was for them to pay their expenses, given that they often asked the writer to pay out of his own pocket (75). Leopardi believed that the importance of the SXEOLVKHU¶V role lay in his ability to take a manuscript, publish it, distribute it, and, in so doing, transform it into a book. This kind of understanding goes beyond )RVFROR¶V ideas of being an editor. Leopardi saw the direction in which the publishing world was headed and recognized its value and necessity (100). Even though Leopardi showed more tolerance and respect than Foscolo toward the rising publishing industry, he nevertheless experienced problems of his own with publishers. Just like Foscolo, Leopardi would have liked to be his own editor and publisher, but lacked the economic wherewithal to accomplish that goal. Alessandro Manzoni did not experience the same financial difficulties as the previous two writers, but his masterpiece, I promessi sposi, led to the most notorious case of forgery in the history of the Italian publishing industry. Manzoni conceived of the author as the sole owner of a literary work. However, just like Foscolo, he could not envision a modern publishing industry where publishing a book was a commercial process involving various people and steps (145). What 7UDQLHOOR¶V volume seeks to convey is the importance of examining the relationships that these three nineteenth-century writers had with the modern publishing industry in Italy, as well as how their conception of the publishing industry differed from prevailing views. The modern publishing industry changed the previous concept of ownership of a work. Publishing a manuscript became a process involving several stages and people, thus rendering the sharing of an DXWKRU¶V thought a collective effort. From editor to publisher to distributor of the book, a work could not be called a book until it underwent this process before finally arriving in the hands of readers (179). Even though Foscolo, Leopardi, and Manzoni did not manage to perceive the direction in which the modern publishing industry was headed, it is also true that the industry was not fully developed in the Italian peninsula at that time; at least, not as developed as it was in Great Britain. In the early nineteenth century, Italy had still to recognize an DXWKRU¶V right of ownership to his work. It was also in need of developing an industry that could distribute on a large scale. Finally, it was necessary for Italy to gain a considerable amount of literate readers, who were not precluded from understanding a work because of language barriers (184). Italian Bookshelf 575 By reading the letters written by Foscolo, Leopardi, and Manzoni throughout their careers, and carefully interpreting them, Traniello manages to present the reader with a vivid picture of the relationship that Italian intellectuals had with the rising modern publishing industry. His research presents a less-studied side of these writers. It peeks behind the curtains of their published works to present the precarious reality of nineteenth-century intellectuals. Theirs was a world rife with frustration and economic difficulty, if not legal troubles, in which one had to fight to see RQH¶V intellectual property correctly published, distributed, and recognized. The stark difference between the role of the intellectual in the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries signaled a rapid changing of the times, in which Foscolo, Leopardi, and Manzoni struggled to keep up. 7UDQLHOOR¶V volume illustrates the fraught relationship between Italian authors and publishing houses in a period in Europe marked by rapid modernization. Giordano Mazza, University of Illinois at Chicago TWENTIETH & TWENTY-FIRST CENTURIES: LITERATURE, THEORY, CULTURE Marta Arnaldi. The Diasporic Canon. American Anthologies of Contemporary Italian Poetry 1945-2015. Cambridge: Legenda, 2022. Pp. 275. Il volume, diviso in cinque parti e venti capitoli, indaga sul fenomeno culturale definito ³FDQRQH GLDVSRULFR´ (enunciato, questo, riecheggiante Bonaffini e Perricone, Poets of the Italian Diaspora, 2014). Il canone diasporico è in sintesi, ³WKH way in which contemporary Italian poetry was accommodated within the American literary and cultural system through the appearance of anthologies of varying importance and VL]H´ (1). Si esamina qui la µPLJUD]LRQH¶ avvenuta entro O¶DUFR di un settantennio, di cinquanta sillogi poetiche italiane in traduzione inglese. 1HOO¶,QWURGX]LRQH (1-12), il cui titolo, ³7KURXJK the Fog of Another $OSKDEHW¶´ mutua un verso del poeta italo-albanese Gëzim Hajdari, si giustificano i limiti temporali GHOO¶LQFKLHVWD posti per motivi epistemologici e logistici e si chiarisce inoltre che la ricognizione comprende sia traduzioni comparse su numeri speciali di riviste, sia su cataloghi di mostre (1). La prima parte, ³'LDVSRULF Avant-JDUGHV´ (15-51), comprende quattro capitoli. ³'LDVSRUD and the Avant-garde: A Transnational 7UDMHFWRU\´ (15-21), delinea la natura decentralizzata GHOO¶DYDQJXDUGLD italiana della seconda metà del Novecento (si pensi al Gruppo 63) dove il soggetto poetante rinuncia alla sua posizione centripeta e rimane aux environs, in una frammentazione centrifuga che è al contempo entre-deux foucauldiano e terzo spazio, transnazionale e deterritorializzato, zona franca di resistenza culturale opposta agli stereotipi della 576 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) tradizione (15). In ³$ Diasporic Ancestor: Ezra 3RXQG´ (22-26), il poeta statunitense assurge a ³SURJHQLWRU >«@ of the diasporic tradition >«@´ e diviene ³D mediator between Europe and the US, and a transnational avant-JDUGLVW´ (22). ³5HQDWR Poggioli: The Beginnings of the Italian Diasporic Canon in $PHULFD´ (27-44), illustra il ruolo di padre fondatore del canone diasporico del poeta e traduttore fiorentino (1907-1963) che visse ed operò in ambito statunitense. Arnaldi individua nel poggioliano Teoria GHOO¶DUWH G¶DYDQJXDUGLD (1962) il manifesto programmatico della diaspora, che consacra O¶DYDQJXDUGLD italiana quale espressione più autentica e legittima del sentire moderno (28). ³7KH Hidden Anthologist: Marguerite &DHWDQL¶V Exilic 3DWURQDJH´ (45-51), si sofferma VXOO¶ ³DHVWKHWLF >«@ H[LOH´ (45) della giornalista e traduttrice statunitense divenuta italiana G¶DGR]LRQH e curatrice della Anthology of New Italian Writers (1950), che includeva, tra gli altri, Caproni, Bertolucci, Pasolini, Roversi. La seconda parte del volume, ³7KH Avant-garde and its Diasporic LegacLHV´ (55-80), delinea, in ³5RDULQJ Sixties: Alfredo De Palchi, or the Editor Révolté´ (55-68), la figura del poeta-editore veronese trapiantato a New York e la sua opera di traduttore e cultore delle avanguardie. Della riscoperta della poesia futurista primonovecentesca e del ruolo pivotale da essa giocato nella canonizzazione delle neoavanguardie da parte degli editori statunitensi, si occupa ³'LVSODFLQJ Futurism: Editors and Poets in 1970s and 1980s $PHULFD´ (69-74). ³'LVSHUVLYH Subjectivities: Luigi BallHULQL¶V µ5HVHDUFK $QWKRORJLHV¶´ (75-80), è dedicato al poeta, accademico e antologista, perfezionatore del metodo poggioliano che, in quattro decadi di ³FURVVFXOWXUDO IHUWLOLVDWLRQ´ (79) del canone, ha proiettato O¶DYDQJXDUGLD diasporica italiana nel terzo millennio (75). La terza sezione GHOO¶LQFKLHVWD ³*HQGHULQJ 'LDVSRUD´ (83-117), ospita, in sequenza, ³¶6XMHWV en SURFqV¶ Women and 'LDVSRUD´ (83-86); ³0DLQVWUHDP and Avant-garde: Italian Women Poets in $PHULFD´ (87-93); ³The Defiant Muse: The Horizon(s) of 7KHRU\´ (94-104); e Contemporary Italian Women Poets and the Transnational 3DUDGLJP´ (105-17). Le indagini tracciano rispettivamente: la migrazione delle teorie kristeviane in ambito statunitense con enfasi VXOO¶µHVLOLR¶ diasporico del sujet féminin; la diffusione della poesia femminile italiana negli USA tra gli ultimi anni cinquanta e i pieni anni settanta (con traduzioni di Spaziani, Guidacci, Merini, Marniti); lo scandaglio della prima serie di antologie transnazionali (Italia, Francia, Spagna, Olanda, Israele, Vietnam) di sole autrici. Essa, intitolata: The Defiant Muse: Italian Feminist Poems from the Middle Ages to the Present, fu assemblata da tre donne editrici e pubblicata nel 1986 a New York concomitantemente DOO¶HPHUJHUH e al consolidarsi statunitense delle teorie di genere (Cixous, Irigaray, Kristeva), strettamente intrecciate al discorso decostruzionista derridiano e DOO¶LGHD di margine come third space della critica postcoloniale; e, infine, O¶DQDOLVL GHOO¶DQWRORJLD dedicata alle Contemporary Italian Bookshelf 577 Italian Women Poets (2001), ove le autrici sono considerate quali ³WUDQVQDWLRQDO subjects and figures of PRELOLW\´ (105). La quarta parte dello studio, ³'LDOHFWV and 'LDVSRUD´ (121-68), ospita cinque sezioni: ³'LDOHFW Poetry and the Paradoxes of *ORFDOLVDWLRQ´ (121-24); ³¶)XWXUH¶V Profound 1LJKW¶ Dialect Canons 1940s-V´ (125-31); ³'LDOHFW Poetry in 1970s $PHULFD´ (132-39); ³)RON Forgotten and Displaced: Hermann +DOOHU¶V µ+LGGHQ¶ ,WDOLHV¶´ (140-51); e ³¶0RWKHU *RQH¶ Transnationalising Italian Dialect Poetry in $PHULFD´ (152-68). Nel primo si indagano i nessi tra forme vernacolari e diaspora, e si applica alla poesia dialettale italiana in traduzione inglese il termine di glocalisation (122), vocabolo G¶RULJLQH giapponese trasmigrato poi nel campo economico e sociologico statunitense. Esso diviene ³D paradigm to describe the alternation µIURP the universal to the particular, from world to KRPH¶ which is at the core of Italian dialect SRHWU\´ (122). I rimanenti saggi illustrano, rispettivamente: la scelta di Renato Poggioli ³WR foster the inclusion of dialect poetry in [its American] transplanted WUDGLWLRQ´ (125); lo spostamento del canone diasporico dialettale dal mero µSUHFLSLWDWR¶ linguistico a punta di diamante GHOO¶DYDQJXDUGLD il revival dei dialetti italiani in America in prospettiva sociolinguistica; il ritratto di Luigi Bonaffini, antologizzatore ³>IRVWHULQJ@ a transnational, rather than an ethnic, reading of dialect poetry in the context of the Italian diaspora of the late twentieth and early twenty-first FHQWXU\´   La quinta parte GHOO¶LQGDJLQH ³'LDVSRULF 7UDQVODWLRQ´ (171-206), include quattro interventi. ³7UDQVODWLRQ as Migration: The Unfolding of a 0HWDSKRU´ (17173), affronta il tema della traduzione come metaforica migrazione. ³7KH 7UDQVODWRU¶V Visibility: Loci of 'LIIHUHQFH´ (174-79), tratta della storia e della teoria della traduzione, così come discusse, in chiave benjaminiana, dal teorico e traduttore Lawrence Venuti. ³)RUms of Diasporic Translation: Transliterality, Erraticness, and 0XOWLOLQJXDOLVP´ (180-98), esamina un ³FRUSXV´ di diciotto antologie, come esempio di ³GLDVSRULF WUDQVODWLRQ´ (180) e ne specifica i criteri editoriali e di traduzione. ³7UDQVODWLQJ Degree Zero: The Case of Visual 3RHWU\´ (199-206), applica il barthesiano µJUDGR ]HUR¶ alla traducibilità, prendendo in esame ³QRQ-translated visual SRHP>V@´ che offrono al lettore di lingua inglese ³D PDQLIHVWDWLRQ´ GHOO¶³µLQWHUSHUPHDELOLW\¶ between word and LPDJH¶´ (199) e infrangono la barriera tra verbalità e visualità, divenendo così µXOWUDYHUEDOL¶ (205). ³&RQFOXVLRQV µ7RGD\ is 3URIRXQG¶´ (207-13), illustra il ³SRWHQWLDO for mobility and WUDQVIRUPDWLRQ´ (207) della poesia italiana in traduzione. Chiude O¶LQGDJLQe l'Appendice (215-48), che include la lista descrittiva delle sillogi poetiche tradotte e O¶HOHQFR degli autori antologizzati. /¶LQFKLHVWD ardua e di dichiarata natura compilativa, è sorretta e impreziosita dalla presenza del sostrato teorico della più avvertita critica postmoderna (tra gli altri, Pym 1992, Ranish 2014, Blakesley 2018) che verte sulla funzione attiva e mimetica della traduzione (207). The Diasporic Canon ha il merito di aver sistematizzato un fenomeno sino ad ora esaminato solo per compartimenti stagni e G¶DYHU enucleato efficacemente 578 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) i vettori dinamici e trasformativi che nutrono ed orientano il processo interculturale nella sua prismatica dimensione di pluralismo e transnazionalità. Olimpia Pelosi, State University of New York at Albany Beatrice Barbalato. Carmelo Bene. /¶RULJLQDOH è infedele alla copia. Louvainla-Neuve: Presses Universitaires de Louvain, 2022. Pp. 357. Beatrice Barbalato authors a book on one of the most relevant and complex figures of Italian literature and theater in the twentieth-century, playwriter, director and actor Carmelo Bene. She follows the unfolding of his career, punctuated by the plays he created and staged (mostly in theaters, but for the cinema as well), among which she examines six, from the standpoints of both their philosophical implications and visual renditions. Her book is consequently divided into six chapters, corresponding to the six plays: ³(VVHUH anfibi: Pentesilea e $FKLOOH´ (1137) focuses on Pentesilea, created in two events, one in Milan in 1989, the second in Rome in 1990, and inspired by the Van Kleist 1808s homonymous tragedy. In ³6DORPq di e da Oscar :LOGH´ (39-89), she examines the staging of Oscar :LOGH¶V 1891 French play, Salomè, by Bene in 1964. Chapter 3, ³/RUHQ]DFFLR no, non nego la storia, ma io non F¶HUR´ (91-117), tackles %HQH¶V relaboration of Alfred De Musset ¶V play, Lorenzaccio. Chapter 4, ³/D superba inettitudine di Don *LRYDQQL´ (120-59) analyzes the 1970s movie Don Giovanni, inspired to the short story ³/H plus bel amour de Don -XDQ´ by the French writer Jules Barbey G¶$XUHYLOO\ included in his collection of short stories Les diaboliques, published in 1874. This work is, according to the author, a ³VRUWD di summa del percorso artistico di &%´ (120). In chapter 5, ³'DO Faust di Marlowe al Manfred di %\URQ´ (161-225), the author focuses instead on %HQH¶V reenacting of Christopher 0DUORZH¶V 1590 play The tragical history of the life and death of Doctor Faustus, which he carried out in different instances ³%HQH si è cimentato col mito di Faust in version GLYHUVH´ 165), although two of them are particularly important: Faust e Margherita (1966), and Faust Marlowe Burlesque (1976), although for much of the chapter she founds her analysis on the close-reading of an undated manuscript called Faust. Un dialettismo dialettico bene+male. In chapter 6, ³/D decadenza di Caino: da Sade al S.A.D.E. di Carmelo %HQH´ (227-301), Barbalato deconstructs %HQH¶V 1974 theatrical adaptation of 6DGH¶V 1785 posthumous novel Les 120 journées de Sodome (specifically, the 29th day), along with allusions to another 6DGH¶V writing, La philosophie dans le boudoir (251). In the introductory chapter ³,QWURGX]LRQH´ 7-9), the scholar briefly summarizes her UHVHDUFK¶V main conceptual axes, and provides a quick thematic outline of the six chapters. In the first chapter, the main point is the ambiguity of gender identity (dictating the adjective ³DQILEL´ in the title), stressed by Bene interpreting both characters of Penthesilea and Achillis in the play, a choice based on his ³ULFHUFD di un indistinto SUHLQGLYLGXDOH´ (13). To interpret Von .OHLVW¶V Italian Bookshelf 579 WUDJHG\¶V (?) constitutive ambiguity (which drives %HQH¶V inspiration), Barbalato references Georges Bataille and his notion of ³GpSHQVH´ (18). In the second chapter, she considers the figure of the Baptist as ³LQWUDQVLJHQWH e EDUEDUR´ (40), reconstructing carefully the literary and visual tradition about Salomé (45-55), while stressing the relevance held by )ODXEHUW¶V FKDUDFWHU¶V embodiment in his ¶V short story ³+pURGLDV´ (41, 54-55). In the third chapter, Barbalato examines how Bene deforms the heroic figure of the Medici descendant as sketched by the French Romantic author, based on Benedetto 9DUFKL¶V account provided in his Storia Fiorentina (1527-1538). Reversing De 0XVVHW¶V heroic transfiguration into a ³%UXWR PRGHUQR´ (98), based on the DXWKRU¶V criticism of Louis 3KLOLSSH¶V despotic government (98), Bene makes of him a ³DQWL-HURH´ (98), epitome of a concept of history not based on the linear representation of time, and of the necessity of destiny. On the contrary, Bene considers the historics facts ³VRWWR il registro GHOO¶DVsenza, GHOO¶LPSRVVLELOLWj di dare senso alla VWRULD´ (99). In the fourth chapter, Barbalato examines the work in which the author has better expressed his artistic practice, that, based on the temporal conception just referenced, makes impossible to distinguish between the ³RULJLQDOH e la FRSLD´ (121), and leads to his systemic work consisting of ³PDQRPHWWHUH le opere PDGUL´ (122). Here, for instance, by presenting at once all the different identities Don Giovanni can assume, the outcome is to deprive him of any possible identity (123), forcing him to remain ³VHPSUH identico a se VWHVVR´ (126). The scholar provides then a detailed analysis of Don *LRYDQQL¶V different embodiments throughout history (123-33), starting by his first in 1630, in a play by Tirso da Molina (125). The fifth chapter tackles a similar thrust to domination as it is played out by Don Giovanni. However, while in the former this thrust coincides with Don *LRYDQQL¶V ³libido sentiendi´ (124), hereat play it is rather )DXVW¶V ³libido sciendi´ (124). As for the other characters, for Faust as well Bene enacts a ³JLRFR HVHJHWLFR´ (137), allowing the characters ³GL sottrarsi a quanto ci si aspetta dal loro comportamento, già codificato dalla letteratura e da interpretazioni QRWH´ (137). Here, therefore, reversing another myth of Western culture, Bene opts for 0DUORZH¶V interpretation because this makes him a sort of ³YDPSLUR cioè colui che si adopera er asimilare dalla tenebre tutto quanto gli è SRVVLEOH´ (168), embodied then into the figure of a dandy, who, like the former, ³DVSLUD >«@ ad una non-VWRULD´ (172; cf. 187 as well for this same parallel). In this chapter, Barbalato provides a long review of all possible interpretations given of the character throughout history (167-94). The reference in the same chapter to %HQH¶V 1978 performance of %\URQ¶V drama Manfred (1816 [one of his ³SHUIRUPDQFH più FRQYLQFHQWL´ (171)]) serves the scholar to stress the same ³K\EULV assunta in tutta la sua SLHQH]]D´ (171) as in Faust. The last chapter addresses instead the failure of the Enlightenment, through the mockery of Sade and his illusory mastery of evil: ³6DGH per CB non è convincente nel tentativo di creare un impero del male DXWRUHJJHQWHVL´ (232). Bene therefore employs Sade 580 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) as does Lacan in a 1962 essay ³.DQW avec 6DGH´ 252-255), to criticize the ³VRWWRPLVVLRQH alla Legge della parola che è anche la Legge della castrazione VLPEROLFD´ (253), and to stage their destruction, which, in Bene, is never definitive, but rather derisory. Despite %DUEDODWR¶V thoroughness, clearly displayed in her in-depth knowledge of both %HQH¶V writings (including unpublished manuscripts) and an extensive range of secondary sources (useful to understand %HQH¶V work on the original texts he would readapt in his creations; for both see the ³%LEOLRJUDILD´ 303-337), her scholarly attempt is only partially successful. Following her argument is in fact intrinsically difficult, because of its lack of a clear structure. Her book often takes the aspect of an accumulation of material that, despite being interesting and pertinent, lacks a supplemental work of synthesis and further reflection that would have doubtlessly benefited the presentation of her analysis. The reader of this book should therefore approach it cautiously: focusing on one section at a time would possibly be the best strategy to appreciate %DUEDODWR¶V exceptional knowledge and insights on a very complex figure of the Twentieth century as Bene. Enrico Minardi, Arizona State University Adele Bardazzi, Francesco Giusti, and Emanuela Tandello, eds. A Gaping Wound. Mourning in Italian Poetry. Cambridge: Legenda, 2022. Pp. 187. /¶LQFKLHVWD affronta in sette capitoli il tema del lutto, archetipo antropologico di antiche radici, così come indagato e declinato dalla critica letteraria e culturale contemporanea (1). 1HOO¶,QWURGX]LRQH ³:K\ Mourning in 3RHWU\"´ (1-19), gli editori adottano come fondativo terminus a quo il freudiano Mourning and Melancholia, maturato nel pieno del primo conflitto mondiale e apparso nel 1917. Scritto nel corso della pandemia da coronavirus, in un clima sino ad allora impensabile di perdite e di lutti, A Gaping Wound si propone, nella scia del solco critico postmoderno, la messa in discussione della teoria freudiana GHOO¶³KHDOWK\ mourning´ (1) e intende invece rivalutare la ³PHODQFKROLD´ (ovverossia la condizione emotiva che Freud ancor considerava fenomeno psichico negativo). Il volume vuol quindi enucleare, tramite multiple variazioni su tema, la ³QRQlinear RVFLOODWLRQ´ esistente ³EHWZHHQ the two conditions [mourning and melancholia], in order to explore the potentialities of such an unresolved state and its resonances with lyric GLVFRXUVH´ (1). A tal uopo, i contributori eleggono a loro emblema la barthesiana blessure du deuil che il semiologo francese menziona nel Journal de deuil: 26 octobre 1977-15 septembre 1979, diario G¶HODERUD]LRQH del lutto dopo la morte GHOO¶DGRUDWD madre Henriette. Una ferita aperta che sanguina ad intermittenza e non si cicatrizza, quella di Barthes, epitome della percezione che nel tempo presente si ha della perdita, sia essa prodotto della morte di chi si ama o risultato di catastrofi che spengono i più. Una piaga senza fine, quella del Italian Bookshelf 581 lutto postmoderno, che però, come puntualizzano i curatori, può, proprio in quanto tale, far maturare e ristrutturare il soggetto che la patisce attraverso O¶HVSHULHQ]D salvifica del compianto. In ³7KH Loss of Poetry: /HRSDUGL¶V µ&RUR di PRUWL¶´ (21-35), Emanuela Tandello analizza la ³VHOI-contained stanza di canzone´ (27) incastonata nella quindicesima operetta morale del recanatese, Dialogo di Federico Ruysch e delle sue mummie (1824). Si individua nel µ&RUR¶ O¶apex della ³OLQHD PRUWLIHUD´ (23) leopardiana che V¶HVSULPH (secondo la definizione di Gilberto Lonardi 1978) con la ³¶FRQVWDWD]LRQH del decesso GHOO¶LR¶´ (21). La studiosa individua altresì le immagini del ³ERG\ as VHSXOFKUH´ e della figura retorica della ³prosopopoeia´ (23), tutti elementi dietro i quali O¶LR poetante leopardiano si cela ed eclissa, rinunciando per la prima volta alla sua ³FHQWULSHWDO position [and] its authority over GLVFRXUVH´ (23). Fabio Camilletti, in ³&DUORWWD¶V *KRVW´ (36-46), rilegge /¶HVSHULPHQWR gozzaniano (1908) come un prosieguo della più famosa /¶DPLFD di nonna Speranza (1907). Si dimostra come O¶HODERUD]LRQH fantasmagorica di Gozzano, veicolata attraverso O¶HVSHULHQ]D tattile o psicometrica (41, 43), non si riferisca soltanto a una metaforica séance in cui il poeta diviene medium catalizzatore di fantasmi muliebri ottocenteschi, ma implichi anche una derridiana spectrality e hauntology (39) e una profonda oggettivizzazione inconscia di una memoria ancestrale repressa che (come sottolineato da Abraham e Torok, 1994) riempie il vuoto ³µOHIW within us by the secret of RWKHUV¶ normally parents or JUDQGSDUHQWV¶´ (39). Tale rêverie melancolico-luttuosa cresce in un ³OLPLQDO space between reality and PLPHVLV´ (41), nel rimpianto di un luogo ormai perduto nel tempo (la Torino di metà Ottocento, paradiso fantasmatico gozzaniano da sempre sognato e per sempre irraggiungibile. ³0RXUQLQJ Over Her Image: The Reenactment of Lyric Gestures in Giorgio &DSURQL¶V µ9HUVL OLYRUQHVL¶´ (47-70), di Francesco Giusti, scava nella prima parte della silloge caproniana Il seme del piangere (1959) dedicata in morte alla madre Anna. Riferendosi al Journal de deuil barthesiano, Giusti delinea XQ¶DQDOogia tra il critico francese e il poeta livornese. Egli sostiene che ³IRU both Barthes and Caproni, grief and grieving radically alter not only the subject matter of their writing, but also the modality of ZULWLQJ´ (47). Si mostra come, similmente alla rimembranza barthesiana della madre bambina (La Chambre claire 1980), quello di Caproni divenga un percorso mnestico à rebours che ricrea ³D time-space in which his mother had (or could have had) a life of her own before or outside the VSHDNHU¶V PHPRU\´ (49). In ³*LRUJLR Bassani, the Poet-Ghost, and the Memorial Duty of the 6XUYLYRU´ (7194), Martina Piperno ripercorre le fasi della scrittura bassaniana nella quale ³ZULWLQJ and mourning became fatally LQWHUWZLQHG´ (71) e in cui, scampato alla Shoah, Bassani ne diviene O¶2UIHR che si separa dai morti e torna alla vita per monumentalizzarne la memoria (75). ³7KH Space of Mourning: ElHWWUD¶V mise en abyme´ (95-121), di Marzia '¶$PLFR discute di Amelia Rosselli (1930-1996) che nelle sue liriche ribalta il tradizionale ruolo femminile sublimato e 582 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) subordinato dalla tradizione poetica maschile (95) e si sostituisce ad essa ³SHUIRUPLQJ longing for a male figure >«@ and dislocating her lyric subject into a process of fragmentation and of dialogue with the female classic and modern SDQWKHRQ´ (95). '¶$PLFR mostra che O¶DUFKHWLSR mitografico di Rosselli è quello della kore, O¶HWHUQD ³fanciulla´, dimidiata tra Persefone, ³DQ everlasting PRWKHU¶V GDXJKWHU´ (105) ed Elettra/Amelia, persa nella multipla specularità del compianto per il padre Carlo, capro espiatorio della violenza fascista. ³0RXUQLQJ in Translation: The Sardinian Poetry of Antonella $QHGGD´ (122-47), di Adele Bardazzi, analizza i versi in dialetto logudorese della poetessa, tradotti, dalla stessa, GDOO¶LWDOLDQR dopo XQ¶HVSHULHQ]D di lutto, perché più direttamente consoni DOO¶HVSUHVVLRQH del trauma vissuto. Bardazzi ritiene che tale operazione crei uno spazio di ³FROOHFWLYLVDWLRQ of PRXUQLQJ´ (122) il quale meglio modula O¶HODERUD]LRQH individuale della perdita e stabilisce una zona intermedia che più efficacemente ottempera alla ritualità del lutto. ³0RXUQLQJ and Lyric Address in Vivian /DPDUTXH¶V Madre G¶LQYHUQR´ (148-74), di Vilma De Gasperin, commenta i versi dedicati in morte a XQ¶DOWUD figura materna, quella di Rosa, in cui il dettato poetico si fa struggente elegia e le voci GHOO¶io e del tu sono avvinte in inestricabile intreccio. 1HOO¶³(SLORJXH Towards an Elegiac 0RGH´ (175-84), gli editori sussumono i molteplici spunti di riflessione offerti dai contributi e si interrogano sulla possibile funzione che, nelle decadi a venire, potrebbe avere O¶³HPSOR\PHQW of an elegiac mode of mRXUQLQJ´ (177) anche in XQ¶DUHQD pubblica/politica per cambiare una visione del mondo in cui O¶HYHQWR luttuoso è divenuto tabù da esorcizzare col silenzio. Indagine agile e accattivante, A Gaping Wound fornisce una chiara ed elegante mappatura GHOO¶HYROX]Lone del mourning letterario italiano e si pone come strumento critico innovativo e proficuo a chi voglia conoscere e vagliare il variegato universo della Sehnsucht autoriale postmoderna. Olimpia Pelosi, State University of New York at Albany Günter Berghaus, Monica Jansen, and Luca Somigli, eds. Special Issue ³)XWXULVP and the 6DFUHG´ International Yearbook of Futurism Studies 11 (2021). Pp. 387. Günter Berghaus, Monica Jansen, and Luca Somigli have edited an impressive special issue that brings together a host of scholars working in overlapping but distinct areas to make a valuable intervention into discourses on modern secularism and spirituality. The editors have divided the volume into three thematic groupings, which they neatly articulate in their helpful introduction. These focus on: ³WKH relationship between Futurism and forms of spirituality alternative to traditional, institutionalized UHOLJLRQ´ (xi), ³)XWXULVW religious iconoclasm and its FRQWUDGLFWLRQV´ (xiv), and ³)XWXULVP¶V return to more traditional forms of religion during the second phase of the PRYHPHQW´ (xvi). This Italian Bookshelf 583 division has the merit of highlighting the multifaceted and evolving nature of )XWXULVP¶V relation with the sacred, spanning from its anti-ecclesiastic modernism to its fascination with religious themes and metaphors as well as alternative spiritual practices. The Futurist figures included in the volume bridge the occultism usually associated with fin-de-siècle decadence with )XWXULVP¶V technological iconoclasm and radical modernization of social life. Showing how these strands overlap, sometimes contradicting with one another and sometimes working surprisingly in tandem, the contributions to this special issue demonstrate that the narrative of modernist secularism is far more complex than has often been assumed. The volume thus intervenes into the growing scholarly discourse on how modernity is shaped and influenced by pervasive nineteenth- and twentieth-century interests in ³DOWHUQDWLYH´ modes of engaging the sacred²from Theosophy, Spiritism, and Occultism to varied aesthetic engagements with modern science and parapsychology. The contributions here in fact dovetail with insights of recent work perhaps epitomized by Jason Ɩ Josephson-6WRUP¶V The Myth of Disenchantment: Magic, Modernity, and the Birth of the Human Sciences (Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2017), Leigh :LOVRQ¶V Modernism and Magic: Experiments with Spiritualism, Theosophy, and the Occult (Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 2013), and Joshua Landy and Michael 6DOHU¶V edited volume The Re-Enchantment of the World: Secular Magic in a Rational Age (Stanford: Stanford UP, 2009). What emerges clearly from this special issue of the International Yearbook of Futurism Studies is the enduring force of spiritual beliefs and the role of the sacred even in the midst of a radically anti-clerical modernist movement like Futurism. The YROXPH¶V intervention into this discourse is enriched by its impressive scope. The twelve essays collected here examine Italian Futurism comparatively, dialoguing with European and American examples; it is unfortunately impossible to outline all twelve contributions in detail, but a summary overview indicates both the conceptual and geographic span. Italian Futurists occupy a central position, and of course several essays focus on Marinetti. Barbara 0HD]]L¶V contribution ³0DNLQJ the Tables Dance: Seances, Ghosts and )XWXULVP´ (37-56) connects his recurring interest in the séance to Edgar Allan Poe and Enrico Annibale Butti, among others, and includes a previously unpublished work by Marinetti, ³8QH soirée inoubliable (nouvelle IDQWDVWLTXH ´ Simona &LJOLDQD¶V ³(VRWHULFLVP and the Occult in F.T. Marinetti: Aspects of the Sacred in Futurist *QRVLV´ (131-60) reads 0DULQHWWL¶V novel Mafarka le futuriste (1909) in the tradition of Gnosticism revived through Theosophy. Martina Della &DVD¶V ³5HQHZLQJ the Sacred and the Sublime: From Early Futurist Manifestos to 0DULQHWWL¶V Aeropoem of Jesus´ (259-80) highlights key manifestos spearheaded by Marinetti and his later aeropoems, tracing his debt to Cesare $QJHOLQL¶V writings on the Holy Land, which his poetry transforms into a form of Futurist marvel that Della Casa connects to the Kantian sublime. Tania 584 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Collani, on the other hand, examines how 0DULQHWWL¶V theoretical antiRomanticism is complicated by the poetic and painterly practices of artists like Enrico Cavacchioli and Vinicio Paladini. Other contributions put more emphasis on the visual arts, such as Massimo ,QWURYLJQH¶V ³)XWXULVP and Theosophy: Giacomo Balla and His &LUFOH´ (3-36), which depicts Balla at the center of a cultural network seeking to oppose Roman Catholicism through alternative spiritualities; Jennifer S. *ULIILWKV¶ ³Stati G¶DQLPR: Futurism, Theosophy and 3RUWUDLWXUH´ (57-82) also examines Balla, together with Boccioni, Benedetta, and Zátková, showing how these artists use Theosophical principles to connect to inner psychological states through color and lines. On the other hand, Zoë Marie -RQHV¶V ³)URP Futurism to Spiritual Classicism: Gino Severini and the NeoCatholic Avant-JDUGH´ (281-98) shows how the Italian painter bridged modernist form with the religious outlook of the French anti-modernist philosopher Jacques Maritain. Meanwhile, more overlooked figures are also highlighted in important treatments here, with Dalila &ROXFFL¶V ³7XOOLR G¶$OELVROD¶V /¶DQJXULD lirica (1934): Female Transubstantiation and a New Religion of Poetic 0DWHULDOLW\´ (225-58) connecting $OELVROD¶V tin book to 'DQWH¶V Commedia as a profane rewriting of revelation, and Paola 6LFD¶V ³/HDQGUD Angelucci Cominazzini: Revisiting the Futurist Debate on Speed, the Sacred and the 6SLULWXDO´ (299-324), examines the afterlife of )XWXULVP¶V ambivalent relation to the sacred in the visual art of this understudied female artist. These essays on Italian figures are balanced with several that consider Polish Futurism, American musical ultra-modernism and its relations to European Futurism, and Spanish Ultraism. Beata ĝQLHFLNRZVND¶V ³5HOLJLRXV Traces within Polish Futurism: Entangled Ways of the 6DFUHG´ (161-200) shows how religious ambivalence is visible in work by Aleksander Wat, Anatol Stern, and Tytus &]\ĪHZVNL who intermingle Catholic and occult spiritualities. John M. $QGULFN¶V ³)XWXULVW Dissonance, Theosophical Transcendence and American Musical UltraModernism, 1909-´ (107-30) argues that Luigi 5XVVROR¶V Theosophical theories of music were integral to Italian )XWXULVP¶V Transatlantic influence on American music. And Zachary Rockwell /XGLQJWRQ¶V ³6SDQLVK 8OWUDLVP¶V Sacred Woman of the )XWXUH´ (201-24) likewise traces how Italian )XWXULVP¶V inversion of religious tradition impacted the development of the Spanish avant-gardes. This wide-spanning and comparative collection thus traces the contours of a complex relation to the sacred running across diverse moments and locales of Futurist experimentation. Bringing together leading voices from across geographies and languages, the volume also places needed emphasis on figures and connections that deserve further consideration. More than anything, however, the great merit of this volume is to further complicate our narratives about the supposed secularism of modernity by showing how Futurism is at once profanely sacred and sacredly profane. Michael Subialka, University of California, Davis Italian Bookshelf 585 Antonio Bibbò. Irish Literature in Italy in the Era of the World Wars. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022. Pp. 304. Literary relationships between Ireland and Italy have historically been overlooked in academic research and analysis: Antonio %LEEz¶V Ireland and Italy in the Era of the World Wars offers a welcome correction to this problem. What is the place of translation in the transnational exchange and dissemination of drama and literature? How do gatekeepers influence these exchanges? How does the perception of national identity inform what is disseminated abroad? More particularly, how does ,UHODQG¶V literary ambiguity influence its Italian reception? These are several of the critical questions that Ireland and Italy seeks to answer, and it does so with admirable detail and complexity. Set in a crucial moment of historical and literary output, the ERRN¶V concern, in the word of the author, is ³QRW with the mere recording of all translations of Irish writing in Italy >«@ but with the way notions of Ireland influenced the reception and circulation of Irish OLWHUDWXUH´ (9). Indeed, the author intricately reconceives what Declan Kiberd calls ³LQYHQWLQJ´ Ireland into ³LPDJLQLQJ´ Ireland, vis-à-vis the authors, playwrights, and translators with whom he engages. The DXWKRU¶V aim, as stated in the introductory chapter entitled ³,PDJLQLQJ Ireland in ,WDO\´ (1-25), is ³WR make a case for including foreign texts in the study of domestic OLWHUDWXUHV´ as well as ³WR stress the need to look at literary traditions beyond national borders, considering their transnational UDPLILFDWLRQV´ (8). %LEEz¶V second chapter, the ³(DUO\ Irlandesisti´ (27-81), introduces critical Italian Hibernophile mediators and disseminators who considered how to best present Irish Home Rule and the struggle for Irish independence to an Italian readership. Subsequently, Bibbò takes on Joyce as an Italian-Irish intellectual, ³ZKR tried, and mostly failed, to render the conversation about Ireland in Italy more nuanced and less reliant upon British sources and Arnoldian age-old VWHUHRW\SHV´ (62). The challenges that Joyce, and later Yeats, faced in the Italian market represent only one of the many interesting examples in the book of how Italian translators and cultural mediators shaped and negotiated Irish identity. These changes ebb and flow across the span of the two world wars and range from a perceived sense of Irish rebelliousness; from myth and folklore to a shared Celtic identity; from nonEnglishness to Englishness, and away from the virile and primitive and back again. The DXWKRU¶V third chapter, ³)DOVH Start: Carlo Linati and the ,ULVK´ (83-177), sheds new light on Linati as a crucial early translator and mediator of Irish plays and literature in interwar Italy. ³,ULVK GUDPD´ Bibbò writes, ³ZDV introduced to Italy by Carlo Linati, a respected figure at the start of century and the first irlandesista who accompanied his interest in Irish literature with a consistent program of WUDQVODWLRQV´ (84). /LQDWL¶V introduction of Irish authors and playwrights to Italian readers is examined in detail in this chapter, including how he aimed to create a symbiosis between Ireland and Italy vis-à-vis 6\QJH¶V works. 586 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) The chapter likewise offers welcome new insights into the contributions of two Italian women mediators, Emma Gramatica and Eleonora Duse. Both Gramatica and Duse worked with Linati to raise awareness of Irish drama in Italy; Gramatica, for instance, was blamed by critics for the failure of 6KDZ¶V Playboy of the Western World because of her poor interpretation of the character of Christy. Later chapters of Irish Literature in Italy in the Era of the World Wars concentrate on ³,UHODQG in Fascist ,WDO\´ (179-252) and on Irish theater in the war years (253-282). Here Bibbò notes how versions of Irishness are renegotiated for political purposes and examines the moment when Irish literature goes mainstream. Strangely enough, this move to a wide Italian readership occurs through the publication of The Lake and Esther Waters, two of George 0RRUH¶V novels: ³7KH ¶V saw the inclusion of Irish writers in the catalogues of more middlebrow publishers such as Mondadori and the recently established 5L]]ROL´ (235). Whereas Shaw and Wilde were previously overlooked as Irish writers, under Italian Fascism they were now embraced as such. On a practical level, small details of concern arise. For instance, the author names the work as one addressing Irish literature between the world wars. Instead, much of the book focuses specifically upon the influence and tradition of Irish theatre in interwar Italy. In the DXWKRU¶V general engagement throughout the text, the development of Irish literature in and upon the Italian literary canon is sometimes cast aside for a more complex analysis of Irish plays and their Italian reception. Several passages are marred by overreference to previous or subsequent topics of discussion, and the overuse of subordinate clauses distracts from the valuable information which the author brings to light. A closer collaboration between the author and the editorial team would address these considerations. In any event, it would behove the writer to take a step back and reconsider the larger picture of Irish literary and theatrical influence upon an Italian understanding of Irish identity, rather than to become overly bogged down in a flurry of detail that becomes frustratingly wordy or vague. The DXWKRU¶V analysis of Silvio '¶$PLFR¶V review of Linati in the discussion of Emma Gramatica (112), for instance, supports the credence that simpler oftentimes is better. Notwithstanding these minor concerns, Irish Literature in Italy in the Era of the World Wars offers a meaningful, perceptive and, as John McCourt has rightfully stated, a ³SDLQVWDNLQJO\ UHVHDUFKHG´ innovative analysis of the reception of Irish literature and theatrical dialogue in a historically crucial moment for both Ireland and Italy. Literature from the Isola di Smeraldo, as Nicola 7XUFKL¶V 1914 introduction to Ireland calls ³7KH Emerald ,VOH´ at times receives a controversial or ambivalent reception into the Italian literary canon. Despite these challenges, the valuable literary connection between Ireland and il bel paese fostered in the interwar period is one that reflects meaningful trans-European connection. Irish Literature in Italy in the Era of the World Wars contributes Italian Bookshelf 587 significantly to a fuller understanding of these interactions, offering new insight into the voices that shaped Irish-Italian literary and cultural exchange. Kristina Rose Varade, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY Cecilia Brioni. Fashioning Italian Youth. Young 3HRSOH¶V Identity and Style in Italian Popular Culture, 1958-75. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2022. Pp. 256. Cecilia %ULRQL¶V cultural history provides a comprehensive exploration of two hitherto neglected aspects of study: young ,WDOLDQ¶V style and youth-oriented media during crucial years of the post-war period. She traces how a giovane identity was constructed in these years through references to style trends. In analysing media representations of clothing, hairstyles, dances, and spaces occupied by young people, Brioni explores the ways in which youth fashion concurrently reveals how young Italians became consumers in this period, but were also able to use clothes to express political and social claims. These style trends show the influence of global trends coming into Italy from other Western countries and become sites of struggle around stereotypical gender roles that were being challenged in this period. The analysis enables Brioni to challenge the idea that popular media tended to (re)produce normative representations of young people in this period. Rather, her monograph shows how ³SRSXODU culture is a site of negotiation between normative and subversive discourses, between the perpetuation of stereotypes and the circulation of emancipatory GLVFRXUVHV´ (2). The volume opens with an effective ³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ (1-28) that explains how the key terms of youth, i giovani (as a constructed, performative identity), style, transnationalism, and gender are deployed throughout the analysis. The critical frameworks upon which Brioni draws are wide-ranging, fully appropriate for a truly interdisciplinary study such as this. Brioni deftly draws her critical lenses together in a way that facilitates her new insights into this much-studied period of twentieth century Italian history. Her choice of sources also support this: Musicarelli films, youth-oriented television programmes, and the magazine titles Ciao amici, Big, and Giovani (and subsequent versions of these) are still rarely the focus of sustained scholarly study, and even more rarely brought into dialogue. %ULRQL¶V astute choices mean she can comment on hitherto unexplored aspects of the discourses that Italian popular culture was creating and promoting about young people in this period. Chapter 1, ³Urlatori and amici, 1958-´ (29-56), focuses on 1958-1965, and on two particular giovani constructs: urlatori and amici. A distinction between µ\RXWK-as-WURXEOH¶ and ³\RXWK-as-IXQ´ is at work here, but both identities also reveal the impact in Italy of non-national cultural forms. The urlatori became vehicles for domesticating generational struggle and tempering concerns about Americanisation. The amici construct drew on French approaches to distancing 588 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) fun-loving giovani from the ³\RXWK-as-WURXEOH´ categorisation, through a label that included all youth whilst also representing their gradual homogenisation. The beats of 1965-67 are considered in Chapter 2, ³Beats, 1965-´ (57-108). Brioni analyses the countercultural meanings of beat and shows how the media domesticated subcultural elements. Beat became a performance, as revealed by Musicarelli of this period. She also explores the transnational meaning of beat and ³LQYHVWLJDWHV how youth-oriented media in Italy translated the foreign inspiration of the beats through µPLUURULQJ¶ or RWKHULQJ¶ language and practices coming from other FRXQWULHV´ (58). She then examines the impact of beat on standards of attractiveness and the way that youth-oriented media dispersed tensions around gender that long hair for young men and androgyny for young women might otherwise have created. BrionL¶V analysis of case studies Rita Pavone and Caterina Caselli deserves special mention: the persuasive close reading of Musicarelli performances and magazine articles reveals mechanisms by which popular culture sought to contain female sexuality in this period. Chapter 3, ³Hippies, 1967-´ (109-59), examines the hippy in 1967-70. Brioni argues here that the hippy style enabled a normative representation of young people and was in opposition to adults and the beats as consumers. Commercialisation became the equivalent of inauthenticity in this period and hippy stars like Lucio Battisti became popular precisely thanks to their ³DXWKHQWLFLW\´ Brioni also considers transhistorical and transnational influences at play for the hippy: American culture of the 1930s and the Afro style. Finally, the chapter explores the impact of the hippy style on the erosion of boundaries between masculine and feminine style, and the influence of social and gender anxieties in youth-oriented media. The focus on Patty Pravo as a case study here adds particular depth and richness to %ULRQL¶V analysis. Chapter 4, ³)UDJPHQWHG youth, 1970-´ (160-209), concentrates on 197075 and shows how the largely homogenised construction of youth (beat then hippy), was beginning to fragment. During 1970, there was an attempted normalisation of the giovane style, which Brioni presents as a political act that coincided with the representation of young people as political subjects against an increasingly polarised political context. However, the homogenised giovane construct began to disintegrate and different communities of young people became more visible in youth-oriented media. %ULRQL¶V focus on gender identities is particularly revealing; her analysis of the impact of trousers for young women and glam music and style for young men, against a backdrop of concerns over sexual and gender identities, is persuasive, as is her consideration of the impact of transnational stars like Tina Turner and David Bowie. %ULRQL¶V ³&RGD´ (210-16) concludes thus: ³Sopular FXOWXUH¶V subversive power needs to be further acknowledged in the Italian studies context, where a prejudice on the academic relevance of popular cultural forms sometimes prevents scholars from critically engaging with WKHP´ (215). Her volume provides an effective and exceptional model for such critical engagement: the blend of Italian Bookshelf 589 carefully selected source material, close analysis, critical and cultural commentary, and exploration of wider implication reveals precisely the richness of popular culture as a field of enquiry with reference here to young people. Her analysis focuses on the significance of this construction of a giovane identity and as such rightly engages only briefly with the adult producers of the youth-oriented media considered; their role would merit further investigation. Nevertheless, the book well highlights ³WKH contradictory and multiple power relations between institutions, social groups, and individuals [at play] in Italian VRFLHW\´ (216) and thus will become the primary reference text for scholars and students. It is foundational reading for anyone looking at the 1960s and 1970s, style trends of the post-war period, and the media representation of young Italians. Rachel Haworth, PhD University of Leeds Simone Brioni. /¶,WDOLD O¶DOWURYH Luoghi, spazi, attraversamenti nel cinema e nella letteratura sulla migrazione. Venezia: Edizioni &D¶ Foscari, 2022. Pp. xii + 184. The book makes an original contribution to the ³WUDQVQDWLRQDO WXUQ´ (Bond 2014) recently adopted by Italian Studies. Offering a thoughtful and eclectic range of literary, filmic, and visual sources it takes into account different space depictions and apprehends Italy in a polycentric, discontinuous, and global perspective. In doing so, the author aims to (1) show how discourses and images are capable of transforming and subverting hegemonic narratives about migration in Italy and beyond; and (2) manifest alternative envisions of inclusion into society, citizenship, and language. In terms of structure, the book is divided into three sections²³/XRJKL´ (22-69), ³6SD]L´ (73-106), ³$WWUDYHUVDPHQWL´ (109-50)² each of which includes two chapters, and it ends with a short appendix² ³'HFRORQL]]DUH lo VSD]LR´ (151-58). The first section focuses on the notion of place through a threefold characterisation, which, in turn, follows the definition offered by Gieryn (2000). Brioni identifies the place according to three pivotal features: geographical position, material form, and human commitment in terms of meaning. In this vein, the first section develops, in two separate chapters, an analysis of two places, which are fundamentally crucial in Italian migration history. The first chapter ³, SRQWL´ (27-43) engages with representations of bridges in novels, movies and paintings produced by Italian immigrants in the USA or descendants of Italo-American communities. Endorsing a chronological approach, Brioni argues that ³LO ponte non è visto solo come elemento di congiunzione, ma anche di contrasto e separazione tra la cultura italiana e quella americana in termini di classe, sistema di valori (e in particolare riguardo DOO¶LGHD di giustizia) e costruzione GHOO¶LGHQWLWj razziaOH´ (28). 590 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) The chapter, accordingly, examines a multifaceted plethora of materials which cover Italo-American 20th-century history in order to challenge the consolidated vision of the bridge as a metaphor for the cultural encounter. Ranging from the representations of Brooklyn Bridge in Joseph 6WHOOD¶V paintings to the cult movie Saturday Night Fever and Bridges of Sighs (Richard Russo 2007), the author offers an ambitious and thought-provoking account of socioeconomic and existential difficulties suffered by Italian immigrants and ItaloAmericans in the USA. Intensively committed to the variety of books, movies and paintings considered and quoted, Brioni convincingly concludes that the bridge is a model of culture constantly involved in translation, exchange, and resignification processes. The second chapter ³6WD]LRQH 7HUPLQL´ (45-69) analyses the famous railway station vertically²the construction of hierarchies within a place²and horizontally²the historical development and changes. Brioni adopts a Foucauldian perspective, considering the Termini station a prototype of heterotopia, a place that ³MX[WDSRVHV in a single real place several spaces, several emplacements that are in themselves LQFRPSDWLEOH´ (Michel Foucault, ³Of Other 6SDFHV´ Heterotopia and the City: Public Space in a Postcivil Society, edited by Michel Dehaene and Lieven De Cauter, New York: Routledge, 2006, 13-29, cit. in Brioni, 46). While Fascism celebrates Termini as a monument of the imperial Roman past and the Futuristic movement glorifies it as the myth of speed, the station emerges in the post-war scenario as a heterotopia where different alterities do not fit into the modern social order. The station ³>q@ considerata come XQ¶LPPDJLQH distorta del processo italiano di modernizzazione e delle sue ansie, e come un riflesso del rapporto del paese con la sua DOWHULWj´ (46). Finally, within the contemporary transnational geographies, the station appears ³FRPH un luogo di incontro o come un nuovo centro della FLWWj´ (47). Interestingly, the chapter offers a cutting-edge close reading of novels and films such as Scontro di civiltà per un ascensore a Piazza Vittorio (Amara Lakhous 2006), Civico 0 (Francesca Maselli 2007), and Bianco e nero (Cristina Comencini 2008) that reveal how Termini manifestly depicts a socio-political palimpsest of memories and images, which bring into contact different subjectivities. Moving from places to spaces, the second section focuses on representations of America and Italy. More specifically, this section analyses how national, abstract, and imaginary spaces have been presented in an immaterial dimension. The third chapter ³/¶$PHULFD´ (73-91) is an account of the trilogy of America by Gianfranco Pannone²Piccola America (1991), Lettere GDOO¶$PHULFD (1995), /¶$PHULFD a Roma (1998). The documentaries produce diverse portrayals of America as an imaginary space respectively created by PLJUDQWV¶ letters in Italy, in the USA, and cinematic spaces reimagined in Italian western movies. The trilogy does not narrate a pure reality, putting in tension the real and its representation. It articulates instead the strict division among history, memory, and nostalgia. In this trilogy, Brioni emphasises that nostalgia ³q presentata come Italian Bookshelf 591 uno strumento per ripensare la storia µLWDOLDQD¶ in una dimensione trans-QD]LRQDOH´ (18). Particularly worthwhile, the fourth chapter ³/¶,WDOLD´ (93-106) is an in-depth reading of how Jhumpa Lahiri represents the country in In altre parole. By venturing into a meditation on ODQJXDJH¶V potentialities in terms of power deconstruction, Brioni gives fruitful access to the nexus between linguistic and transnational geography. Lastly, the third section, together with the final appendix, manifests another tendency implicitly emerging in the book: the attraction towards some practices that reconfigure spaces. The fifth chapter ³&DPPLQDUH´ (109-33) refers to walking as an epistemic practice which allows us to understand capitalistic modernity and its exclusion spaces. Notwithstanding a broad corpus of works analysed, Brioni convincingly succeeds in making explicit the relationship between walking and environmental activism. The same fascination with militancy permeates the last chapter ³*XLGDUH´ (135-50) which focuses on the road movie Talien (Elia Moutamid 2018). Driving represents a possibility to reconfigure spaces, cross social frontiers, and imagine new forms of national inclusion. Interestingly, the final appendix moves from literary and cinematic readings to more concrete Italian examples of practices of reconfiguring spaces like public monuments, archives on the Internet or city mapping, which are not adequately considered yet by scholarship. In this sense, the appendix tracks a lack of knowledge in the field that the author undoubtedly identifies. To conclude, /¶LWDOLD O¶DOWURYH Luoghi, spazi, attraversamenti nel cinema e nella letteratura sulla migrazione is a versatile and many-sided study, which poignantly amplifies how culture and national identity can be reconsidered more inclusively within a world massively marked by global mobility. At its best, the book will appear fascinating to readers interested in Italian studies, migration studies, film, and comparative literature. Additionally, it will pave a productive way for scholars who pursue theoretical, literary, and cinematic investigations. Jacopo Francesco Mascoli, PhD Candidate, University of Warwick Lindsay Caplan. Arte Programmata. Freedom, Control, and the Computer in 1960s Italy. U of Minnesota P, 2022. Pp. 319. Arte Programmata. Freedom, Control, and the Computer in 1960s Italy analyzes the trajectory of artists working as collectives, namely and predominantly Gruppo T and Gruppo N, experimenting with various technological systems in Italy through the 1960s and the early 1970s. The book starts in 1962, the year these artists were featured in a show sponsored by the Italian information technology company Olivetti, maker of the renowned portable typewriters Lettera 22 and Valentine. The exhibition titled Arte Programmata (Programmed Art) was hosted in 2OLYHWWL¶V showroom in Milan and brought to the public early attempts of 592 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) adapting the logic of computer programs to art. Olivetti was an ideal patron for the exhibition, which was sponsored through their cultural programming, part of the FRPSDQ\¶V benefit package aiming to enrich the life of its employees²a unique approach to thinking about a balance between social solidarity and profit, according to many. Stemming from the H[KLELWLRQ¶V title, Caplan extends the frame of Arte Programmata to a way of making art politically connected with, in response to, and in contrast with capitalism, during the two decades under investigation. Caplan reflects on the DUWLVWV¶ intent to claim freedom and agency for, she affirms ³$UWH Programmata envisioned alternatives²of how technology might be designed and deployed to resist systems of SRZHU´ (3) while ³WKH works sought to generate aesthetic experiences that resist individuation and stage the inextricable connection between spontaneous, free action and an operable social VSKHUH´ (39). The book investigates several crucial aspects of Arte Programmata that are globally still current in contemporary artistic practices today. First, there is the historic relationship between art, technology, and power. For instance, a significant point of the book deals with how ³DQ optimistic stance toward science and tHFKQRORJ\´ was somehow impossible for artists in Western Europe (147). Caplan argues in contrast that a different approach emerged in Eastern Europe as a result of the series of events and publications surrounding Tendencies 4, in Zagreb (144-47). Tendencies was a relevant series of exhibitions of contemporary art in Eastern Europe that started under the title ³1HZ 7HQGHQFLHV´ in Zagreb (Croatia, then Yugoslavia) in 1961, and lasted until the late 1970s. While artists in Eastern Europe could be absorbed by the lure of mechanization and innovation, artists in Western Europe were preoccupied with power structures and war. Second, the ERRN¶V main concern is the ongoing tension between individual and collective artistic practices, in particular when using information technology. Even though the timeframe clearly investigates the trajectory of Arte Programmata in the 1960s and early 1970s, the discussion regarding collective work, authorship, and the involvement of the beholder seem strikingly relevant following the recent conversations over the prominent contemporary art exhibition Documenta 15, whose curatorial endeavor of its 2022 edition was commissioned to an art collective. Last, the book touches on how transmedia artistic practices are often challenged by the conflict between novelty and clarity (149). From a curatorial stance, transmedia artworks are at times difficult to interpret or to contextualize because of the use of electronic devices with which the audience is familiar outside of the visual and cultural artistic context. By exploring several exhibitions in Italy, Europe, and the US, the book reflects on how the art was presented and aims to reconfigure initial interpretations and misinterpretations of Arte Programmata. Some of the visual material considered in the book comes from the personal archives of Davide Boriani (b. 1936), Gianni Colombo (1937-1993), Gabriele Devecchi (1938-2011) of Gruppo T, and of Manfredo Massironi (1937-2011) founder of Gruppo N, including sketches and Italian Bookshelf 593 plans of ephemeral installations rarely assembled in gallery spaces or museums today. This photographic material makes the book an important testimony to artistic practices often challenged by technological obsolescence. The relationship between art and politics is analyzed under the lens of collective action, a way of social mobilization widely used, discussed, and actively conceptualized in Italy and elsewhere, in the 1960s and 1970s. Operating in the midst of the Italian economic boom, a period of favorable internal and foreign market convergent factors and cheap labor, followed by the political and social unrest of the late 1960s and 1970s, individual artists and collectives responded to systems of power with experimental and innovative work. The ambienti (Environments) of Gruppo T and Gruppo N attempted to overcome boundaries between viewers and the work of art by creating immersive experiences in which a space was imbued by sensor driven lights that responded to movement. According to Caplan, this experience aimed to reintroduce the spectators into the social sphere from which they had been alienated as a result of mass media communication. The strategy was to use a combination of programming²as a metaphorical political plan towards a ³OLEHUDWHG activated, and free spectator of DUW´ (100)²as an emancipatory force of RQH¶V subjectivity. Unlike similar artistic practices elsewhere, such as the interactive works by the French collective GRAV (Group de Recherche G¶$UW Visuel), however, Caplan affirms that the Italian artistic context was indelibly tied to govern politics while directly criticizing technological developments in relation to the market. Indeed, throughout the work, Caplan investigates the relationship between political theories within and outside Italian political forces, from the Communist Party to Operaismo (Workerism) to Autonomia Operaia, and their impact on Arte Programmata. In particular, the book explores the links between the art of Gruppo T, Gruppo N, and Enzo Mari with the political influence of Autonomia, Operaia and Operaismo, the far-left political groups whose driving intellectual forces were Toni Negri and Mario Tronti, respectively. Connections with Autonoma Operaia were visible mostly in the direct involvement of the beholder in activating the immersive environment created by the artists, and in 1HJUL¶V idea that ³VXEMHFWLYLW\ is created by material VWUXFWXUH´ (210). A similar point had already emerged in Jaleh 0DQVRRU¶V Marshall Plan Modernism: Italian Postwar Abstraction and the Beginnings of Autonomia (2016). Both &DSODQ¶V and 0DQVRRU¶V accounts are corroborated by numerous scholarly publications that have rediscovered Autonomia as a cultural²in addition to a political² constellation and have brought to the fore the legacy of Italian political thought of the time. It is undeniable that the political struggles and ideals of 1960s and 1970s Italy were actively carried out in the work of prominent artists, writers, film 594 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) directors as well as by intellectuals at the time²including the movement of Arte Povera. Unsurprisingly, when Arte Programmata was featured in the 1965 exhibition entitled ³7KH Responsive (\H´ at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Italian artists were baffled by the lack of engagement with their political dimension, and, by the mere celebration of illusionism²the optical deceit of the work²since they felt it relegated their endeavor to the sphere of entertainment with no potential to intervene in the social realm. The artists involved in the New York exhibition were Gruppo N, and Enzo Mari. The latter had been exhibiting with the Gruppo T and Gruppo N since 1962, and his work is analyzed throughout the book in conversation with them. The reaction to the exhibition brought Mari and Gruppo N to revisit their artistic approach to technology in order to accomplish what the author defines as the ³DUWLVW¶V fantasy that collective authorship would automatically engender a collective mode of VSHFWDWRUVKLS´ (105). For some, the response came from cybernetics. Therefore, in order to emphasize unpredictability, they ³WXUQHG mathematical theories of information into a theory of DUW¶V political ZRUN´ (127). Information, however, is not seen or analyzed as an artistic medium, but is rather ³D way to conceptualize the environment as a network of channels, flows, and discrete VLJQDOV´ (132). The environment becomes the medium even though it remains intrinsically related to the potential and the limits of information²intended only as a communication exchange²and information technology. The struggle between the rigidity of the medium, its cultural and political implications, as well as the limits of 1960s information technology tools, is a common thread among the artists. However, the book argues, ³DQ unforeseeable number of possible IRUPV´ can be generated by the fixedness of a computer program, in line with Umberto (FR¶V approach to new languages as expressed in his relevant book The Open Work (Opera Aperta, 1962). The novelty of &DSODQ¶V book is in trying to expand the concept of ³SURJUDPPHG´ from the realm of computing into the realms of politics and sociality, by drawing a parallel between the DUWLVWV¶ intent and the political thought of the Italian left. Eventually, DUWLVWV¶ concerns with the consequences and the potential of information technology on collectivity brought them to work with its multiple dynamics, first embracing them, then rejecting them, to finally arrive at a synthesis of art and life through industrial design. This effect has been true specifically for Enzo Mauri whose contribution turned out to be highly influential for the Italian design industry. By focusing attention on artistic practices that contrast with or try to disrupt the overwhelming power of information technology and media under capitalism, the book convincingly unveils the story of the ³H[SORVLYH diversification of strategies across movements in ,WDO\´ (233), which reverberates in later artworks based on relational aesthetics, and the critical exploration of the social. At the same time, the book advocates for form²in this case, ³WKH SURJUDP´²as a Italian Bookshelf 595 fundamental element through which it is possible to act upon structures such as collectivity, freedom, subjectivity, and social life. Valeria Federici, University of Maryland Daria Catulini. /¶LQILQLWR proliferare GHOO¶HVVHUH Poesia e immaginario in Andrea Zanzotto. Roma: Carocci, 2021. Pp. 154. Il testo di Catulini propone una lettura critica e comparatistica GHOO¶RSHUD di Andrea Zanzotto attorno al concetto di ³LPPDJLQDULR´ inteso come insieme di costellazioni tematiche che ne hanno caratterizzato il pensiero e la poetica. Attraverso i quattro capitoli in cui si articola il volume, O¶DXWULFH ricostruisce le traiettorie di altrettanti nuclei tematici, che pure eccedono lo spazio ad essi dedicato. Il linguaggio, il vegetale e la geologia come campi simbolico-metaforici e, infine, la spazialità ³LQWHVD come nozione che ingloba quelle di paesaggio, natura ed HFRVLVWHPD´ (10), si depositano, uno VXOO¶DOWUR come strati di un ordito complesso e in continua rimodulazione. Premessa fondamentale per il delinearsi di un percorso che DOO¶HUPHQHXWLFD letteraria affianca la filosofia, O¶DQWURSRORJLD e la psicopatologia, è la riflessione sul linguaggio nel suo essere ³FRQQHWWLYR´ e ³GLVJUHJDWLYR sia unione sia VSDFFDWXUD´ (57). Fin dal principio infatti Catulini imposta il discorso mantenendo quella peculiare tensione/opposizione che caratterizza O¶LQWHUD opera zanzottiana tra due poli valoriali uguali e contrari, punti limite di uno spazio tra O¶XQR e O¶DOWUR DOO¶LQWHUQR del quale si dispiega la poesia, il logos ³VHPSUH sopravveniente in un non-OXRJR´ (25). La ricorsività con cui in Zanzotto si passa dalla disgregazione² ³SVLFKLFD ambientale, OLQJXLVWLFD´ (7)²alla ricomposizione scandisce anche il ritmo su cui si accorda il respiro del discorso di Catulini che, nello spingersi idealmente con O¶DXWRUH fino DOO¶LUULVROYLELOH vertigine del linguaggio, ad ogni biforcazione del pensiero illustra O¶XQD e O¶DOWUD strada, coesistenti e possibili nella sospensione del principio di non contraddizione. Il contesto teorico di riferimento con cui i testi poetici sono in dialogo è in primis quello del post strutturalismo e in specifico Rizoma, di Deleuze e Guattari (1977). /¶LPPDJLQH che contiene e oltrepassa al tempo stesso gli schemi opposti GHOO¶DOEHUR e della radice ha a che fare, in effetti, con il modus operandi di Zanzotto, fatto di continui ritorni e impercettibili scarti con cui tesse un sistema fitto di ³LQWHUVFDPELR mobile tra i suoi OLEUL´ (26). Stratificazione, molteplicità, ripetizione, reversibilità e variabilità appartengono tanto al concetto filosofico di rizoma quanto DOO¶RSHUD poetica di Zanzotto, di cui Catulini, partendo da Galateo in bosco (1978), evidenzia proprio O¶DVFHQGHQ]D filosofica. '¶DOWUR canto, la radice bulbiforme che è metafora di un pensiero che si dipana liberamente in tutte le direzioni generando alleanze creative trova il suo doppio nella vitalba, pianta che ³ID il suo ingresso nella botanica zanzottiana a partire dal testo Sedi e siti di Meteo 596 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) (1996), rendendo evidente la predilezione GHOO¶DXWRUH per le specie infestanti e UDPSLFDQWL´ (35). È questa vitalità multiforme e ostinata, sfuggente ad ogni nominazione, che compone il vocabolario della metaforologia vegetale in cui si sostanzia la spinta ³HXIRULFD gioiosa, >«@ verso la luce esplosiva delle fioriture GHOO¶HVVHUH (la ‫ދ‬IDVH GHOHX]LDQD‫( ´ ތ‬7) del poeta. Nella fuga dalla razionalità del pensiero dualistico, oltre a Deleuze, Catulini riprende anche la lezione della Botanica parallela di Lionni (1976), affermando che ³LO regno vegetale è [in Zanzotto] il campo semantico che si presta a concettualizzare le efflorescenze della lingua, O¶LQILQLWj delle combinazioni cui essa può dare YLWD´ (47). Contrappeso della botanica è la geologia, cui Catulini dedica il terzo capitolo: spesso si è parlato della poesia di Zanzotto facendo ricorso a termini legati alla mineralogia, evocando da un lato ³O¶LGHD di una resistenza-solidità aggregativa, assimilabile a quella di originarietà DXWHQWLFD´ (53), GDOO¶DOWUR la dimensione residuale della scoria o del detrito, fino alla deiezione, di montaliana memoria. Il contrario GHOO¶HVWURIOHVVLRQH del linguaggio che segue il proliferare vegetale sarà, allora, il coagularsi della lingua attorno a dei nuclei di verità, seppur depotenziati in partenza, un ripiegarsi su se stessa come concrezione minerale che scava verso un abisso interiore . La geologia è inoltre il terreno di confronto attivo tra Zanzotto e il ³JHRORJR sui generis´ (64) Eugenio Turri, ricorda Catulini, al quale il poeta riconosce il merito di aver individuato il trauma GHOO¶XPDQR nel suo scoprirsi smisuratamente piccolo di fronte al tempo profondo della geologia. Sia in Fosfeni (1983) che in Meteo (1996) il poeta si confronta con la doppia natura del tempo quale pozzo che scava le profondità minerarie della storia risalendo a ritroso il legame interspecie tra i viventi ma che, al tempo stesso, continua ad accadere anche in superficie. In altre parole, ³LO rapporto tra percezione visiva e PHPRULD´ (66), in bilico tra ipertrofia della mente e sprofondamento immobilizzante, rappresenta la tendenza disforica zanzottiana che spesso si esprime attraverso le immagini GHOO¶LEHUQD]LRQH e del bianco glaciale. In esse, infatti, il tempo si annulla QHOO¶DVWUD]LRQH spaziale fino alla cristallizzazione nella ³verve JHRPHWUL]]DQWH´ (131) delle raccolte Sovrimpressioni (2001) e Conglomerati (2009), su cui Catulini si sofferma per analizzare il rapporto tra patologia e poesia. La spazialità, ³YHUR WHPD´ (titolo del quarto e ultimo capitolo è ³,O ‫ދ‬YHUR temD‫ތ‬ tra irrapresentabilità e FRPSDUDWLYLVPR´ 71-143) e topos GHOO¶RSHUD di Zanzotto, chiude la ricognizione di Catulini, la quale, puntualmente, ravvisa in Bonnefoy O¶LQWHUORFXWRUH privilegiato per un discorso sul rapporto tra rappresentazione dello spazio e teoria letteraria. È questa la sezione più densa di riferimenti teorici (Bachelard, Blanchot, Glissant, Foucault, De Martino) che Catulini ricostruisce per restituire la complessa relazione tralo spazio intra ed extra-testuale con la categoria di immaginario. Infine, emerge e si conferma O¶LUULGXFLELOH tensione del linguaggio, tra visibile e dicibile, ³VSD]LR del fuori e spazio del GLUH´ (77). La scelta del nome plurale, da un lato, e la ³YLVFRVLWj´ (60) coagulante dei Italian Bookshelf 597 Conglomerati²minerali e testuali²daOO¶DOWUR resistono quali presupposti minimi per una parola poetica che sia ³ORGH GHOO¶LQGLVWLQWR GHOO¶LQWULFDWR´ (30). Lo studio di Catulini porta nuova linfa agli studi su Zanzotto, ne ripropone i temi più noti ma mostra anche possibilità interessanti che aprono con grande sensibilità al dibattito sullo spatial turn e alle Environmental Humanities pur conservando la specificità della critica letteraria. Il solo rischio è che nel seguire il divenire rizomatico del pensiero, che è anche GHOO¶DXWULFH il lettore si perda nella densità di rimandi teorici e nel saltare frenetico tra le opere del poeta. '¶DOWUR canto però, se si fosse seguito più canonicamente O¶RUGLQH cronologico della produzione zanzottiana non sarebbe stato possibile restituire la complessità del quadro teorico minuziosamente ricostruito da Catulini che, invece, rappresenta il maggior valore del presente testo. Francesca Nardi, PhD Candidate, Università di Bologna Paolo Chirumbolo. Il gioco delle sedie. Saggi sulla narrativa e il cinema italiano del lavoro nel ventunesimo secolo. Perugia: Morlacchi Editore UP, 2022. Pp. 250. Nella sua nota introduttiva (9-19) a Il gioco delle sedie, lo studioso Paolo Chirumbolo spiega al lettore che il titolo del volume, riprendendo la metafora di Zygmunt Bauman contenuta in Vita liquida (2005), è stato scelto per riassumere quel senso di incertezza e smarrimento che caratterizza il lavoratore del ventunesimo secolo. Per Chirumbolo, il mondo del lavoro ³VHPEUD essere una perversa gara ad eliminazione in cui anche i µJLRFDWRUL¶ più preparati possono venire esclusi, in ogni momento, dal gioco, con poche possibilità di essere UHLQWHJUDWL´ (13). La motivazione che ha spinto O¶DXWRUH a ³ULSURSRUUH oggi saggi pubblicati anni orsono, seppure riveduti, corretti e DJJLRUQDWL´ (10) proviene dal desiderio di fornire agli elaborati inclusi in questa raccolta e maturati tra il 2007 e il 2017, una ³FDVD comune, più accogliente in grado di conferire loro organicità e FRHUHQ]D´ (10). Quella che un decennio fa sembrava essere una crisi occupazionale, porta oggi lo studioso a parlare senza mezzi termini di un ³FDPELR di SDUDGLJPD´ (11). La funzione di questi dieci saggi, tutti lavori che si concentrano su testi e generi eterogenei apparsi in Italia negli ultimi venti anni (romanzi, racconti, reportages, lungometraggi e documentari), è quella di continuare a far luce sul lavoratore del nuovo millennio, ³XQ soggetto precario in ostaggio, che ha perso tutte le sicurezze e che si trova sempre costretto a prendere decisioni GLIILFLOL´ (12). La parte prima del libro, si apre con un saggio intitolato ³/D µQDUUDWLYD IUDWWXUDWD¶ Giorgio Falco e il lavoro SUHFDULR´ (33-50). Qui, Chirumbolo si sofferma su Pausa caffè, uno tra i contributi più significativi di questa ³QXRYD stagione OHWWHUDULD´ (38) e che ³PHJOLR hanno raccontato il mondo della precarietà lavorativo-HVLVWHQ]LDOH´ (39). Si tratta di una raccolta di racconti emblema di una 598 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) realtà contemporanea ³LQ IUDQWXPL´ come già ravvisava il sociologo Luciano Gallino, e scandita dalla giustapposizione di ³EUDQGHOOL di conversazioni telefoniche, spaccati di vita aziendale, slogan pubblicitari e spezzoni QDUUDWLYL´ (41) DOO¶DSSDUHQ]D slegati ma difatti sintomatici della frammentazione sociale. Nel secondo saggio, ³,O µJLRFR delle VHGLH¶ O¶,WDOLD del lavoro vista da Andrea %DMDQL´ (51-65), Chirumbolo si sofferma sul romanzo di Bajani Cordiali saluti (2005), prestando particolare attenzione al linguaggio GHOO¶DXWRUH che ³LQWHQGH smascherare attraverso la parola OHWWHUDULD´ la retorica aziendale (54) e da cui deriva un ³XQLYHUVR lavorativo dominato dalla competizione, GDOO¶LQFHUWH]]D e GDOO¶LQVLFXUH]]D >«@ che giustifica la mancanza di ogni tipo di VROLGDULHWj´ (59). In ³,O maleppeggio: cronache GHOO¶,WDOLD del lavoro degli anni 'XHPLOD´ (67-88), lo studioso si concentra VXOO¶RPRQLPD rivista, a cui hanno collaborato durante gli anni di attività (2006-2007) autori come Elena Stancanelli, Piero Sorrentino, Christian Raimo, Giorgio Falco, Nicola Lagioia, che ³FRQ grande passione hanno raccontato storie e personaggi legati al mondo del lavoro degli anni 'XHPLOD´ (71). Queste sono tutte testimonianze che aiutano a ricostruire ³VWRULH spazi, ambienti altrimenti assolutamente invisibili e PXWL´ (72), legati a temi attualissimi quali la precarietà, le morti sul lavoro, O¶LPPLJUD]LRQH e le rivendicazioni contrattuali, solo per citarne alcuni. Chirumbolo si concentra su Stanze di precari, e La montagna bianca di Christian Raimo, Tengo famiglia di Lorenzo Pieri, I cancelli del mondo di Fabio Viola e Cristiano de Majo e Anagrammi a Parco Leonardo di Francesco Longo (questi ultimi due dedicati al centro commerciale, definito da Chirumbolo come lo spazio ³del ricatto FRQVXPLVWD´ ed infine Promesse da manager di Antonio Pascale. Questi testi riescono a raccontare con grande vigore le difficoltà dei lavoratori del ventunesimo secolo e offrono al contempo ³O¶DFFHVVR ad una dimensione collettiva e di condivisione che rende la narrativa del lavoro >«@ un fenomeno di grande rilevanza etica e FXOWXUDOH´ (85). Il quarto capitolo (89-106) contiene importanti riflessioni sul call center, spazio emblematico del passaggio dal capitalismo tradizionale a quello post-fordista. Chirumbolo, dopo aver fornito un importante censimento di testi²ma anche di film²che si sono occupati di call centers (una decina di titoli tra il 2004 e il 2009), si concentra su Voice Center del collettivo di scrittura Zelda Zeta e Lotta di classe di Ascanio Celestino. Nel saggio, si traccia in maniera originale la (dis)continuità tra la generazione operaia (sospesa nel vuoto, come Salvatore, il protagonista di Voice Center) e quella degli operatori, vittime della trappola del capitalismo postfordista e del lavoro precario che portano alla condizione di precarietà esistenziale del lavoratore contemporaneo. Conclude la prima sezione ³&DUQH da macello. Le morti sul lavoro nella narrativa italiana FRQWHPSRUDQHD´ (107-24). Nel saggio si ribadisce il valore testimoniale ed etico²ma anche la funzione emotiva²della letteratura (raccontare il ³QRQ-GHWWR´ partendo proprio dal significato GHOO¶HVSUHVVLRQH ³PRUWL ELDQFKH´ che spesso assume una connotazione eufemistica, una versione ³HGXOFRUDWD e ULSXOLWD´ (110) della morte che in realtà, in molti casi, dovrebbe Italian Bookshelf 599 essere sostituita dal termine omicidio. I testi di riferimento del saggio sono la raccolta Morti bianche di Samanta Di Persio, Lavorare uccide di Marco Rovelli, La fabbrica del panico di Stefano Valenti e la raccolta Lavoro da morire scritta a più mani. La parte seconda, interamente dedicata al cinema, è costituita da altri cinque saggi. Nel primo (127-50) si discute Il posto GHOO¶DQLPD di Riccardo Milani, Mi piace lavorare. Mobbing di Francesca Comencini, e La febbre di Alessandro '¶$ODWUL film che ³UDFFRQWDQR con stili e linguaggi filmici differenti, storie di orrore quotidiano che esemplificano, paradigmaticamente, le difficoltà che si incontrano al giorno G¶RJJL sul posto di ODYRUR´ (128). Segue un capitolo su /¶LQGXVWULDOH di Giuliano Montaldo (151-62), contestualizzato attraverso la lente teorica del ³ILQDQ]FDSLWDOLVPR´ (152) di Gallino e che caratterizza il capitalismo post-fordista, esente da qualsiasi responsabilità industriale. 1HOO¶RWWDYR capitolo (163-90) si passa DOO¶DQDOLVL di Liberi di Gianluca Maria Tavarelli e Giorni e nuvole di Silvio Soldini. Lo studioso presta particolare attenzione ai protagonisti delle due pellicole, Cenzo e Michele, due padri di famiglia che si ritrovano senza lavoro, vulnerabili e disorientati (non più breadwinners) davanti al labirinto identitario della Società del Rischio, per usare le parole di Ulrich Beck (The Brave New World of Work, 2000). Nel penultimo capitolo (191-213) Chirumbolo si sofferma su alcuni recenti documentari incentrati sul tema del lavoro, Parole sante di Ascanio Celestini e Triangle di Costanza Quatriglio, e conclude il volume con un saggio sulla tragedia della ThyssenKrupp. 4XHVW¶XOWLPR capitolo, intitolato ³/D striscia azzurra: la tragedia della ThyssenKrupp raccontata dal cinema GRFXPHQWDULR´ (215-36), chiude in modo quasi naturale il cerchio tracciato da Chirumbolo, offrendo continui richiami ai capitoli precedenti (in particolare al quinto, ³&DUQH da PDFHOOR´  I documentari analizzati nelle ultime pagine sono: La classe operaia va DOO¶LQIHUQR di Simona Ercolani, La fabbrica dei tedeschi di Mimmo Calopestri, e ThyssenKrupp Blues di Pietro Balla e Monica Ripetto. Notevole è il lavoro di contestualizzazione offerto dallo studioso in ogni capitolo del libro e specialmente quanto condiviso nel saggio finale, essenziale per la comprensione dei tre documentari e per capire O¶HQWLWj della tragedia che si consumò a Torino la notte tra il 5 e il 6 dicembre del 2007. Per Chirumbolo, i tre documentari menzionati rappresentano ³XQD sorta di µVWULVFLD D]]XUUD¶ cinematografica il cui scopo è quello di onorare, commemorare e perseverare la PHPRULD´ delle vittime (234), rendendo nuovamente visibile O¶LQYLVLELOH Queste ultime pagine costituiscono anche un necrologio della classe operaia italiana, simbolicamente presa in ostaggio dalle ultime fabbriche che, sgretolandosi, vanno ad annullare anche la libertà degli operai, diventando, come suggerito GDOO¶DXWRUH delle prigioni o campi di concentramento. Il gioco delle sedie è una raccolta di saggi essenziale per gli studenti universitari o per quegli specialisti o studiosi interessati alla narrativa e al cinema 600 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) del lavoro contemporaneo. Il volume, come si legge nella prefazione di Monica Jansen, è in grado di offrire non uno ³VJXDUGR UHWURVSHWWLYR´ (21) ma piuttosto O¶HYLGHQ]D dei cambiamenti strutturali del mondo del lavoro contemporaneo. I testi primari selezionati sono analizzati in maniera originale e dialogano in modo proficuo con filosofi, economisti e sociologi (tra i quali, Aris Accornero, Domenico De Masi, Bauman, Beck, Luciano Gallino, Jeremy Rifkin, Richard Sennett) e provano tutta la loro attualità, avendo il merito di raccontare il nostro paese ³LQ presa diretta, con uno sguardo ad altezza uomo che mostra soggetti in difficoltà, con il fiato corto, e nei casi peggiori, addirittura senza ILDWR´ (12). La solida rete di riferimenti teorici a sostegno GHOO¶DQDOLVL di Chirumbolo ha il pregio, tra gli altri, di rendere O¶DFFRVWDPHQWR di questi saggi particolarmente lineare, in offrendo una coerenza strutturale e tematica che si ritrova in tutte e due le sezioni della raccolta. Nel loro insieme, i saggi de Il gioco delle sedie si contraddistinguono per una scrittura agevole e chiara da parte di una voce autorevole ed esperta come quella di Paolo Chirumbolo che ha tra gli altri meriti quello di mettere generosamente a disposizione del lettore un utile elenco di risorse primarie collegate al tema del lavoro. Daniele Forlino, Southern Methodist University Daniele Comberiati, and Chiara Mengozzi, eds. 6WRULH FRQGLYLVH QHOO¶,WDOLD contemporanea. Narrazioni e performance transculturali. Roma: Carocci, 2023. Pp. 267. 6WRULH FRQGLYLVH QHOO¶,WDOLD FRQWHPSRUDQHD 1DUUD]LRQL H SHUIRUPDQFH transculturali, a cura di Daniele Comberati e Chiara Mengozzi, è un saggio estremamente interessante, che mette insieme dieci contributi eterogenei, ma in IRUWHGLDORJRO¶XQRFRQO¶DOWUR*LjGDOWLWRORVLQRWDVXELWRXQXVRRFXODWRGHJOL DJJHWWLYL³FRQGLYLVH´H³WUDQVFXOWXUDOL´WRFFDQRJOLDVSHWWLFHQWUDOLHLOWHPDGL fondo che lega i vari articoli, ovvero la produzione culturale della (ma anche dalla e sulla) migrazione, senza però ancorarsi alla recente terminologia critica, avvertita come limitata e limitante. I due curatori sono molto chiari, nella loro introduzione, a mettere in evidenza i nodi cruciali e le controversie teoriche che il saggio si propone di affrontare. In primo luogo, essi avvertono il potenziale di testi e performance culturali che, con il loro naturale portato fluido globalista e interculturale, hanno contribuito e contribuiscono a svecchiare la critica italiana, affetta da un certo provincialismo, aprendola al panorama internazionale (16). La letteratura della migrazione²etichetta imperfetta, ma ancora oggi, dopo WUHQW¶DQQLHIILFDFH²ha, proprio per il suo carattere forzosamente marginale, la capacità di attaccare e mettere in discussione il centro e il canone, portando con sé istanze di rinnovamento (16). Allo stesso tempo però, i due studiosi mettono in luce una certa tendenza, da parte di autori e correnti, a lasciarsi neutralizzare dal mainstream, dalle teorie scontate e dai processi di marketing editoriale (19). Italian Bookshelf 601 Questo secondo aspetto fa sì che in molti casi la tensione critica finisca con il SUHYDOHUHVXOO¶HVLWRSXUDPHQWHDUWLVWLFRHOHWWHUDULR Con questo duplice intento, Comberati e Mengozzi hanno messo insieme una selezione di saggi che creano un fruttuoso contrappunto: il saggio informa e, allo stesso tempo, offre spunti sul tema, esplora punti di forza ed elementi di debolezza di quelle che altrove verrebbero più facilmente definite come correnti postcoloniali. ,O SULPR VDJJLR GL 8JR )UDFDVVD ³Migrans in fabula. Cronaca di XQ¶DSSURVVLPD]LRQH FULWLFD SHU HFFHVVR ´ -62), è il saggio più corposo e probabilmente anche quello più ampio e arioso dal punto di vista critico. Con grande acume, lo studioso riprende molte delle questioni lasciate aperte QHOO¶LQWURGX]LRQH H SRQH O¶XQR GL IURQWH DOO¶DOWUD O¶DSSDUDWR FULWLFR OH WHRULH centrali aOO¶LQWHUQR GHL postcolonial studies e i risultati letterari, senza esitare a puntare il dito sulle discrepanze: se in ambito accademico molto si parla della forza innovativa della letteratura migrante, sul piano pratico essa spesso genera risultati flebili. La possibilità di un rinnovamento, dunque, rischia di rimanere solo teorica e al di fuori della nicchia queste forme di letteratura hanno in realtà poca voce e pochissimo spazio. 1HOVHFRQGRVDJJLRLQYHFH³6FULWWXUHPLJUDQWLHPHUFDWRHGLWRULDOH3HUXQa PRUIRORJLD GHOOH VWUDWHJLH GL SURGX]LRQH H SURPR]LRQH´ (63-82), Giulia 0ROLQDUROR VFHQGH SL QHO GHWWDJOLR DOO¶LQWHUQR GHOOH GLQDPLFKH HGLWRULDOL FKH hanno ridotto la letteratura della migrazione a puro fenomeno. In particolar modo si riscontra una mancanza di organicità nelle proposte e nei metodi di diffusione, con il concepimento di casi letterari, come quelli emblematici di Nicolai Lilin e Antonio Dikele Distefano, più che la creazione di dinamiche condivise. ,OWHU]RVDJJLRDILUPDGL$QQD)LQR]]L³La letteratura postcoloniale italiana SHUO¶LQIDQ]LDHO¶DGROHVFHQ]DIRUPHHSUDWLFKHcrossover´ -104), si focalizza SLVXTXHVW¶XOWLPDEUDQFDHGLWRULDOHFKHGLUHFHQWHDQQRYHUDDQFKHILUPHQRWHDO panorama narrativo tout court come Igiaba Scego, accanto a testi crossover e più LQWHUHVVDQWL GL ³JLRYDQL DXWRUL GL VHFRQGD JHQHUD]LRQH´²Georg Maag, Paul %DNROR 1JRL 3LHUUH +RUQDLQ 3HU TXHVWL WHVWL O¶DXWULFH ULVFRQWUD XQD YLVWRVD mancanza di attenzione da parte della critica. Mancanza che Finozzi ritiene particolarmente ingiustificata, sia in virtù del grande successo di pubblico che TXHVWL WHVWL VSHVVR SRVVRQR YDQWDUH PD DQFKH H VRSUDWWXWWR SHU O¶LQWHUHVVDQWH varietà di temi, forme e generi e il valore letterario che manifestano. ,Q ³Narrazioni invisibilL OH EDGDQWL OHWWHUDULH´ (105-28), Silvia Contarini prende in esame i testi che hanno come protagonista la figura del badante. Leggendo i testi di Vesna Stanic, Gabriella Kurunvilla, Christiana del Caldas Brito, ma anche di Andrea Bajani e Dacia Maraini, sullo sfondo delle teorie VSLYDNLDQHO¶DXWULFHOHJJHODILJXUDGHOEDGDQWHFRPHTXHOODGLXQ³LQYLVLELOH´GHO nostro tempo: pur ricoprendo un ruolo socialmente fondamentale la loro voce rimane di fatto inascoltata. Farne il protagonista di un romanzo, diventa dunque 602 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) un gesto politicamente significativo. Questo è possibile solo a patto che gli autori HYLWLQRGL³XVXUSDUQH´LOSXQWRGLYLVWD  VIRU]DQGRVLGLJXDUGDUHDOODYLFHQGH narrate con occhio neutro. ³Oltre il limen: ibridazioni postumane, contaminazioni e resistenza ecoFULWLFD DO ODUJR GL /DPSHGXVD´ (129-50) di Jessica Sciubba si concentra su produzioni artistiche, soprattutto poetiche e audiovisive, nate in uno degli spazi liminali per antonomasia, ovvero il Mediterraneo. Zoomando maggiormente, il focus cade su una piccola isola divenuta ormai avamposto (per nulla) privilegiato WUDGXHPRQGL/¶DXWULFHGjVSD]LRDOSURJHWWRSRHWLFRGHOFROOHWWLYRPXOWL9(56, HDOO¶DQWRORJLDGDHVVRSURGRWWDDOGRFXPHQWDULRGL*LDQIUDQFR5RVLFuocammare e al progetto di PortM del collettivo Askavusa. Pur cogliendo la bontà di alcuni VIRU]LDUWLVWLFLODVWXGLRVDQRQSXzQRQHYLGHQ]LDUHO¶HVLWRSDUDGRVVDOHGLDXWRULH progetti che, contro le loro stesse intenzioni finiscono per marginalizzare ulteriormente la figura GHLPLJUDQWLVFKLDFFLDQGROLDOO¶LQWHUQRGHOORURUXRORH FRVuIDFHQGRSHUDVVXUGRULGXUOLD³FRUSLGLVFDUWR´  GHOOHQRVWUHVRFLHWj Con ³Black Lives LQ,WDOLDJOLDUFKLYLIUDPHPRULDHULFRVWUX]LRQHVWRULFD´ (151-74), Emma Bond fa opera di recupero storico, rispolverando le figure di Maru Edmonia Lewis e Sarah Parker Remond e analizzando il modo in cui esse sono state riattualizzate da autori come Maud Sulter, Justin Randolph Thompson e Igiaba Scego. In un panorama che è (fortunatamente) sempre più sensibile al tema delle black lives, Bond mette in guardia da operazioni di semplice recupero memorialistico che colmino i vuoti lasciati dai documenti: le operazioni più convincenti sono a suo dire quelle che problematicizzano le modalità stesse della ricostruzione. Il VDJJLRGL3DROD5DQ]LQL³Per un teatro interculturale: incontri fra pratiche, ILJXUHHWUDGL]LRQLGHOODQDUUD]LRQHRUDOH´ (175-98) si occupa di rappresentazioni teatrali, prendendo in esame ad esempio il progetto Teatro in fuga o il concorso MigrArti ed esplorando il modo in cui tradizioni diverse si innestano nel tessuto culturale italiano della performance orale. Dopo una breve ma precisa riproposizione della storia recente del teatro orale italiano e quindi alla sempre maggiore predisposizione a opere individuali²con Dario Fo come esponente più illustre²e una disamina di performers non italiani²su tutti Yousif Latif Jaralla² O¶DXWULFH ULWURYD SURSULR QHOOH PRGDOLWj GL DGDWWDPHQWR O¶HOHPHQWR GL PDJJLRre interesse di questo innesto transculturale. ³9RFLGDOPRQGRHFDQWLVFRQILQDWLLFRULLQWHUFXOWXUDOLFRPHSUDWLFDPXVLFDOH GHOODSROLWLFD´ (199-216) di Luciana Manca e Alessandro Portelli rintraccia nei cori multiculturali che trovano sempre più spazio su e giù per la penisola un elemento sintomatico di modalità fruttuose e positive di inclusione e accoglienza. Progetti come Voci dal Mondo e Canto sconfinato sono in grado di rispondere in modo propositivo alle istanze di razzismo che purtroppo non sono rare in Italia, offrendo efficaci risposte politiche dal basso. %DUEDUD 6SDGDUR LQ ³Migrazioni, memoria e transnazionalità nel fumetto LWDOLDQRGHO;;,VHFROR´ (217-36) aggiunge un ulteriore medium alla già peraltro Italian Bookshelf 603 variopinta tavolozza transmediale degli interventi della raccolta. In anni recenti, i comics, soprattutto in ambito anglosassone, hanno dato grande impulso agli studi sulla transculturalità. 7HQHQGRSUHVHQWHTXHVWRDVSHWWRO¶DXWULFHVLFRQFHQWUDVXO fumetto italiano degli ultimi venti anni. I lavori di Manuele Fior, Alessandro Tota, Caterina Sansone, per citarne alcuni, riescono ad aggiungere strati di multidimensionalità ai racconti memorialistici sulla migrazione sfruttando le capacità empatiche e realistiche di un medium che forse più di altri si presta a queste tematiche. ,OVDJJLRILQDOH³Babel²Il giorno del giudizio: tra realtà virtuale, gaming e GRFXPHQWDULROHRSSRUWXQLWjQDUUDWLYHGHOOLQJXDJJLRPXOWLPHGLDOH´ (241-52) è il resoconto di Manuel Coser di un originale esperimento a metà tra videogioco e opera audiovisiva immersive. Babel è un prodotto da fruire mediante visore oculare che, come un documentario, presenta le vicende di tre richiedenti asilo, ma che, come un videogioco, invita lo spettatore-giocatore a fare delle scelte che modificano gli snodi della storia e quindi propongono meccanismi di interazione FRQ OD WUDPD 'HILQLWR GDOO¶DXWRUH XQ HVHPSLR HVSDQVR GL 812 ³8QLGHQWLILHG 1DUUDWLYH2EMHFW´SHUULSUHQGHUHO¶HWLFKHWWDFRQLDWDGDL:X0LQJ Babel mette in atto dinamiche inesplorate per creare empatia e solidarietà, trasformando lo spettatore in personaggio e inducendolo a vivere ed esperire vicende come la ULFKLHVWDG¶DVLORLQPRGRGHOWXWWRQXRYR La grande varietà delle tematiche e la trasversalità della raccolta di saggi confezionata da Comberati e Mengozzi hanno il pregio di stimolare e incuriosire il lettore, introducendo argomenti diversi ma sempre coerenti, senza produrre confusione come effetto di rimbalzo. Questa polifonia di voci e approcci non ha DOFXQLQWHQWRFRQFOXVLYRQRQVLSURSRQHFLRqGLPHWWHUHSXQWLIHUPLDOO¶LQWHUQR del filone critico sui prodotti artistici postcoloniali²o della migrazione. $OO¶RSSRVWRHVVLWHQWDQRFRQVXFFHVVRGLULEDGLUQHO¶LQFRPSOHWH]]DSXQWDQGRLO dito sui limiti, gli spazi aperti e i margini di crescita. Tale dinamicità rende il volume imprescindibile sia per gli studiosi alla ricerca di approfondimento, sia per un pubblico più generale, curioso di comprendere ORVWDWRGHOO¶DUWHDOLYHOOR artistico e letterario su queste questioni. Comprendendo e condividendo che FXOWXUD H SROLWLFD YDQQR GL SDUL SDVVR H KDQQR UHFLSURFDPHQWH ELVRJQR O¶XQD GHOO¶DOWUDQRQFLVHPEUDTXHVWRXQULVXOWDWRGLSRFRFRQWR Emiliano S. Zappalà, PhD University of Warwick Simona Corso, Florian Mussgnug, and Jennifer Rushworth, eds. Dwelling on Grief. Narratives of Mourning Across Time and Forms. Cambridge: Legenda, 2022. Pp. 220. La disamina, concentrata sul tema del lutto, si articola in quattro contigui percorsi, VFDJOLRQDWLLQGRGLFLFDSLWROLFKHVSD]LDQRGDOO¶DOYHRGHOODSURGX]LRQHOHWWHUDULD italiana prerinascimentale allo scavo critico in ambito culturale moderno e 604 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) postmoderno. Entrato in stampa durante il picco più tragico della pandemia da COVID-19, Dwelling on Grief VLSURSRQHGLVWXGLDUHO¶HVSHULHQ]DOXWWXRVDGDOOH VSHFROH GL ³&RPSDUDWLYH /LWHUDWXUH 0RGHUQ /DQJXDJHV (QJOLVK 0HGLHYDO Studies, Political Thought, Music, BLRORJ\DQGWKH(QYLURQPHQWDO+XPDQLWLHV´ (1). $OO¶LQWURGX]LRQH - VHJXHODSULPDSDUWH³7KH3RHWU\RI/DPHQW´  LQFXL&DWKHULQH.HHQGLVFXWHLQ³7KH3RHWU\RI0RXUQLQJLQWKHVita nova: $Q$JDPEHQLDQ5HDGLQJ´ - GHOµGLDULR¶SURVLPHWULFRGDQWHVFRQHOO¶RWWLFD GHOODWHRUHVLDJDPEHQLDQD  FKHVRWWROLQHD³WKHWHQVLRQEHWZHHQ µZKDWLVOLYHGDQGZKDWLVSRHWLFL]HG¶LQUHODWLRQWRWKHWKHPHRIPRXUQLQJ´   Secondo Keen, Dante interiorizza i tropi della perdita, del lutto e della memoria come entità fantasmatiche che trasformano il compianto da momento solipsistico a esperienza collettiva. $QFRUD DOO¶$OLJKLHUL q GHGLFDWR ³9RLFLQJ /DPHQW 3RHW DQG 5HDGHU DV 0RXUQHUV LQ 'DQWH¶V Commedia´ -46), di Helena PhillipsRobins. Si esamina qui il canto XXX del Purgatorio e vi si riscontra il senso di lutto per la perdita di Virgilio, espresso attraverso una rete di riferimenti LQWHUWHVWXDOL FODVVLFL GL ODVFLWL SDWULVWLFL SVHXGRDJRVWLQLDQL H GHOO¶RPLOHWLFD medievale. Il saggio di Luca 0DUFR]]L³0RXUQLQJLQDQGDURXQG3HWUDUFK´ 59), nota come la lirica petrarchesca sia costantemente improntata al lutto (47). Si HYLGHQ]LD FKH ³VLJQV RI ZHHSLQJ DQG RI GHDWK DUH QXPHURXV WKURXJKRXW WKH CanzonierH´  VRSUDWWXWWRQHOODVHFRQGDSDUWHFKHUHLWHUDOD³radical DEVHQFH´ di Laura (48). 6L LQGLYLGXDQR L µSUHVWLWL¶ GDOOD OLULFD WUREDGRULFD H GD &LQR GD 3LVWRLD LQ SDUWLFRODUH O¶³DQDSKRUD RI WKH H[KRUWDWLYH µZHHS¶´   VL ULOHYD O¶LQFLGHQ]DGHOODVita Nova sui Rerum Vulgarium Fragmenta e si afferma che, se SHU 3HWUDUFD &LQR ³LV >«@ WKH PRGHO IRU ZHHSLQJ 'DQWH LV WKH PRGHO IRU PRXUQLQJ´   6L VRWWROLQHD DOWUHVu LO SDVVDJJLR GHOOD OLULFD SHWUDUFKHVFD GDO ³PDHURU´inconsolabile (53) al positivo compianto agostiniano. Nella seconda parte, ³/LQHDJHVRI*ULHI´ -101), Jennifer Rushworth, in ³5RODQG%DUWKHV¶V0RUQIXO'DQWH´ - GHOLQHDO¶LQWHUHVVHEDUWKHVLDQRSHUOD selva oscura (Inferno I, 1-3) a cui il critico, dopo la scomparsa della madre (1977), FRQIHULVFHO¶LQWHUSUHWD]LRQHGL³VWRU\RIJULHI´  OXWWRFROTXDOHODVXDSHUVRQDOH angoscia si confronta e identifica. Della traslazione di un poema cristologico in espressione materico-visiva, sLRFFXSD6XVDQ,UYLQHLQ³)URP0HGLHYDO7H[WWR Modern Glass: Expressions of Mourning in The Dream of the Rood and Laurence :KLVWOHU´ -90). Il saggio esamina la visione onirica del poema inglese SUREDELOPHQWHULVDOHQWHDOO¶RWWDYRVHFROR WUDVSRVWDQHOO¶DUWHYHWUDULDGL/DXUHQFH :KLVWOHUQHO,UYLQHGHVFULYHO¶DELOLWjGHOO¶DUWLVWDGLULSURGXUUH³WKHSDUDGR[ RI VLPXOWDQHRXV VXIIHULQJ DQG MR\ WKURXJK WKH LPDJH RI WKH &UXFLIL[LRQ´   laddove il sangue e le lacrime della passione cristica si mescolano alle gemme VFLQWLOODQWL VXOO¶arbor vitae crucifixae. ³7KH 3RHW¶V 0RXUQLQJ DQG WKH 3KLORVRSKHU¶V&RQVRODWLRQ5HQp'HVFDUWHV¶V/HWWHURI&RQGROHQFHWR&RQVWDQWLMQ Huygens (91-101), di Jürgen Pieters, verte sul ruolo consolatorio di una lettera di Italian Bookshelf 605 Cartesio DOO¶DPLFR RODQGHVH VSURIRQGDWR LQ SLHQD ³FXSLR GLVVROYL´   SHU OD morte della moglie. /DWHU]DSDUWH³7KH3ROLWLFVRI0RXUQLQJ´ - LQL]LDFRQ³µ,GLGLW,GR QRWGHQ\LW¶0RXUQLQJ7UDJHG\DQGWKH/DZLQ&RQWHPSRUDU\3KLORVRSK\´ 21), di Uta Staiger. /¶LQFKLHVWD FRQFHUQH $QWLJRQH DUFKHWLSR WUDJLFR VRIRFOHR GLYHQXWR SHUQR GHOO¶LPPDJLQDULR ILORVRILFR RFFLGHQWDOH FKH YD ³IURP +HJHO WR +HLGHJJHU .LHUNHJDDUG WR /DFDQ 1LHW]VFKH WR äLåHN´ H LQWHVVH ILOL WHQDFL ³EHWZHHQ PRXUQLQJ SKLORVRSK\ DQG WKH ODZ´   6WDLJHU HYLGHQ]LD LQ Antigone il simbolo della legge divina femminile che difende lo spazio privato GHOO¶oikos e quello ctonio della pietas LQXPDWLYDHFKHV¶RSSRQHDOnómos maschile e allo spazio pubblico-QRUPDWLYRGHOO¶agorà e della polis. Antigone diviene così ³DV\PERORIHWKLFDOUHVLVWDQFHDJDLQVWDSRWHQWLDOO\XQMXVWODZ´  ³0XVLFDO /DQJXDJHDQG5HPHPEHULQJWKH7UDJLFLQ'PLWUL6KRVWDNRYLFK¶V6WULQJ4XDUWHW QR´ - GL/XFD$YHUVDQRPRVWUDO¶DOWDFDSDFLWjGHOFRPSRVLWore russo di modulare il personale sentimento di lutto nella coralità del compianto collettivo per i massacri del secondo conflitto mondiale. La genetista molecolare Aarathi 3UDVDGFRQ³7KH2QWRORJ\RI0RXUQLQJ´ -41), fornisce una YXHG¶HVHPEOH del lutto nel regno animale, densa di rimandi biologici, archeologici e socioDQWURSRORJLFL LQTXDGUDWL QHO ³QHZ ILHOG RI LQWHUGLVFLSOLQDU\ UHVHDUFK FDOOHG µHYROXWLRQDU\ WKDQDWRORJ\¶¶¶   'RSR DYHU SUHVHQWDWR LQ JHQHUDOH LO GRORUH della perdita come reazione ELRFKLPLFDQHXURQDOHVLFRQFOXGHFKH³ZKHWKHURQO\ KXPDQVFUHDWHPRXUQLQJIURPJULHIPD\XOWLPDWHO\EHXQNQRZDEOH´   /DSDUWHTXDUWD³%UHDNLQJWKH6LOHQFH´ - KDWUHFRQWULEXWL³$*ULHI 1DUUDWHG7KH&RQWHPSRUDU\*ULHI0HPRLU´ -65), di Simona Corso, solleva la cortina di imbarazzo e di silenzio che, dalla seconda metà del Novecento, ha teso a occultare i resoconti letterari in morte. Corso analizza A Grief Observed (1961), scritto (sotto pseudonimo) da C. S. Lewis in memoriam della consorte; e GHOLQHDVLD³WKHKLVWRU\RIWKDWVLOHQFH´  VLDO¶DSSDULUHGL³DQHZJHQUH´   di récits de mort FKH HVRUFL]]DQR ³WKH WHUURU RI GHDWK DQG JULHI´   HG enfatizzano la funzione terapeutico-apotropaica del compianto. ³9LVXDOL]LQJ Mourning: 7KH /HJDF\ RI 5RODQG %DUWKHV¶V La &KDPEUH FODLUH´ (167-78), di $GLQD6WURLDDQDOL]]DLOUDSSRUWRIUDOXWWRHIRWRJUDILDQHOEDUWKHVLDQR³VHPLQDO DV ZHOO DV ILQDO ZRUN´   DSSDUVR QHO  H LQGLYLGXD O¶³LQVHSDUDEOH HQWDJOHPHQW EHWZHHQ WKH SKRWRJUDSKLF IUDPHZRUN RI WKH WH[W DQG >%DUWKHV¶V@ GHFHDVHGPRWKHU´  6WURLDULQYLHQHLOIXOFURGHOO¶RSHUDLQXQDIRWRLQIDQWLOH di Henriette Barthes, descritta dal figlio con accorata delicatezza ma volutamente esclusa dal testo. Essa diviene la SUHVHQ]DGLXQ¶DVVHQ]D (173) e perciò simbolo tanatologico par excellence ³(FRORJLFDO 0RXUQLQJ )URP (OHJ\ WR ([SDQGHG *ULHI´ -92), di Florian Mussgnug, afferma che, nella quasi collassata biosfera antropocHQLFDLVHPSUHSLLQFDO]DQWL³HQFRXQWHUVZLWKJULHI´LQGHEROLVFRQROH GLIHVHGHOO¶homo sapiens SRVWPRGHUQRHORJHWWDQRLQXQD³SHUVRQDODSRFDO\SVH´  HSURSRQHXQD³UH-RULHQWDWLRQRIHWKLFDODQGDHVWKHWLFYDOXHV´  FKHGDO 606 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) compianto elegiaco paVVLDTXHOORHFRORJLFRHQHIDFFLDXQ¶DUPDGLULVFDWWRFRQWUR ODFUXGH]]DGHOODVRIIHUHQ]D 6LYHGDDQFKHDWDOSURSRVLWRO¶³(SLORJXH¶*ULHI² $:RUNLQ3URJUHVV¶´ di Zoe Papadopoulou, 193-200, a chiusa di indagine). Volume di attualissima e solida impalcatura concettuale, il cui rigore HSLVWHPRORJLFRqLQJHQWLOLWRGDL³FDPPHL´GLWUHLQWHUPH]]LLQSRHVLDHLQSURVD (61, 103-06, 143-48), Dwelling on Grief spiana sentieri per un modo alternativo di intendere e incanalare le emozioni distruttive del lutto cRQ GHOOH µUHJROH SHU VRSUDYYLYHUH¶ FKH VFKHUPLQR H SRVVLELOPHQWH VXSSRUWLQR OD IUDJLOLWj XPDQD GL IURQWHDOO¶LQJXDULELOHIHULWDGHOODSHUGLWD Olimpia Pelosi, State University of New York at Albany Alessandra Diazzi. Psychoanalysis, Ideology and Commitment in Italy 19451975: Edoardo Sanguineti, Ottiero Ottieri, Andrea Zanzotto. Cambridge: Legenda, 2022. Pp. 131. In the introduction to Psychoanalysis, Ideology and Commitment in Italy 19451975, Alessandra Diazzi points out the problematic relationship between psychoanalysis and Italian culture. She lists several reasons why Italy resisted psychoanalysis in pre-war years, such as the influences of Benedetto Croce, the Church, and Fascism. In addition, in post-war Italy leftist intellectuals were suspicious of the nature of psychoanalysis and its emphasis on the private sphere that conflicted with the ideal of public engagement, which is why the discipline GLGQ¶W flourish until the late Sixties. As Diazzi explains: ³7KLV book intends to demonstrate that, despite a certain inevitable delay due mainly to the fascist interlude, the friction between psychoanalysis and ideology that arose in the second half of the century did not jeopardize the circulation of SV\FKRDQDO\VLV´ (5). The author focuses specifically on the relationship between psychoanalysis and political commitment through literary analysis. At first, Diazzi outlines the reception of psychoanalysis in postwar Italian culture. Cesare Musatti and Nicola Perrotti were key figures in the reestablishment of psychoanalysis in Italy. Musatti, a philosopher and psychoanalyst, edited the Italian edition of )UHXG¶V works. Perrotti, a politician and psychoanalyst, founded the journal Psiche in 1948. As Diazzi points out: ³7KURXJK Psiche, Perrotti proposed an applied use of psychoanalysis as an interpretative device to analyse not only individuals, but the country as a ZKROH´ (23). Psychoanalysis was, however, still attacked by leftist thinkers. Following industrialization, Musatti and the Italian entrepreneur Adriano Olivetti introduced psychology and psychoanalysis in factories. As Diazzi clarifies: ³3V\choanalysis was therefore employed in various ways as an aid to mitigate and relieve the new disorders associated with the state of alienation and discomfort provoked by factory ODERXU´ (27). According to Diazzi, the heyday of psychoanalysis in Italy Italian Bookshelf 607 was in fact triggered by the economic boom and the movement Sessantotto that questioned traditional values and institutions of the society. 'LD]]L¶V three literary case studies include the famous Italian writers Edoardo Sanguineti, Ottiero Ottieri, and Andrea Zanzotto. Their works represent different genres and psychoanalytic influences. 6DQJXLQHWL¶V poetic work Laborintus (1956) exemplifies the new (Jungian) avant-garde poetry, while Capriccio italiano (1964) is an experimental novel inspired by )UHXG¶V psychoanalysis and theory of dreams. Characterized as letteratura industriale, 2WWLHUL¶V novels, Donnarumma DOO¶DVVDOWR (1959) and /¶LUUHDOWj quotidiana (1966), depict the employment of psychology and psychoanalysis in factories. 2WWLHUL¶V autobiographical work, Il campo di concentrazione (1972), is a first-person journal-like reportage of 2WWLHUL¶V hospitalization in Zurich and his Jungianoriented therapy. =DQ]RWWR¶V collection of poems, La beltà (1968), shows his conscious assimilation of Lacanian psychoanalysis. Sanguineti initiated the new psychoanalytic Italian avant-garde poetry. A poet and an intellectual, he aimed to reconcile Marxism and psychoanalysis. As Diazzi notes: ³6DQJXLQHWL¶V rethinking of -XQJ¶V symbolism was aimed at reassessing, from a Marxist perspective, a set of images, topoi, and archetypes borrowed from analytical SV\FKRORJ\´ (40). Most themes of Laborintus were in fact inspired by -XQJ¶V Psicologia e alchimia. Diazzi explains that the poem not only portrays the psychological crisis (esaurimento nervoso) of an individual, but also the historical exhaustion (esaurimento storico). As Diazzi elucidates: ³)RU Sanguineti, thus the µQHUYRXV EUHDNGRZQ¶ represented in the poem by means of language does not reveal a subjective disease but mirrors the alienating condition of the western world determined by capitalist economy and bourgeois social VWUXFWXUHV´ (44-45). )UHXG¶V influence can clearly be detected in 6DQJXLQHWL¶V first novel, Capriccio italiano, in which the distinction between reality and dreams becomes blurred. The novel features the marital crisis of a couple narrated in 6DQJXLQHWL¶V experimental style. A pioneer in industrial literature, Ottieri was a former fascist turned socialist who wrote prolifically about psychological illness. As Diazzi explains: ³7KH ZULWHU¶V shift of attention to mental illness, away from his previous focus on cure led him to challenge the therapeutic effectiveness of SV\FKRDQDO\VLV´ (66). 2WWLHUL¶V focus shifted to the alienation experienced by factory workers during the growth of Italian industrialization after the economic boom of the Sixties. Consequently, his belief in political impegno led to his discovery of psychoanalysis, which changed the ZULWHU¶V approach to the discipline over time. As a result, Ottieri started to believe in psychoanalysis and psychiatric treatment of psychological disorders, which is reflected in his works that Diazzi attentively analyzes. Critics have often pointed out /DFDQ¶V influence on Zanzotto clearly visible in his poetry, especially in La beltà. 'LD]]L¶V analysis of La beltà shows that Lacan 608 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) did not only affect the SRHW¶V linguistic experimentation but that his influence was also conceptual. Above all, Diazzi explores the influence of /DFDQ¶V theory of subjectivity on Zanzotto. As Diazzi explains: ³,Q order to shed light on this fundamental aspect of =DQ]RWWR¶V absorption of psychoanalysis in poetry, I will dwell upon the presence of /DFDQ¶V mirror stage and the theory of the manque, or loss, that characterizes the structure of subjectivity throughout the FROOHFWLRQ´ (92). The theme of searching for RQH¶V identity is connected to the mirror stage, during which the child acknowledges its existence as a separate entity. This concept represents a Lacanian key component in La beltà. Through her three case studies Diazzi has successfully demonstrated how psychoanalysis penetrated literature and culture in post-war Italy. As she confirms: ³7KH assimilation of psychoanalysis into literature actively contributed to this rewriting of the dLVFLSOLQH´ (112). Thanks to 2WWLHUL¶V industrial literature, psychoanalysis was no longer perceived as a bourgeois luxury, but was used to improve working conditions of the masses. As Diazzi concludes: ³2Q the one hand, Italian culture was contaminated by the µSV\FKRDQDO\WLF SODJXH¶ on the other, psychoanalysis itself µFDXJKW¶ the virus of Italianness, which transformed the discipline into an ideologized form of knowledge inextricably interwoven with social engagement and political impegno´ (117). 'LD]]L¶V insightful book might be hard to grasp for readers not familiar with the works of these three authors, but it provides a surprising glimpse into psychoanalysis, literary history, ideology, and culture in Italy. Katja Liimatta, University of Iowa Monica Farnetti. Sorelle. Storia letteraria di una relazione. Roma: Carocci, 2022. Pp. 143. Sorelle è un libro breve, denso e informativo, diviso in cinque capitoli preceduti da una breve premessa e arricchiti da un accurato e utilissimo apparato di note. In esso Monica Farnetti non solo ricostruisce, come dichiara, una ³VWRULD letteraria della sorellan]D´ (9), ma propone anche una riflessione sulla storia letteraria italiana, e sui contributi estetico-politici della creatività femminile, attraverso il tema e O¶HVSHULHQ]D della sorellanza. Il termine ³VRUHOODQ]D´ assume significati diversi in questo studio. Indica O¶HVVHUH sorelle di sangue, di cuore o di intelletto, sottolineando singolarità condivise. Esprime la complicità e la solidarietà tra donne della stessa o di diverse generazioni, che si riconoscono, individualmente e reciprocamente, soggetti autorevoli e che partecipano attivamente e produttivamente alla vita sociale ed intellettuale del loro tempo. Dentro al testo, nomina il rapporto profondo tra XQ¶DXWULFH e la sua invenzione, tra XQ¶DXWULFH e i suoi personaggi femminili; fuori dal testo, mette in evidenza una genealogia intellettuale e creativa al femminile. Diviene infine ³GLPHQVLRQH FROOHWWLYD´ GHOO¶HVVHUH al mondo (10). Il principio di relazionalità che si attiva nella Italian Bookshelf 609 sorellanza, che avvicina e che accomuna pur rispettando individualità e specificità, è punto di forza GHOO¶HVVHUH del dire e del fare delle donne e, in quanto tale, assume una valenza politica e militante transtorica. Nella premessa (9-11) e nel primo capitolo ³Incipit sororitas. Intorno a XQ¶RULJLQH piena di DYYHQLUH´ 13-24) Farnetti traccia O¶RULJLQH e O¶HYROX]LRQH GHOO¶LGHD e della pratica sociale e culturale della sorellanza giustificando, contemporaneamente, le ragioni e gli obiettivi del suo studio. Oltre a parlare di Chiara e Francesco e GHOO¶LQL]LDOH identità di fratellanza e sorellanza, si sofferma su autrici quali Olympe de Gouges, Virginia Woolf e Robin Morgan (nelle note si scopre una rete ancora più ricca di voci critiche). Farnetti spiega che una volta individuata la singolarità ed alterità GHOO¶HVSHULHQ]D femminile, la scrittura, anche maschile, se ne è appropriata e O¶KD raccontata in modi e con fini diversi, restituendola al mondo del vissuto. Nei capitoli successivi, dunque, con una scelta accurata e persuasiva di esempi tratti da molteplici generi letterari (tragedia, poema epico, poesia lirica, novella e romanzo, diaristica ed epistolografia) sia pure selezionando i periodi su cui concentrarsi, Farnetti intraprende la disamina di autori (nei capitoli ³6RUHOOH di pena. La lezione dei FODVVLFL´ 25-72, e ³6RUHllanza e cloistral fiction o dei travestimenti di una forma VHPSOLFH´ 95-112) e autrici (in ³&RPSDJQH di splendore. Vicissitudini di ULPDWULFL´ 73-93, ancora ³6RUHOODQ]D e cloistral fiction o dei travestimenti di una forma VHPSOLFH´ e ³9HUVR un sapere della VRUHOODQ]D´ 113-35) che, dal Rinascimento al presente, hanno scritto di sorelle biologiche e simboliche e della sorellanza inizialmente come esperienza dolorosa, esemplare ed edificante o consolatoria, poi come reciproco riconoscimento intellettuale e intensificazione felice GHOO¶HVVHUH donne, infine come costruzione di un sapere esperienziale specificamente femminile, affrancato da un autoritario sguardo e controllo maschili. /¶DQDOLVL ravvicinata dei testi si alterna a considerazioni critico-storiche più generali. Consapevole della difficoltà di organizzare e sistematizzare materiali diversi, voci più o meno note e periodi distanti, O¶DXWULFH ammette di procedere per ³LQWHUPLWWHQ]H´ ma dimostra anche come la letteratura stessa proceda per ³VOLWWDPHQWL´ verso il passato rileggendo personaggi, storie e miti e per ³VXVVXOWL´ verso il futuro immaginando esperienze (22). Non stupisce, perciò, che avvicinandosi a testimonianze della sorellanza nel nostro tempo e affrontando il presente, la rassegna che Farnetti propone di autrici e testi²non più esempi, ma ³FDVL´²si faccia più serrata e frammentaria, senza tuttavia perdere di lucidità e incisività. Del resto, si tratta di una storia ancora in movimento. Con Sorelle, Farnetti porta ad una sintetica ma felice conclusione un percorso di ricerca ³LQGLYLGXDOH e di pTXLSH´ (9) iniziato nel 2013. Non uso il termine ³IHOLFH´ a caso, termine che ricorre frequentemente nel volume. /¶$XWULFH infatti, sceglie di concentrarsi su esempi positivi, appunto felici, di sorelle e sorellanza, che non escludono conflittualità anche dolorose o che da una esperienza di sofferenza hanno spesso origine, ma che recuperano, mostrano e preservano un 610 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) indomito e poliedrico spirito femminile, che nel corso della storia²e contro una storia che lo ha soffocato, assoggettato o marginalizzato²si è impegnato ad affermare positivamente e costruttivamente valori umani e umanistici fondamentali di ³OLEHUWj´ (10), dignità e cittadinanza, di comunanza, rispetto, apprezzamento e solidarietà. Francesca Parmeggiani, Fordham University Joseph Farrell. Leonardo Sciascia: The Man and the Writer. Intro. Giuseppe Tornatore. Firenze: Leo S. Olschki, 2022. Pp. xix + 297. A consummate translator and one of the foremost experts on Italian theater and Sicilian cultural history, Joseph Farrell returns in his latest book to one of the authors who have accompanied his long and prolific career. In 1995, Farrell had already published a monograph on Leonardo Sciascia, and almost three decades later he reconsiders the works of the Sicilian writer with a fresh look and an updated bibliography. )DUUHOO¶V excellent volume is a pleasure to read: written in the signature style of an erudite and accomplished raconteur, the book deftly conjoins literary criticism with intellectual biography. The DXWKRU¶V vast erudition allows him moreover to zoom in and out between sweeping insights about European, Italian, and Sicilian cultural and literary traditions and detailed textual minutiae, dissected and analyzed with surgical precision. )DUUHOO¶V critical compendium of 6FLDVFLD¶V works is arranged in chronological order and extends through ten dense chapters. Particularly noteworthy for an Anglophone audience is the ERRN¶V discussion of 6FLDVFLD¶V early period, during which the author from Racalmuto writes The Fables of the Dictatorship (1950), the collection of poems Sicily, Its Heart (1952), the essay on Pirandello and Pirandellism (1953), and the documentary fiction of The Parishes of Regalpetra (1956). In chapter one, ³'H Rebus 6LFXOLV´ (1-42), Farrell reconstructs 6FLDVFLD¶V complex and ever-evolving relationship with the paternal figure of Pirandello who was ³DV much stepfather, or even godfather, as IDWKHU´ (31), showing how the DXWKRU¶V Enlightenment-inspired intellectual quest for reason, justice, and truth could only be ill at ease with 3LUDQGHOOR¶V worldview. His general admiration for the writer from Girgenti notwithstanding, Sciascia took issue with 3LUDQGHOOR¶V modernist irrationalism and political-ideological leanings, dismissed as philosophically defective. In the chapter two, ³7UDGLWLRQ and the Sicilian :ULWHU´ (43-60), Farrell appropriately places 6FLDVFLD¶V attitude towards Pirandello in the context of the DXWKRU¶V view of Sicilian history, a long record of missed opportunities in which Sicily missed out on the emancipatory forces of the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the Napoleonic modernizations of the state apparatus. Instead, 6LFLO\¶V cultural history is dominated by a perpetual defeat of reason, which takes Italian Bookshelf 611 shape in the enduring legacies of the Counter-Reformation and the Inquisition, in a widespread feudal clientelism, and the overbearing presence of the Mafia. Chapter three, ³&LYLF Humanism and the Body 3ROLWLF´ (61-100), delineates 6FLDVFLD¶V moral and political profile, described in terms of a relentless search for an ethical dimension in public affairs and the DXWKRU¶V civic humanism. Farrell attributes 6FLDVFLD¶V advocacy for social justice to temperament and personality but well recognizes that the DXWKRU¶V militant engagement was shared by an entire generation of intellectuals who were shaped by the experience, direct or by proxy, of Communist and Fascist totalitarianism. Useful in this sense is )DUUHOO¶V notice that Sciascia saw his critical and political writings as certainly important but separate from his literary production. 6FLDVFLD¶V extensive output and his insistence that his journalism be omitted from any edition of his complete works continue to pose both editorial and critical conundrums to scholars of Sciascia. The fourth and longest chapter, ³7KH Detective 6WRU\´ (101-62), focuses on the detective novel and 6FLDVFLD¶V reworking of the Anglo-American tradition of the popular crime story. At the time Sciascia started systematically writing crime fiction, Farrell reminds his readership, a well-established tradition of homegrown detective stories did not exist in Italy, as the classic gialli published by Mondadori were translations from American novels. 6FLDVFLD¶V introduction of the literary genre in Italy is quite the unique import: rather than feel-good whodunnit mysteries with a final restorative justice ending, the detective stories are part political treatise and part philosophical investigation into the nature of social hierarchies, systemic political crimes, and asymmetrical power structures. Farrell reads 6FLDVFLD¶V detective stories²in particular The Day of the Owl (1961), To Each His Own (1966), The Context (1971), and Todomodo (1974)²as attempts to expose the Mafia not simply as a highly organized crime syndicate but also the governing configuration of social life in Sicily, one wedded in unholy matrimony to a Catholic ³WKHRORJ\ of FRUUXSWLRQ´ (151). He then proceeds in the following three chapters, chapter five, ³+LVWRU\¶V 6KDGRZ´ (163-78), chapter six, ³7KH 3OD\¶V the 7KLQJ´ (179-88) and chapter seven, ³,QTXLVLWLRQV Ancient and 0RGHUQ´ (189-206), to present 6FLDVFLD¶V historical novels, especially The Council of Egypt (1963) and Death of the Inquisitor (1964), as fictional chronicles aimed at investigating this very genealogy of power in Sicily. )DUUHOO¶V organization and explication of 6FLDVFLD¶V vast production, as well as the thematic pairing of ancient and modern inquisitions (the friar and the Moro affair in chapter seven), and analyses of civil society (the Majorana case and the Risorgimento in chapter eight, ³6HFXULW\ and &LYLOL]DWLRQ´ 207-24) remains convincing and easy to follow throughout the book. Equally sensible is the balanced recounting of the thorny questions that characterized 6FLDVFLD¶V trajectory as an outspoken and sometimes inconsistent Italian intellectual, from his interventions into the mystery of 0DMRUDQD¶V disappearance, the kidnapping of Aldo Moro, and in particular 6FLDVFLD¶V notoriously bitter polemic concerning the 612 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) professionisti GHOO¶DQWLPDILD in the mid-1980s and the posthumous attacks of the 1990s in the Italian press. Final chapters on Candide (1977) in chapter nine, ³Candido and &DQGRXU´ (225-40) and 6FLDVFLD¶V late work in chapter ten, ³6FLDVFLD¶V 0\WKV´ (241-74) close the book. Of great use to an English-speaking readership is the final appendix edited by Francesco Izzo featuring a series of plates with the first editions of the translations of 6FLDVFLD¶V works into English published in the United Kingdom and the United States from 1963 to 2021. )DUUHOO¶V critical acumen and extensive engagement with 6FLDVFLD¶V oeuvre over the years make this book a highly recommended read to anyone interested in the Sicilian writer. 6FLDVFLD¶V multifaceted, knotty, and contradictory system of beliefs made up of urgent ethical imperatives and a most profound cultural pessimism shines unobstructed through the FULWLF¶V lens. As the most comprehensive monograph written in English, )DUUHOO¶V book will undoubtedly remain an essential reference for Sciascia Studies in years to come. Salvatore Pappalardo, Towson University Anna Frabetti, and Laura Toppan, eds. Raccontare la Resistenza: studi interdisciplinari. Firenze: Franco Cesati Editore, 2023. Pp. 234. Il volume Raccontare La Resistenza ± Studi Disciplinari, curato da Anna Frabetti e Laura Toppan, si pone come obiettivo quello di proporre un panorama degli studi critici sul racconto della Resistenza sia come fatto letterario che come testimonianza storica. I dodici contributi raccolti nel volume affrontano estesamente il paradigma storico-OHWWHUDULR UHVLVWHQ]LDOH LQ ³5HVLVWHQ]D FRPH UHWDJJLR´ -38) il poeta Luciano Cecchinel evidenzia come i suoi legami con la Resistenza, sia vissuti che recepiti, emergano in varie forme attraverso la sua produzione poetica. Nel suo FRQWULEXWR³1XWR5HYHOOLWUD,WDOLDH)UDQFLDOD5HVLVWHQ]DYLVVXWDHUDFFRQWDWDGDL GXHYHUVDQWLGHOOH$OSL´ -76), Marco Genre fa uso di dRFXPHQWLG¶DUFKLYLRH di testi pubblicati per descrivere come lo scrittore cuneese abbia costruito la propria narrativa resistenziale a partire dai suoi legami con la Francia sia prima FKHGXUDQWHLOFRQIOLWWR,Q³/D5pVLVWDQFHGH0DULR5LJRQL6WHUQXQHgéocritique de la nature dans Sentieri sotto la neve´ -88), Pankhuri Batt analizza in chiave JHRFULWLFD OH PRQWDJQH GRYH O¶DXWRUH GL $VLDJR DPELHQWD L SURSUL UDFFRQWL evidenziando attraverso il close reading GL SDVVDJJL FKLDYH O¶DOOLQHDPHQWR WUD uomo e QDWXUD QHOO¶RSSRUVL DOOD YLROHQ]D EHOOLFD 1HO VDJJLR ³/D ILOLJUDQD resistenziale nella Speculazione edilizia GL,WDOR&DOYLQR´ -78) Michele Carini HYLGHQ]LDODFRQWLQXLWjWUDO¶HVSHULHQ]DUHVLVWHQ]LDOHYLVVXWDGDOO¶DXWRUHOLJXUHHLO testo del 1957, in cui il passato partigiano del protagonista Quinto soggiace il suo fallimento imprenditoriale e personale. IOVDJJLRGL-HDQQH5XVVLHU³8QHVHPSLRGLPHPRULDOLVWLFDIHPPLQLOH$GD *REHWWL´ -28) analizza i temi e le tecniche narrative adottate dalla partigiana Italian Bookshelf 613 e giornalista nel suo Diario Partigiano (Torino Einaudi, 2014) per riscoprirne O¶XQLFLWjLQ³5HQDWD 9LJDQzROWUHO¶Agnese va a morire´ -47) Jessy Simonini HVSORUDLQYHFHODYDVWDSURGX]LRQHGHOO¶DXWULFHERORJQHVHDOODULFHUFDGLXQTXDGUR VLVWHPDWLFRLQFXLLQVHULUHLOFHOHEUHURPDQ]R0DULDODXUD6LPHRQHLQ³(OVDGH¶ Giorgi: la Resistenza come pensiHUR H FRPH D]LRQH´ -64) esamina la produzione letteraria della De Giorgi la quale, pur non avendo partecipato in prima persona alla lotta armata, ha contribuito attraverso il suo lavoro letterario al ³UHFXSHURFRVWDQWHGHOODPHPRULDFROOHWWLYD´   1HO VDJJLR GL 'DQLHOH 6XVLQL ³,O UDFFRQWR FRPH 5HVLVWHQ]D /D VSHFLILFLWj GHOOD 5HVLVWHQ]D HEUDLFD GXUDQWH OD 6HFRQGD JXHUUD PRQGLDOH´ -200), si evidenzia invece come lo studio delle varie forme di Resistenza attuate dagli ebrei nella guerra mondiale (siano esse di tipo religioso, assistenziale, narrativo o culturale) permetta di staccarsi dal paradigma vittimale che caratterizza la tradizionale interpretazione della Shoah. Se già introducendo la curatela Emanuele Cutinelli-Rendina (³Prefazione´, 11-1  HYLGHQ]LD FRPH OD UDFFROWD FRQVLVWD GL ³FRQWULEXWL SXQWXDOL GDO WDJOLR HVSOLFLWDPHQWH H FRQVDSHYROPHQWH PRQRJUDILFR´   YD QRWDWR FRPH QRQ manchino riflessioni più ampie che vanno oltre il saggio monografico, a partire dal contributo di Matteo Cavalleri ³8QD PHGHVLPD µSXOVLRQH GL YHULWj¶ /D Resistenza come evento e la sua trasfigurazione rappresentativa´ (47-62). Cavalleri scandaglia la complessità delle questioni etiche e morali che avvolgono la narrazione della Resistenza: sottolineando come intendere la Resistenza esclusivamente in quanto oggetto narrativo sia un rischio da evitare, adopera il concetto di événement come introdotto da Jean Starobinski per sviluppare XQ¶RULJLQDOHLQWHUSUHWD]LRQHGHOODULIOHVVLRQHGL*DEULHOH3HGXOOjVXOOD³SXOVLRQH GLYHULWjGDFXLKDRULJLQHODVFHOWDGLVDOLUHLQPRQWDJQD´  8QDSXOVLRQHGL verità che si eternizza in forma di testimonianza con la trasfigurazione UDSSUHVHQWDWLYDGHOO¶HYHQWRUHVLVWHQ]LDOH Il contributo di Sonia Residori (³5DFFRQWDUH O¶HVSHULHQ]D partigiana delle donne nella Resistenza italiana´, 89-118) offre invece un quadro complessivo sia del ruolo centrale giocato dalle donne partigiane nella Resistenza, sia del FROSHYROHVLOHQ]LRVXGLHVVRFDODWRDSDUWLUHGDOGRSRJXHUUD/¶DXWULFHVSD]LDWra testimonianze autobiografiche e narrative, letterarie e visive, fornendo XQ¶HVDXULHQWHULFRVWUX]LRQHWDQWRGHOOHUDJLRQLFKHSRUWDURQRQXPHURVHGRQQHD partecipare alla lotta, quanto delle esperienze da loro vissute nei mesi GHOO¶LPSHJQR8QWHPDTXHOOo del ruolo femminile nella lotta resistenziale, che VWDYLYHQGRXQULQQRYDWRLQWHUHVVHFULWLFRFRPHGLPRVWUDWRGDOO¶DVVHJQD]LRQHGHO Premio Campiello 2023 al testo di Benedetta Tobagi La Resistenza delle donne (Torino: Einaudi, 2022). Nel saggio che chiuGHODFXUDWHOD ³Il dizionario del partigiano anonimo: le FRQWUDSSRVL]LRQL DQWLWHWLFKH GHO UDFFRQWR GHOOD 5HVLVWHQ]D VHFRQGR O¶XRPR RUGLQDWR´ -26) Giovanni Pietro Vitali analizza un breve testo di dubbia 614 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) paternità ritrovato dallo storico e scrittore partigiano Angelo del Boca. Vitali argomenta in maniera convincente che il testo contiene in nuce gli elementi della riflessione storica compiuta da Del Boca nei suoi testi successivi, attribuendone quindi la paternità allo storico stesso. Attraverso le 51 voci di cui si compone (tra le quali paura, politica, neve, ma anche Mussolini e Matteotti), il dizionario traccia una sintesi dei contrasti e delle contraddizioni della Resistenza come vissuta dai ribelli partigiani. In conclusione, come scrive lo storico Alberto Cavaglion nel suo contributo ³/D 5HVLVWHQ]D GHL OLEUL´ -  ³$QDWROH )UDQFH VROHYD ULSHWHUH FKH SRFKH esperienze emozionano come la lettura del catalogo di una biblioteca. Noi GRYUHPRSUHFLVDUH3HUVSHJQHUHO¶RGLRGLRJQLJXHUUDQXOODqSLXtile del catalogo GL OLEUL SHUGXWL R VDOYDWL GXUDQWH XQ FRQIOLWWR´   ( SURSULR QHOOD (ri)catalogazione dei testi che costituiscono la testimonianza dei resistenti risiede LOSUHJLRSULQFLSDOHGHOYROXPHFXUDWRGD)UDEHWWLH7RSSDQFKHQHOO¶RWWDQWHVLPR DQQLYHUVDULRGHOO¶DUPLVWL]LRGHOVHWWHPEUHSUHVHQWDXQDSSURFFLRRULJLQDOH tanto alla narrativa resistenziale, quanto ai dibattiti critici e teorici odierni su di essa centrati. I dodici saggi che compongono la curatela offrono al lettore una riflessione che va oltre la semplice rilettura dei testi canonici, ponendo questioni legate al valore testimoniale intrinseco nei testi della Resistenza, e alla mancata valorizzazione di testimonianze e prospettive oggi più che mai rilevanti. Vivendo in tempi in FXLFRPHVFULYRQROHFXUDWULFL³VLDIIDFFLDQRVHPSUHSLHYLGHQWLVHJQL GL UHYLVLRQLVPR ULJXUJLWL QRVWDOJLFL H VWUXPHQWDOL]]D]LRQL GHJOL HYHQWL´   LO doveroso invito a confrontarsi coi testi canonici della Resistenza non può che essere affiancato da uno sforzo critico volto a ricalibrare il canone stesso. Daniele Biffanti, Northwestern University Sciltian Gastaldi. Tondelli scrittore totale. Il racconto degli anni Ottanta fra impegno, camp e controcultura gay. Bologna: Pendragon, 2021. Pp. 525. ³7RQGHOOLµVFULWWRUHWRWDOH¶LQWHOOHWWXDOHLPSHJQDWRVHEEHQHQRQDOVHUYL]LRGLXQD LGHRORJLD SROLWLFD Qp GL XQD UHOLJLRQH´ *DVWDOGL   This is how the writer, journalist and teacher Sciltian Gastaldi depicts the Italian author Pier Vittorio Tondelli in his work Tondelli: scrittore totale. Il racconto degli anni Ottanta fra impegno, camp e controcultura gay, published by Pendragon in 2021. ,Q*DVWDOGL¶VYLHZimpegno FRPPLWPHQW LVWKHOHLWPRWLYW\LQJ7RQGHOOL¶V entire literary production²especially concerning his portrayal of marginalised individuals and communities: outsiders, trans* people, gay couples, drug addicts, and the youth. In the first five chapters, Gastaldi focuses on how, after he died in  7RQGHOOL¶V FRPPLWPHQW WR PLQRULW\ LVVXHV DV ZHOO DV KLV TXHHU LGHQWLW\ have been concealed by his family (especially his brother Giulio) and his curator Fulvio Panzeri: they both censored the presence of queer bRRNV LQ 7RQGHOOL¶V library, and Panzeri omitted various original texts in the Bompiani collection, as Italian Bookshelf 615 ZHOODVLQWHUSUHWLQJWKHDXWKRU¶VHQWLUHOLIHDQGOLWHUDU\H[SHULHQFHDFFRUGLQJWR Catholic redemption. Additionally, this book mentions how the critics iQWHUSUHWHG WKH ZULWHU¶V commitment (or, according to some, the lack of such), focusing on the differences between the Italian, mainly Catholic and Marxist, and international critique, often rooted in Gender Studies and Queer Theory. Further, Gastaldi preseQWV7RQGHOOL¶V impegno in light of socio-political factors, his complex and pluralist relationship with religions, and his literary influences. In this regard, the Italian critic KLJKOLJKWVWKHLPSRUWDQFHRIOLWHUDU\FRPPLWPHQWZKHQKHVWDWHVWKDW³LQ7RQGelli qVHPSUHSUHVHQWHXQDULFHUFDOLQJXLVWLFDHXQ¶LQQRYD]LRQHQHLFRQWHQXWLFKHYLHQH GDOFRQIURQWRHGDOULFRQRVFLPHQWRGHOOLQJXDJJLRGLQXRYLPHGLDFXOWXUDOL´   The five remaining chapters examine how the impegno-constant is delineated in TondellL¶VOLWHUDU\SURGXFWLRQ*DVWDOGLPRYHVDFURVVWKHQDUUDWLYHZRUNV Altri Libertini, Pao Pao, Rimini, Dinner Party, Biglietti agli amici and Camere Separate  WKH ³RSHUD PRQGR´ IROORZLQJ )UDQFR 0RUHWWL¶V GHILQLWLRQ  Un weekend postmoderno, and the talent-scout project Under 25. Tondelli: scrittore totale is a significant contribution to the scope of critical LQYHVWLJDWLRQDURXQG3LHU9LWWRULR7RQGHOOL*DVWDOGL¶VZRUN²together with Olga &DPSRIUHGD¶V 'DOOD JHQHUD]LRQH DOO¶LQGLYLGXR *LRYLQH]]D LGHQWLWj LPSHJQR QHOO¶RSHUD GL 3LHU 9LWWRULR 7RQGHOOL (Mimesis, 2020), mentioned by Gastaldi himself²is able to add original elements of analysis and perceptive criticism, departing from previous interpretations. Their experiences seem to prove that, at WLPHV³GDORQWDQRVLYHGHPHJOLR´  DVWKH\DUHERWK,WDOLDQVZKRFRQGXFWHG their research abroad, being exposed to a different critical and theoretical framework. $Q LQQRYDWLYH IHDWXUH RI *DVWDOGL¶V ZRUN Ls his attempt to expose the RPLVVLRQVDQGFHQVRUVKLSDURXQG7RQGHOOL¶VOLIHDQGZRUNVDIWHUKLVGHDWKDVZHOO as the difficulties he encountered while researching this figure. Giulio Tondelli 3LHU 9LWWRULR¶V EURWKHU  DQG WKH FXUDWRU )XOYLR 3DQ]HUL UHPRYHd certain books IURPWKHZULWHU¶VSHUVRQDOOLEUDU\DPRQJZKLFK0DULR0LHOL¶VElementi di critica omosessuale (1977), gay porn tapes and countercultural magazines. Additionally, the two only allowed Catholic and religious critics to have access to this collection. It is quite clear that, because of these imposed constraints, the Italian understanding of Tondelli has been long stained by a single religious and ideological perspective. Gastaldi also discloses how this monolithic critical interpretation has been an obstacle to the publication of his volume, initially approved by the publishing house Bompiani and later turned down, as Panzeri ZDVWKHFXUDWRURI7RQGHOOL¶VFROOHFWLRQ $QRWKHU FRPSHOOLQJ FRPSRQHQW RI *DVWDOGL¶V YROXPH LV KLV LQWHUHVW LQ WKH differHQW FULWLFDO LQWHUSUHWDWLRQV RI 7RQGHOOL¶V SHUVRQD DQG ZRUNV ,Q &KDSWHU  ³7RQGHOOL H OD FULWLFD´ -40), he analyses the gaps, inaccuracies, and discrepancies between the Italian critique and the one abroad. The latter was able 616 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) to study the author from Correggio within the scope of Gender Studies, Queer Theory, and counterculture, developing new categories of analysis; the former, on the other hand, regardless of being in favour or against Tondelli, has been strongly intertwined with Catholicism (PanzerL6SDGDUR%XLD&DQDOLQL ³WUDFRQGDQQDH UHGHQ]LRQH´   *DVWDOGL DOVR FRQWUDGLFWV SDUW RI WKH KDUVK FULWLFLVP IURP 0DU[LVWV %HWWLQ *LXOLDQL *XJOLHPL  DQG /*%74 FULWLFV 'DOO¶2UWR %XVL Muneroni), who accused Tondelli of not being political or militant enough for WKHLU FDXVHV 'HVSLWH DJUHHLQJ ZLWK *DVWDOGL LQ KLV LGHQWLILFDWLRQ RI 7RQGHOOL¶V FRPPLWPHQW WR KLV VRFLDO LQWHUHVW DQG KLV SRUWUD\DO RI D ³QXRYD YLVLRQH GHOO¶RPRVHVVXDOLWj´ *QHUUH DQG /HRQDUGL TWG LQ *DVWDOGL   , GR PDLQWDLQ that some of the Materialist and Queer critical remarks are reasonable and coherent with their 1980s and 1990s context. *DVWDOGL¶VLQWHUHVWWRZDUGVOLWHUDU\WKHRULHVDQGFULWLTXHDOVRWUDQVSLUHVIURP his well-articulated references to theorists from Queer and Literary Theory: for the former, we find scholars such as Judith Butler, Leo Bersani, and Lee Edelman, while for the latter we encounter Deleuze and Guattari and Susan Sontag. The last three voices are fundamental in this scenario to insert Tondelli both in the wake of minor literature QDPHO\ ³XQD OHWWHUDWXUD >@ FKH XQD PLQRUDQ]D ID LQ XQD OLQJXD PDJJLRUH´ 'HOHX]H DQG *XDWWDUL TWG LQ *DVWDOGL   DQG camp DHVWKHWLFLVPLQLWLDOO\GHILQHGLQ6RQWDJ¶VHVVD\ Notes on Camp and here UHDGDVD³IRUPDFULWLFD´  WRYLHZ7RQGHOOLDVDTXHHUDXWKRU Lastly, Gastaldi enriches his critical evaluation with an articulated textual analysis: for instance, he is one of the very few critics who identified a clear analogy between the experiences of Leo and DavLGWKHSURWDJRQLVWVRI7RQGHOOL¶V 1989 novel Camere Separate DQG -DPHV %DOGZLQ¶V *LRYDQQL¶V 5RRP (1956), GHVSLWH WKH IRUPHU¶V H[SOLFLW UHIHUHQFH WR KLV GHEW WRZDUGV WKH $IUR-American author in the pages of Un weekend postmoderno. All of the features preseQWHG LQ 6FLOWLDQ *DVWDOGL¶V YROXPH DOORZ WKH WKHRULVDWLRQRI7RQGHOOL¶VSRUWUD\DODVD³VFULWWRUHWRWDOH´WKURXJKWKHOHQVHVRIKLV unique kind of impegno. The red thread of commitment is able to modify its IHDWXUHV WR DGDSW WR WKH PXOWLSOH ³7RQGHOOLDQ´ OLterary devices and, in the UHFRJQLWLRQ RI WKLV TXDOLW\ OLHV *DVWDOGL¶V DELOLW\ WR UHMXYHQDWH WKH WHUUDLQ RI 7RQGHOOL¶VFULWLTXH Federica Bonsi, Research Master Comparative Literary Studies, Utrecht University Thomas Harrison. Of Bridges. A Poetic and Philosophical Account. Chicago: Chicago UP, 2022. Pp. 284. It would be simplistic, and even misleading, to view Of Bridges. A Poetic and Philosophical Account by Thomas Harrison solely as a brilliant and thoughtprovoking exploration of the history, symbolism, and cultural significance of Italian Bookshelf 617 bridges throughout different eras and societies. In fact, Harrison, a Professor of Italian at UCLA, does not only weave a refined encyclopedic tapestry of the ZRUOG¶V knowledge but also makes bridges with words, to borrow from $XVWLQ¶V famous titles. If the bridge is a metaphor for human culture, +DUULVRQ¶V book itself is a multidirectional critical bridge. Drawing from a constellation of disciplines, including literature, art history, architecture, music, and philosophy, Harrison takes the reader on an engrossing journey structured as a series of nine interconnected essays, which, given the ERRN¶V scope, is essentially impossible to summarize. Each explores a different aspect of bridge culture; however, the border between them is highly porous, and Harrison²in his double role of scholar and pontifex (lat. ³EULGJH EXLOGHU´ ²joins them through a network of crossings. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the book concludes with the famous 3LUDQHVL¶V etching entitled The Drawbridge (1745), a perfect representation of the intellectual and cultural intricacy through which Harrison navigates with effortless elegance. Of Bridges, therefore, never turns into a disorienting labyrinth of interrelations. Instead, Harrison invites the reader to return to central conceptual junctions, texts, images, and authors²bridges, after all, allow us to cross and go back. The book begins by discussing EULGJHV¶ symbolic and metaphorical meanings in religious and mythological narratives. The bridge as a transcendent space represents the unity of earth and sky, which from Wagnerian to Hawaiian mythology finds in the rainbow a ³YLVLEOH link between material and immaterial ZRUOGV´ (20), including hell and its cultural implications, that Harrison investigates in Chapter 4 (105-22), discussing the intercultural existence of the so-called GHYLO¶V bridges. In Chapter 2 (42-76), instead, he considers the bridge a multicultural theoretical device that allows the crossing of ethnic and ideological divides. Harrison, however, makes sure to remind us that bridges never really neutralize difference. The EULGJH¶V promise to overcome separation, for example, crashes against its association with homelessness and war, but also with death by water, suicide, and executions, as in the instance of 5RPH¶V most iconic bridge, Ponte 6DQW¶$QJHOR (Chapter 6, 144-68). Chapter 3 is an imaginative examination of musical bridges, from the ability of sound to draw the absence near to ambient sound artists and poets, to the capacity of Blues to take us across musical, social, and racial divides. The cumbersome figure of Friedrich Nietzsche connects then Chapters 5 (123-43) and 7 (169-86), which represent the ERRN¶V conceptual pièce de résistance. In 1LHW]VFKH¶V paradoxical poetic writing, Harrison seems to find a way to elaborate with originality on the contradictory nature of bridges, which connect, and simultaneously expose, the distance between things that can never be fully one. At the same time, in a passionate defense of poetry, he invites us to be suspicious of 1LHW]VFKH¶V reflections on language. The metaphoric language of poetry does not create ³PHQGDFLRXV word-EULGJHV´ (127), as Nietzsche would have it, but, on 618 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) the contrary, disorienting semantic couplings that indicate a new direction of thought. The bridge, Harrison argues convincingly, is a space of tension between material and ideal, between word and thought. To use 1LHW]VFKH¶V expression, it is ³WKH rope stretched over an DE\VV´ (178). A still effective metaphor for the inbetweenness of the human condition. In the concluding chapter, Harrison returns to the idea of the bridge as something that ³UHJLVWHUV separation, dividing what it seems to XQLWH´ (210). This is the case of WRGD\¶V mega bridges, which the author sees as the symbol of the illusory planetary bond of hyperconnectivity that has not diminished the level of human internal and external conflict. Aided by Virgil and by some of Sergio /HRQH¶V characters, he thus acknowledges the darker side of bridges as sites of conflict and division. Throughout the book, +DUULVRQ¶V writing is sagacious and engaging, and he draws on an incredible range of sources to support his arguments. In a Warburgian exercise of Kulturwissenshaft, he also includes many images and photographs to illustrate his points, merging the historical with the metahistorical visual approach. In his proceeding ³GL ponte in SRQWH´ just like Dante, who, along with Virgil, Kafka, and Crane, is among +DUULVRQ¶V main literary guides, he draws a global map of symbolic thinking, showing how, despite geographical, racial, political, and religious separation, we all share deep conceptual structures that makes us all potential bridges. At the same time, Harrison seems to also sketch a personal geography. From the Bosporus Bridge connecting East and West in Istanbul, +DUULVRQ¶V birthplace, to the centuries of Western civilization represented by the bridges of Rome and Italy, where he grew up. Finally, the two bridges that define the beginning and end of the United States: the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, the city of +DUULVRQ¶V intellectual formation, and the Golden Gate Bridge in California, where he built his academic career. Overall, Of Bridges is a masterfully written and outstanding book. +DUULVRQ¶V erudite yet accessible style, combined with his wide-ranging interdisciplinary approach, makes it an authentic tour de force that is sure to inspire and delight not only scholars of Italian Studies, but also anyone interested in philosophy, literature, and the arts, as well as to readers with interest in the history of architecture, engineering, and urbanism. Gian Maria Annovi, University of Southern California Mario Inglese. Scrivere la Sicilia. Saggi di letteratura contemporanea. Pesaro: Metauro, 2022. Pp. 156. Scrivere la Sicilia. Saggi di letteratura contemporanea è opera di Mario Inglese, il quale si occupa di critica letteraria, poesia e traduzione della poesia; ha pubblicato sia libri di saggistica e di poesia, nonché tradotto testi di Seamus Heaney, Marcel Proust e James Armstrong. Ha inoltre insegnato lingua e Italian Bookshelf 619 letteratura italiana DOO¶HVWHUR nello specifico in paesi anglosassoni. La scelta della tematica ³q scaturita GDOO¶DUHD di indagine di cui si occupa il 0&,6´ (7), cioè il Mediterranean Center for Intercultural Studies, ai convegni del quale O¶DXWRUH ha partecipato più volte. I capitoli, dedicati ad autori della letteratura contemporanea siciliana quali Vincenzo Consolo, Gesualdo Bufalino, Simonetta Agnello Hornby, Andrea Camilleri, Nino De Vita e Giorgio Vasta, sono già apparsi altrove come articoli (tranne il quarto capitolo sulla relazione tra giornalismo e letteratura in Camilleri). Sul retro della copertina si trovano le domande che uno potrebbe farsi prendendo in mano il libro: ³3HUFKp un altro libro sulla Sicilia nella letteratura? Quale immagine delO¶LVROD emerge dagli scrittori in questo YROXPH"´ A queste domande O¶DXWRUH risponde QHOO¶LQWURGX]LRQH ³SRFKH tra le regioni italiane [...] come la Sicilia possono vantare un tale concentrato di referenti storici, antropologici e FXOWXUDOL´ (7-8). Che la Sicilia rischi di diventare un topos QHOO¶DUWH è già stato affermato da studiosi e critici come Massimo Onofri, Salvatore Ferlita, Matteo di Gesù e Domenica Perrone, secondo i quali ³VRWWROLQHDQGR le contraddizioni, il male, il negativo, si finisce per amplificare tutto ciò attraverso le forme mediate della rappresentazione e della riproducibilità ad infinitum di simulacri di UHDOWj´ (9). La Sicilia, insomma, rischia di perdere i connotati reali e di diventare una costruzione soltanto mentale e mediatica. Quello che O¶DXWRUH spera di rivelare nel corso del libro è ³OD capacità di ciascuno scrittore di innestarsi con originalità in una tradizione²rinnovandola²oppure di superarla per battere vie nuove, pur mantenendo alcune coordinate dalle quali poter scorgere i tratti esistenziali che permettono una riconoscibilità di luoghi o HYHQWL´ (12). Scrivere la Sicilia contiene sette capitoli che esaminano opere di cinque scrittori e un poeta con i seguenti titoli: ³9LQFHQ]R Consolo e lo sguardo multiplo sulla 6LFLOLD´ (17-34); ³0HWDIRUH della sicilitudine nella scrittura autofinzionale di Gesualdo %XIDOLQR´ (35-51); ³&XOture mediterranee e sincretismo in Sicilia: Il caso de Il cane di terracotta di Andrea &DPLOOHUL´ (53-67); ³*LRUQDOLVPR e letteratura: /¶LPSHJQR civile di Andrea &DPLOOHUL´ (69-78); ³/D Sicilia vista da XQ¶HVSDWULDWD La narrativa di Simonetta Agnello HornE\´ (79-101); ³/D µFDVD a cielo DSHUWR¶ Metafore palermitane nella narrativa di Giorgio 9DVWD´ (103-34); ³µ$UFKHRORJLD¶ della parola: Lingua e dialetto nella poesia di Nino De 9LWD´ (13552). I capitoli non sono molto uniformi: da un lato, due capitoli sono dedicati a Camilleri, GDOO¶DOWUR lato la lunghezza dei capitoli è molto varia. Quello più breve, di dieci pagine, è sulla connessione tra giornalismo e letteratura in Camilleri, quello più lungo, di trenta, è il penultimo, dedicato a Giorgio Vasta. Il primo capitolo affronta alcuni aspetti della ³VLFLOLDQLWj´ della scrittura di Vincenzo Consolo analizzando i testi Lo spasimo di Palermo, /¶ROLYR e O¶ROLYDVWUR, Le pietre di Pantalica e saggi dal volume Di qua dal faro. La Sicilia funge da palinsesto antropologico, culturale, fisico. Per Consolo esistono due Sicilie, argomenta O¶DXWRUH quella orientale, essenzialmente greca e terra della passione, del sentimento, ma anche della violenza della natura; e quella occidentale, che dispone di un discorso più logico e offre un senso della storia 620 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) attraverso la presenza di popoli diversi (fenici, arabi, normanni, svevi). Lo sguardo multiplo ³QRQ si manifesta soltanto nella ricognizione da parte dello scrittore delle stratificazioni dei piani di senso [...], [ma] anche nel moltiplicarsi dei punti di vista, QHOO¶DVVXQ]LRQH di una pluralità di voci e di SURVSHWWLYH´ (28). Consolo fa metafora della Sicilia per tutto il Mediterraneo, ma anche di tutta O¶(XURSD questa metaforicità è costante in Consolo. Nel secondo capitolo dedicato a Bufalino, Inglese esplora la dimensione metaforica della Sicilia alla luce GHOO¶DXWRILFWLRQ categoria letteraria venuta a ³FROPDUH il vuoto che si è determinato tra le memorie, O¶DXWRELRJUDILD e la scrittura intima in JHQHUDOH´ (qui cita Serge Doubrovksy, Le dernier moi, in Claude Burgelin, Isabelle Grell, Roger-Yves Roche (a cura di), Autofiction(s). Colloque de Cerisy 2008. Lyon: Presses Universitaires de Lyon, 2010, 384.). Come in Consolo, anche in Bufalino O¶DXWRUH parla GHOO¶LVRODPHQWR a cui gli scrittori siciliani devono far fronte: il termine ³LVROLWXGLQH´ segna la condizione dei singoli siciliani che sono isole dentro O¶LVROD che è ³OR stemma della [loro] VROLWXGLQH´ (citando Bufalino stesso da La luce e il lutto, Palermo: Sellerio, 1988, 16, cit. in Inglese 38). Inglese afferma anche il fatto che O¶LGHQWLWj del personaggio e del narratore assume un respiro universale, anche se essa rimane localizzata nella sua ³LVROLWXGLQH´ Nel caso de Il cane di terracotta, Inglese approfondisce il ³significato interculturale e sincretico di una reinterpretazione della leggenda della gente della caverna, ovvero dei sette dormienti di (IHVR´ (53), mentre nel quarto capitolo afferma che i fatti di cronaca danno O¶DYYLR in Camilleri a elaborazioni di storie di finzione, concentrandosi su una serie di articoli che O¶DXWRUH ha redatto per La Repubblica dal 29 ottobre 1997 al 18 aprile 1999. Nel quinto capitolo O¶DXWRUH prende in considerazione i primi tre romanzi, la cosiddetta ³WULORJLD VLFLOLDQD´ di Simonetta Agnello Hornby (La Mennulara, 2002; La zia marchesa, 2004; Boccamurata, 2007). Anche qui, la geografia e il mondo locali si riconducono a una dimensione ³QRQ tanto metastorica quanto sovrannazionale, XQLYHUVDOH´ (82). /¶XVR del linguaggio, specialmente i frequenti avverbi, sottolineano il carattere stratificato, secolare del popolo siciliano. La cultura siciliana popolare è quindi ineludibile anche nel caso di Agnello Hornby che scrive da lontano, GDOO¶,QJKLOWHUUD /¶DXWULFH nella sua narrativa ³VIUXWWa a pieno la ricchezza stratificata di una cultura²quella siciliana²che sa fondere Storia e storie, sensualitá e male di vivere, tragedia e umorismo, solarità e PLVWHUR´ (98). Il leitmotiv dei romanzi sono le profonde istanze di giustizia, rivendicazione e risarcimento delle donne e della gente più marginalizzata. Nei due romanzi di Giorgio Vasta, Il tempo materiale (2008) e Spaesamento (2010), O¶DXWRUH analizza i ³UDSSRUWL tra la ricognizione di stampo antropologico di XQ¶LQWHUD società e i meccanismi figurali e allegorici che connotano una narrativa di sapiente costruzione OHWWHUDULD´ (103). Il linguaggio usato da Vasta è preciso, geometrico, pieno di matericità e volutamente privo di ironia. Sono altrettanto assenti le tracce di trascendenza e le manifestazioni di affetto e amore perché ³QRQ sono riconducibili a XQ¶DSSUHQVLRQH scientifica, percettiva, da parte della coscienza dei protagonisti [...] e della voce QDUUDQWH´ (109). La narrativa di Vasta Italian Bookshelf 621 si riveste quindi di un ³VRIIRFDQWH µLSHUUHDOLVPR¶´ (103). Inglese analizza anche la presenza e la simbolicità degli emblemi di sfacelo e morte, nonché della malinconia. /¶XOWLPR capitolo del libro è dedicato a Nino De Vita, poeta che usa il dialetto marsalese nelle proprie opere e che, secondo O¶DXWRUH andrebbe considerato più un poeta mediterraneo che un poeta dialettale. Come nota ancora Inglese, ³OD scelta del dialetto si traduce in un atto di resistenza contro O¶HQWURSLD della voce della terra [...] significa abbracciare la propria realtà nella sua LQWHUH]]D´ (139). È particolarmente interessante il fatto che il poeta sia anche il proprio traduttore: affianca ai testi in dialetto le loro traduzioni in italiano. Il libro offre XQ¶LQWURGX]LRQH alla letteratura siciliana contemporanea, anche se molto selezionata e breve. Scrivere la Sicilia non mira a fornire un quadro completo, Il libro offre XQ¶LQWURGX]LRQH alla letteratura siciliana contemporanea, anche se breve. In effetti, Scrivere la Sicilia non mira a fornire un quadro completo ma una selezione di autori. Il libro potrebbe perciò risultare utile soprattutto a chi vuole approfondire determinati volumi oppure avere XQ¶LQWURGX]LRQH alle maggiori tematiche degli scrittori trattati. Dora Bodrogai, PhD Candidate, Pázmány Péter Catholic University Paola Italia, ed. Gaddabolario. 'XHFHQWRGLFLDQQRYH SDUROH GHOO¶,QJHJQHUH. Roma: Carocci, 2022. Pp. 176. Il Gaddabolario recentemente pubblicato da Carocci per le cure di Paola Italia seleziona e commenta, grazie DOO¶LPSHJQR di sessantuno frequentatori GHOO¶RSHUD gaddiana di varia formazione ed esperienza, duecentodiciannove lemmi liberamente trascelti dal corpus GHOO¶,QJHJQHUH in esplicito omaggio al numero civico che fa da teatro al Pasticciaccio per antonomasia (appunto, il 219 della romana via Merulana). Per spiegare criteri e obiettivi di XQ¶LPSUHVD rivolta, in primis, ai neofiti GHOO¶DXWRUH nella sua introduzione, la curatrice muove da quella che è una delle più tipiche sensazioni prodotte VXOO¶LJQDUR lettore GDOO¶HVSUHVVLRQLVPR di Gadda. Si tratta di TXHOO¶³HIIHWWR di straniamento OLQJXLVWLFR´ scatenato, riga dopo riga, dal fuoco di fila delle ³SLURWHFQLH OHVVLFDOL´ (9-10), addirittura consistente nella inquietante sensazione di ³OHJJHUH nella propria lingua e percepirne XQ¶DOWUD´ (9). /¶LGHD di un glossario (per quanto selettivo e µDPLFKHYROH¶ dedicato a Gadda si basa anche sulla constatazione della funzione che la parola letteraria assume, per O¶DXWRUH milanese, nei confronti del reale e della sua rappresentabilità. In altre parole, la parola come ³FHOOXOD di HQHUJLD´ (10), per cui la funzione meramente descrittiva della lingua cede il passo a XQ¶LVWDQ]D che è, in una, conoscitiva e deformante. '¶DOWUD parte (si legge nella Meditazione milanese citata da Italia) 622 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) conoscere significa ³GHIRUPDUH il UHDOH´ provare a districare O¶RVFXUo gnommero del mondo. Per questa sua utopia conoscitiva, la lingua di Gadda può allora chiamare a sé ³WXWWH le componenti della sua VWRULD´ (11): voci antico-letterarie, dialettali, tecniche, straniere, neoformazioni e deformazioni (tutte ben rappresentate nel lemmario del Gaddabolario). Queste vengono a loro volta disposte nel periodo in modo da infrangere grottescamente le dicotomie stilistiche su cui tradizionalmente poggia la storia GHOO¶LWDOLDQR letterario moderno, contaminando O¶DXOLFR con il prosaico, e scartando dal comico al tragico, dal tragico al lirico. Da un punto di vista strettamente morfologico, un buon esempio delle tipiche mésalliances gaddiane è dato riscontrare in certi composti classico-triviali come O¶DJJHWWLYR cinobalànico (Luigi Matt) o il sostantivo criptorutto (Andrea Severi), dove, rispettivamente, O¶DOOXVLRQH del primo termine ³LSHUFROWR´ specifica s.v. il glossatore) alla locuzione popolare µD cazzo di FDQH¶ e, nel secondo, il plurilinguismo parascientifico (tanto più nel sintagma ³FULSWRUXWWR QDVDWLYR´ rendono bene il cortocircuito espressivo in cui la creatività di Gadda, quasi un gorgo inarrestabile, trascina la propria lingua madre e, con essa, il lettore. Come già la variegata formazione dei compilatori lascia intendere, la varietà di approcci esegetici messa in atto nei molti lemmi proposti contempla solo in parte rigorosi criteri lessicologici. /¶RELHWWLYR del Gaddabolario è infatti quello di fornire uno spaccato non soltanto del vocabolario di Gadda, ma anche dei materiali culturali, storici e privati che, per il filtro sempre attivo di un temperamento nevrastenico, portato per natura DOO¶LUULVLRQH caricaturale, si riflettono inventivamente (e spesso allusivamente) nel calderone plurilingue dei testi. Fra O¶DOWUR questo plurilinguismo testuale è già di per sé riflesso e proiezione, si diceva, GHOO¶LQHVDXULELOH caos del reale: un microcaosmo linguistico (per dirla con un mot-valise alla Joyce). In ogni caso, il lavoro coordinato da Paola Italia (co-responsabile della nuova edizione Adelphi delle opere di Gadda, nonché autrice, come noto, GHOO¶LPSRUWDQWH glossario sul Gadda ³PLODQHVH´ O¶DOWUR essendo quello di Matt sul romanesco del Pasticciaccio) consente di saggiare nuove direzioni nello studio del lessico G¶DXWRUe. Si possono, ad esempio, ripercorrere, in senso diacronia, le diverse accezioni, connotazioni o sfumature semantiche nelle occorrenze di certi ³JDGGLVPL´ anche a partire dalla genealogia (secondo quanto fatto, ad esempio, da Paolo Zublena, ³,SRWHVL sulla genealogia di una ossessione lessicale gaddiana: ebefrenico´ in Giorgio Francesco Arcoida et al., eds. Tilelli. Scritti in onore di Vermondo Brugnatelli. Cesena-Roma: Caissa 2013. 193-212). O, ancora, raggruppando i lemmi alfabeticamente ordinati del Gaddabolario in categorie linguistico-stilistiche suscettibili, come tali, di approfondimenti comparati nella lingua letteraria contemporanea. Si vedano, a questo riguardo, derivati satirici con suffisso -oide, di ascendenze positivistiche (fogazzaroide, gorgonzoloide, gutturaloide«  i celebri composti analogici con trattino di gusto primonovecentesco (centauro-saetta, eleganza-flanella, occipite-jungla, Italian Bookshelf 623 ramarro-folgore); i frequenti aggettivi deantroponimici carichi di implicazioni etiche e poetiche (ariostesco, caravaggesco, G¶DQQXQ]LHVFR, santommasesco«  i dialettalismi più o meno aggettanti DOO¶DUFDLVPR (margniffa, nìvolo, pispillorio); i tanti usi letterari ³VSDVWLFL´ (15), dove i materiali della più alta tradizione poetica risultano sottoposti a torsioni semantiche (alivolo, fronzuto, incantagione, medulla« ecc. Un invito per verba alla scoperta di Gadda, dunque, e insieme una valida collezione di spunti per ulteriori scavi (o ³DUUDPSLFDWH´ secondo la metafora alpinistica adottata dalla curatrice) attraverso O¶RSHUD del più grande prosatore del Novecento italiano. Giacomo Micheletti, Università degli Studi di Pavia Maria Anna Mariani. Italian Literature in the Nuclear Age. A Poetics of the Bystander. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2022. Pp. 240. Maria Anna 0DULDQL¶V thought-provoking book on Italian literature in the nuclear age not only is a ground-breaking work for the field of Italian Studies. On the one hand, in fact, Italian Literature in the Nuclear Age furnishes a new and comprehensive interpretation of well-known and less-known writings by such authors as Alberto Moravia, Italo Calvino, Elsa Morante, Leonardo Sciascia, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Carlo Cassola. On the other hand, the book also provides readers with cognitive tools useful to make sense²at both the rhetorical and affective (possibly transformative) level²of the most urgent anxiety of these years of war and ecological crisis, that is, the anxiety related to ³PDVV H[WLQFWLRQ´ (6). Mass extinction is something located outside the domain of speakability and representation, hence its paradoxical characterization as a concept and, at the same time, the many rhetorical strategies adopted by Italian writers to account for it. However, given that ³WKH metaphysical intractability of the nuclear TXHVWLRQ´ (13) is not just a problem for Italy, in her analysis of Post-Second World War Italian literature Mariani also makes extended reference to authors who, regardless their national belonging, addressed and keep addressing the same issue, among others: Bertrand Russell, Hannah Arendt, Günther Anders, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, and today the anthropologist and social scientist Joseph Masco, whose latest monograph on this topic is The Future of Fallout, and Other Episodes in Radioactive World-Making (Durham: Duke UP, 2021). In the ³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ titled ³$ Gray Zone of 5HVSRQVLELOLW\´ (1-15), Mariani explains why we need a ³SRHWLFV of the E\VWDQGHU´ (she refers to Michael 5RWKEHUJ¶V Implicated Subjects: Beyond Victims and Perpetrators, Stanford: Stanford UP, 2019) and she reminds us of what Primo Levi said in a 1987 interview ³7KH Sinister Power of 6FLHQFH´ The Voice of Memory: Interviews 1961-1987, Cambridge: Polity, 2001, 70-72). The point of the interview is that, since Italy is not a superpower but harbors a nuclear arsenal from the years of the 624 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Cold War, the country lives ³RQ the nuclear global VWDJH´ with other ³FRPSOLFLW E\VWDQGHUV´ that mix together different degrees of ³FROOXVLRQ and PDUJLQDOLW\´ (5). The gray zone of responsibility in which Italy is located, that is, ,WDO\¶V ³PRUDO GLOHPPD´ (181), has historical motivations too. ³,WDOLDQV´ Mariani writes, ³ZHUH among the chief creators of the atomic bomb, even if Italy was not: It was on the campus of the University of Chicago that [Enrico] Fermi [1901-1954] achieved the first self-sustaining nuclear chain UHDFWLRQ´ (5). Therefore, a poetics of the bystander is needed in order to navigate the gray zone where the borders between collusion and marginality (if not powerlessness) blur. In the first chapter ³)DPLOLDUL]H the Unthinkable: 0RUDYLD´ 16-50), Mariani argues that Alberto Moravia explicitly addressed the moral dilemma of the bystander after visiting in Hiroshima (1982) the cenotaph of the two hundred thousand victims of the atomic bomb. After that experience, one that ³DFWHG´ inside him ³/HWWHUD da +LURVKLPD´ /¶LQYHUQR nucleare, Milano: Bompiani, 1986, 3), Moravia decided to run for the elections to the European Parliament as an independent in the rolls of the Italian Communist Party (he was elected in 1984). However, Mariani underscores that 0RUDYLD¶V decision was not political but ³PHWDSK\VLFDO´ since in Hiroshima he realized that he was a member of the human species, not of a party. For this reason, and against the opinion of those intellectuals who were wary of his ostensible conversion to political engagement, Moravia backdated his interest in the atomic question and identified its traces even in his first novel Gli indifferenti (The Time of Indifference, 1929). This novel displayed the decadence of society during the fascist period and, more broadly, it showed ³WKH drive toward death that is inherent in the culture of the :HVW´ (18), a drive that the temptation of the atomic war brings to an extreme. Mariani also highlights that Moravia neither placed any political emphasis on his commitment to the nuclear question, nor made any declaration about the ZULWHU¶V ³UHGHPSWLYH´ mission the way Elsa Morante and Jacques Derrida were inclined to do. Instead, his rhetorical strategy about the atomic bomb consisted in familiarizing and miniaturizing, as it were, ³WKH proportion of the FDWDVWURSKH´ (46), as was the case with the short story ³7KHUH¶V a Neutron Bomb for Ants 7RR´ (Erotic Tales, New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1986, 164-165). In this short story, the SURWDJRQLVW¶V decision to exterminate ants using an insecticide is an allegory about the lack of empathy when the victims of our actions are not visible to our eyes and cannot act inside us the way the monument in Hiroshima did with Moravia. After demystifying the commonplace about 0RUDYLD¶V presumed political awakening, in the second chapter ³([SDQG Responsibility: &DOYLQR´ 51-97) the author undermines another prejudice, one labeling Italo &DOYLQR¶V Cosmicomics (1965) and t zero (1967) as escapism. In fact, such critics as Carla Benedetti, Raffaele Donnarumma, and Alessia Ricciardi²including a writer like Antonio Moresco²neglect the fact that &DOYLQR¶V ³XQZDYHULQJ FRPPLWPHQW´ (51) to an absolute ban on nuclear weapons has always been reflected in his writings. This neglect brings with itself the risk to condemn Calvino, so to speak, to ³OLJKWQHVV´ Italian Bookshelf 625 that is, to the most cited and misunderstood among his final Six Memos for the Next Millenium (1988). Mariani invites us, instead, to interpret Cosmicomics in a way that takes into account, on the one hand, the ³DWPRVSKHUH of catastrophic suspension that characterized the Cold :DU´ and, on the other, the ³SV\FKRpolitical matrix of SRVWPRGHUQLVP´ (82). Cosmicomics fits into this matrix, one that conceives engagement obliquely and contests the usual view of postmodern disengagement. In fact, all the stories in the collection fluctuate between multiple and immeasurable time scales, like when the narrator Qfwfq recalls his life as a mollusk and implicitly establishes an ecological relationship of interdependence²and of expanded responsibility, as Hans Jonas likely would say²among living organisms and inanimate things (Hans Jonas, The Imperative of Responsibility, Chicago: The U of Chicago P, 1984). If both 0RUDYLD¶V and &DOYLQR¶V rhetorical strategies about the bomb were rational and had to do with opposite processes of familiarization and defamiliarization of the nuclear question, Elsa Morante aimed instead at sabotaging rational thought as such (third chapter, ³6DERWDJH Logic: 0RUDQWH´ 98-135). In fact, the speech ³)RU or Against the Atomic %RPE´ (a speech ostensibly weak in terms of logic) that the writer gave in Turin at Carignano Theater in 1965, is at the heart of 0DULDQL¶V reading of the nuclear question in 0RUDQWH¶V work as a whole, including her best seller History: A Novel (1974). During that speech Morante argued that the word ³DWRPLF´ was on HYHU\ERG\¶V lips in a way that actually trivialized it and repressed the concern that the nuclear question should raise ³3UR o contro la bomba DWRPLFD´ Opere, Vol. 2, Milano: Mondadori, 1990, 1539-54). Accordingly, Mariani observes that Morante in Turin embarked on a polemic against the misuse of metaphor, which she blamed for diluting the specificity of the catastrophic events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, Mariani also remarks that Morante, during her speech, instead of creating a reasoned chain of argument, lined up implications and tautologies that culminated in a koan. A koan ³LV a riddle that wriggles free from any resolution made through logic, practiced by Zen Buddhists as a meditative discipline to demonstrate the inadequacy of rational WKRXJKW´ (99). This conclusion, in 0DULDQL¶V view, is not a symptom of the weakness of 0RUDQWH¶V argument. It is rather a sign, we could add, that Mariani, probably no less than Morante, would like to evade ³WKH drive toward death that is inherent in the culture of the :HVW´ (18). Indeed, as Mariani does not fail to underline on the footsteps of Max +RUNKHLPHU¶V and Theodor W. $GRUQR¶V Dialectic of Enlightenment (1947), Western culture equates instrumental reasoning with barbarism, which leads to the atomic question and inevitably makes innocence impossible. The impossibility of innocence once the nuclear option is on the table, is at the basis of 0DULDQL¶V reading of Leonardo 6FLDVFLD¶V essay The Mystery of Majorana (1975) in the fourth chapter ³3UHVHUYH the Capacity to Not Act: 6FLDVFLD´ 136-60). Ettore Majorana was the young physicist who worked at the 626 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) bomb with )HUPL¶V team and disappeared in 1938 (the same year when Fermi was awarded the Nobel prize). Mariani reconstructs that Sciascia was so impressed by a sentence he read in Friedrich 'UUHQPDWW¶V satiric drama The Physicists (1962)²³Zhat was once thought can never be XQWKRXJKW´ (157 and 158)²that in The Mystery of Majorana he came to the conclusion that the young man had preferred to disappear after having intuited the consequences of the nuclear fission to which he had given his contribution as a theoretical physicist. In this way, Mariani argues, thanks to 6FLDVFLD¶V book Majorana started to personify, in many SHRSOH¶V imagination, a sort of Schopenhauerian ³HWKLFV of UHQXQFLDWLRQ´ (137) or, in Giorgio $JDPEHQ¶V terms, ³WKH capacity to not DFW´ (Agamben mutates this expression from his reading of Herman 0HOYLOOH¶V short story Bartleby, the Scrivener, published in 1853. Mariani mentions $JDPEHQ¶V essay on p. 150 of her book). However, since innocence is impossible once the nuclear fission has become a theoretical issue, Mariani has an easy target in debunking 6FLDVFLD¶V Manichean portrait of Majorana as an ³KDJLRJUDSK\´ (143), that is, as another rhetorical strategy, another expression of the poetics of the bystander, useful to navigate the gray zone of responsibility. Today, the gray zone of responsibility in which everybody lives, is represented by the society of spectacle. In fact, each of us is exposed to an overwhelming amount of scattered visual perceptions that anesthetize our capacity to be compassionate and empathetic. Therefore, in the fifth and last chapter ³/RRN to Understand: 3DVROLQL´ 161-82), Mariani analyzes Pier Paolo 3DVROLQL¶V La rabbia (Rage/The Anger, 1962-1963). This is ³D new film JHQUH´ (162) whose montage juxtaposes images of beauty and horror, loss of innocence and enchantment. In 0DULDQL¶V interpretation, La rabbia¶V editing is more than a formal solution at the service of filmmaking: it is a ³FRJQLWLYH PHWKRG´ (165) that can help the bystander reanimate and reenergize the way she/he looks at reality, so as to contrast Post-Second World :DU¶V apathetic ³VWDWH of QRUPDOF\´ (167). The concluding ³&RGD´ is titled ³7KH World without +XPDQV´ (183-90) and focuses, on the one hand, on Carlo &DVVROD¶V utopia of a demilitarized world (Contro le armi, Against Weapons, 1980) and, on the other hand, on his postapocalyptic portrait of an earth repopulated by plants and nothing else (Il mondo senza nessuno, The World without Humans, 1982). In conclusion, Mariani makes explicit that the ³FRPSOLFLW\´ of the ³E\VWDQGHU´ upon which her book focuses, has to be understood ³DV a starting point for action rather than as a reason for UHVLJQDWLRQ´ (183). Each spectator, in a sense, can become a protagonist and bear testimony of a possible, different, story. Italian Literature in the Nuclear Age. A Poetics of the Bystander is an important reading for scholars and students working in many fields of research, including Italian Studies, Comparative Literature, Ecocriticism, and Affect Studies. The importance of the book lies in the way the author works around the notion of an ³LPSOLFDWHG´ bystander in order to address an urgent topic²the Italian Bookshelf 627 nuclear anxiety²about which literature has a lot to say both at a national and transnational level. Andrea Sartori, Nankai University Giacomo Micheletti. Celati ¶ Regressione Fabulazione Maschere del sottosuolo. Firenze: Franco Cesati Editore, 2021. Pp. 117. Despite recent scholarly interest in &HODWL¶V later passion for the environment-incrisis, regional landscapes, and contemporary societies, Giacomo 0LFKHOHWWL¶V Celati ¶ redirects our attention back to his initial novelistic productions, offering a refreshing philological investigation of his first four Neo-Avant-Garde novels, Comiche ³6ODSVWLFN Silent )LOPV´ 1971), Le avventure di Guizzardi ³7KH Adventures of *XL]]DUGL´ 1973), La banda dei sospiri ³7KH Group of 6SLULWV´ 1976), and Lunario del paradiso ³+HDYHQ¶V $OPDQDF´ 1978). Celati ¶ contains a brief introduction followed by five short individual chapters. The introduction and chapter one together detail the cultural and literary landscape of the Gruppo 63 and &HODWL¶V critical and problematic position in relation to this literary movement, highlighting both his proximity and deviation. Each of the ERRN¶V following four chapters is dedicated to the four novels in question, respectively. In his well-researched interpretation of &HODWL¶V early fictional writings, Micheletti does not depart from or offer radically controversial ideas against previous scholarship. His study seems to reaffirm the ineluctable angles with which &HODWL¶V first novels should be contextualized, elaborating in a convincing manner discussions such as the social marginalization and delirium states of subjects, unstable or playful identities, and linguistic experimentation, which is perhaps the most significant for this book. Most of 0LFKHOHWWL¶V textual and intertextual inquiry evolves thematically around the three key words presented in the ERRN¶V title: regressione, fabulazione, and maschere. His conceptualization of regressione, which can be the most interesting one, is grounded as a ³µVDOWR DOO¶LQGLHWUR¶ (psichico e linguistico) DOO¶LQJHQXLWj dei µSDUODWL QDWXUDOL¶´ (22), or, in a later moment, construed as a ³µHFRQGL]LRQDPHQWR VSHULPHQWDOH¶ ovvero un dispositivo capace di restituire µXQ reale per quanto possibile sottratto ai condizionamenti percettivi che sono stati prodotti dalla Storia, dalle razionalizzazioni e dal senso comune, senza che ciò implichi che quel reale è più reale di un altro, è solo una DOWHUQDWLYD¶´ (48). Though readers might have already been familiar with the major arguments Micheletti makes in this book, they will still find it a valuable contribution to the already extant scholarship, especially if taking into consideration the ERRN¶V thorough engagement with intertextuality and a wide range of Italian references. The author displays a particular concern for showing the ways in which &HODWL¶V long career as a prolific translator has influenced his fictional writing, especially 628 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) his translations of Louis-Ferdinand &pOLQH¶V Conversations with professor Y and London Bridge. This diagnostic standpoint renders 0LFKHOHWWL¶V text not only highly comparative but also conversational in its continuous sensibility of the similarities and/or divergences Celati manifests in relation to his translated works. In terms of linguistic experimentation, Micheletti provides a series of original debates on what he calls ³YHUERGHOLUDQWL´ in all the four case studies. He points out that Celati ³VHPEUD simulare anche (soprattutto) la connaturata altalena tonale, ovvero una sistematica alternanza, in una sorta di pastiche deficitario (se non già deficiente), di termini popolari e regionali, aulico-burocratici e tecnici (a partire dallo stesso tecnicismo psichiatrico della verbigerazione ´ (46). But, on the other hand, he maintains that Celati as a translator-novelist does not simply imitate from Céline, but also ³FL si aspetterebbe un deciso ricorso al patrimonio della gergalità malandrina, ben oltre O¶LPSHJQR assoluto (céliniano?) di verbi-FKLDYH´ (47). Also intriguing about 0LFKHOHWWL¶V work is the way in which he compares &HODWL¶V four novels in a direct but also nuanced way, without overgeneralizing one definitive voice. The emergence of this evidence challenges the epistemological normalcy of &HODWL¶V well recognized ³FRPLF WULORJ\´ that some recent scholars might have stressed, especially those who have focused on &HODWL¶V later novels from the 1980s. In chapter three , ³*XL]]DUGL o della QHQLD´ (61-78), for example, Micheletti writes that ³&HODWL smarcandosi dallo schizomorfismo di Comiche, recuperi nella sua seconda prova narrativa il movimento µRUL]]RQWDOH¶ e sgambettante delle Avventure di Pinocchio´ (64). That said, while throughout the book 0LFKHOHWWL¶V examination is essentially textual-philological rather than theoretical or historical, he never loses sight of the historical-political backdrops against which &HODWL¶V novels are written. This is perhaps best manifested in the last chapter on Lunario del paradiso, ³*LRYDQQL o delle mille YRFL´ (95-112), in which he retraces many of &HODWL¶V personal trajectories, from his visiting professorship at Cornell University to his tenure of Anglo-American literature at the newborn Dams in Bologna. A more contextualized reading of the Lunario is not only necessary, but it also helps enact a decisive pathway for supporting 0LFKHOHWWL¶V assertation that the novel constitutes a crucial watershed in &HODWL¶V oeuvre. Micheletti in Celati ¶ includes numerous quotes, in-text references, and bibliographical suggestions, but nearly all of them are in Italian. In addition, 0LFKHOHWWL¶V sophisticated prose and the depth of his intellectual engagement make this book very limited in terms of reach and size of audience. Specialists of contemporary Italian literature will find the extensive references in this book an excellent resource to check up in preparation for future research. Intentional or not, interestingly, the ERRN¶V subtitle regressione fabulazione maschere del sottosuolo seems to imitate &HODWL¶V own writing style, revealing 0LFKHOHWWL¶V Italian Bookshelf 629 intellectual and personal passion with one of the most prominent Italian writers in the second half of the twentieth century. Qian Liu, PhD Candidate, University of Michigan Elisabetta Mondello, and Massimiliano Tortora, eds. Ungaretti intellettuale. Roma: Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2021. Pp. 288. Anche questo bel volume collettaneo, a cura di Elisabetta Mondello e Massimiliano Tortora, uscito per le Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura nel 2021, ha subìto il destino delle molteplici iniziative accademiche pensate per il cinquantenario della morte di Ungaretti (2020) e funestate dalla pandemia, e si è costituito in assenza delle giornate di studio da cui sarebbe dovuto scaturire. Il tema, evidente fin dal titolo Ungaretti intellettuale, si presta particolarmente alla sinergia fra le università romane e la Fondazione Camillo Caetani che lo hanno ideato e finanziato: i saggi raccolti infatti indagano principalmente le piste critiche battute GDOO¶8QJDUHWWL saggista, professore in Brasile e DOO¶8QLYHUVLWj di Roma-La Sapienza e traduttore, con un occhio attento alle riviste, ai periodici e ai media a cui collaborò. Tra le riviste, una delle più significative è VHQ]¶DOWUR Commerce, diretta e finanziata da Marguerite Caetani tra il 1924 e il 1932 a Parigi²da cui il legame con O¶DWWXDOH Fondazione Caetani: anche se nel volume non compaiono ulteriori indagini su di essa, il modello rappresentato da Commerce emerge in filigrana in più di un intervento, segno del peso che la rivista esercitò anche sulle riviste italiane dei decenni successivi, probabilmente anche tramite il ruolo di conseiller étranger per la letteratura italiana che vi ricoprì Ungaretti. /¶8QJDUHWWL intellettuale è indagato in questi studi secondo approcci critici diversi a cui si potrà qui solo accennare: ricognizioni storiche sulle riviste (/¶$SSURGo, Presente, Poesia), affondi su temi specifici (la durata, la dismisura, il vuoto e la crisi del linguaggio, il mestiere, O¶engagement) o figure GHOO¶LVSLUD]LRQH del poeta (il faquir egiziano), ricostruzioni di relazioni intellettuali e G¶DPLFL]LD (Bambini, Angioletti, Saba, Aleramo, la beat generation, i giovani allievi Petrucciani e Asor Rosa), ipotesi G¶LQGDJLQH a partire da documenti di prima mano e G¶DUFKLYLR (la brasiliana favola Tupì, i giornali egiziani di inizio Novecento) senza trascurare i carteggi e il profondo rapporto con le arti (Michelangelo, Vermeer, Fautrier), tra cui la musica (da Nono al rock), il cinema (Griffith, Rossellini, Pasolini) e i nuovi media (radio e televisione che peraltro misero in valore la straordinaria vocalità e mimica ungarettiana). Vorrei sottolineare qualche snodo critico per mostrare la ricchezza del volume. 'HOO¶8QJDUHWWL professore e dei suoi appassionati corsi sugli autori della tradizione italiana, Monica Venturini fissa O¶LPPDJLQH di un serrato corpo a corpo col testo, al contempo rigoroso e aperto DOO¶LQWHUSUHWD]LRQH un europeismo naturale, attraversato da un senso della durata che ribadisce²sulla scorta GHOO¶DPDWR Leopardi²XQ¶LGHD GHOO¶DUWH non come moda, ma come ricerca di una 630 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) forma G¶HVSUHVVLRQH che tenga unite tradizione e modernità. Lo dice bene Antonio Saccone ripercorrendo in apertura di volume il rapporto GHOO¶8QJDUHWWL saggista con la modernità: ³8QJDUHWWL insegue una tradizione che si autosmentisce come tale e una modernità che punta a configurarsi come WUDGL]LRQH´ (3). Non mancano tuttavia le idiosincrasie, come mostra Teresa Agovino ricordando il rapporto non pacificato con Manzoni: dispiace a Ungaretti la condanna del Seicento sottesa a I Promessi sposi, tenuto conto GHOO¶LPSRUWDQ]D del Barocco nel farsi della sua poetica (come ribadiscono due saggi dedicati in questo volume a Vermeer e al Michelangelo iniziatore del Barocco). Ma anche nelle lezioni tenute in Brasile sul primo capitolo del romanzo e su don Abbondio, che pure ha in simpatia, Ungaretti non riesce a rendere completamente ragione della ricchezza di sfumature con cui Manzoni tratteggia il suo personaggio. Essenziali per entrare QHOO¶RIILFLQD poetica ungarettiana, secondo XQ¶LGHD della durata che concerne anche la continuità fra teoria, pratica, didattica e poetica, sono le indagini VXOO¶8QJDUHWWL traduttore da molteplici lingue. Ricorre nella sezione ad esse dedicata la collaborazione a Poesia (1945-1948), rivista di Enrico Falqui modellata in parte su Commerce. A partire dai sonetti di Shakespeare, Stefania Caristia torna VXOO¶LGHD ungarettiana di traduzione poetica come ³ULFUHD]LRQH RULJLQDOH´ già valorizzata da Isabel Violante nel volume Une oeuvre originale de poésie: Ungaretti traducteur (Paris: PUF, 1998), una scelta che tuttavia non incontra il favore dei critici del tempo e resta schiacciata tra le altre tendenze dominanti negli anni Quaranta. Alessandra Mattei conduce invece XQ¶LQGDJLQH ritmica e metrica sulle traduzioni ungarettiane delle favole indie brasiliane, Mito Tupì. Come si fece giorno (Fondo Falqui), mostrando come il ³OXQJR tempo EUDVLOLDQR´ rappresenti una tappa-chiave del processo con cui Ungaretti cercava di ³DPSOLILFDUH la centralità del contenuto poetico >«@ attraverso la ricostruzione di un VXRQR´ (112). Le riflessioni VXOO¶RULJLQH e sulla crisi del linguaggio moderno, centrali nella ricerca ungarettiana ed estese a molteplici forme G¶DUWH attraversano necessariamente diversi saggi del volume, come dimostra la ricorsività dei nomi di Paulhan, di Fautrier e di Leopardi. Mario Minarda offre una convincente nuova ³SHUOXVWUD]LRQH´ su Ungaretti critico del Leopardi, poeta della luna e GHOO¶LQILQLWR Alberto Fraccacreta ci ricorda che Ungaretti applica i principi leopardiani GHOO¶LQGHWHUPLQDWH]]D anche alla pittura, tracciando una linea che da Vermeer, con la sua ricerca della luce e GHOO¶LGHD pura, arriva fino alla pittura informale di Fautrier; mentre Monica Battisti, coniugando il rapporto fra ³GLVPLVXUD´ e frammento, insegue Ungaretti nel suo viaggio in jet con Fautrier e Paulhan fino in estremo oriente, per mostrare una volta di più come O¶LQHVDXVWD curiosità del poeta assorba e trasformi in materiale poetico ogni novità anche tecnologica, oltre che ogni esperienza umana e sentimentale. ³&KLDVVR´ e frammento sono poi al centro delle ricche riflessioni di Teresa Spignoli sul ruolo avuto dalla musica (rock compreso) QHOO¶HODERUD]LRQH delle liriche GHOO¶XOWLPD stagione del poeta (da Morte delle Stagioni alle Nuove), quando la musica²in quello stesso tempo in cui il Italian Bookshelf 631 vecchio Ungà viveva il suo amore per Bruna Bianco²si colloca al centro di una serie di sperimentazioni vertiginose, nate, tra gli altri, dal sodalizio con Luigi Nono. Tra i documenti preziosi che il volume ci offre, merite ricordare in chiusura la trascrizione²a cura di Caterina Conti²di un passaggio finora inedito da una trasmissione radiofonica del 1966, andata in onda su Radio Trieste e poi sul Terzo Canale. Si tratta di Poesie di Saba, lette da Giuseppe Ungaretti durante la quale Ungaretti legge alcune poesie dal Canzoniere e poi rievoca quando, in occasione della pubblicazione della seconda edizione di Allegria di Naufragi [sic], Saba² attentissimo lettore della poesia di guerra ungarettiana²O¶DYHYD confrontata con quella del 1919 e poi ³SD]LHQWHPHQWH e in tanti foglietti aveva scelto la lezione che gli piaceva di più, insomma aveva rifatto ciascuna poesia, qualche volta adottando la vecchia lezione e qualche volta adottando la nuova e qualche volta mettendone una VXD´ riuniti poi i foglietti in un quaderno, lo aveva spedito a Ungaretti raccomandandogli che una successiva edizione ³DYUH>EEH@ dovuto farla come [gli] LQGLFDYD´ (152). /¶HGL]LRQH ³VDELDQD´ GHOO¶Allegria cui allude Ungaretti è forse uno degli esiti più commoventi scaturiti GDOO¶LQFRQWUR fra due sensibilità poetiche acute e fra due personalità tanto diverse e suggerisce quanto sia ricco O¶DUD]]R della nostra letteratura che emerge da testi non canonici, da documenti solo apparentemente secondari, dai ricordi, dai carteggi, dagli archivi ancora da esplorare. Eleonora Conti, PhD Université de Paris IV-Sorbonne Laura Moure Cecchini. Baroquemania. Italian Visual Culture and the Construction of National Identity, 1898-1945. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2021. Pp. xvii + 267. La mania del Seicento a cui allude nel titolo Baroquemania di Laura Moure Cecchini è il fil rouge che tiene insieme una serie di vicende significative oltreché riflessioni visive e testuali, coinvolte nel revival di questo secolo in ambito storiografico, critico e artistico avvenute in Italia a cavallo tra le due Guerre Mondiali. /¶LQWURGX]LRQH al testo si apre con una domanda che O¶DXWULFH pone a sé stessa e al lettore: perché un altro libro sul Barocco? E la risposta arriva poco dopo. I motivi sono essenzialmente due: il primo è quello di dimostrare che il Barocco, non meno di altri stili, è stato recepito e reimpiegato nella cultura visiva e nella storia intellettuale GHOO¶,WDOLD moderna; il secondo è quello di inserire questo fenomeno nel rapporto degli ³LWDOLDQL´ con la modernità e la tradizione² tra le quali il Barocco si incastona perfettamente²durante gli anni GHOO¶8QLWj nazionale. Ma si potrebbe aggiungere un terzo motivo, o meglio obiettivo, che caratterizza la ricca e versatile ricerca di Laura Moure Cecchini e ricorre costantemente DOO¶LQWHUQR del volume. Il Barocco viene analizzato per la duttilità e la fluidità con cui, anche terminologicamente, è stato impiegato nel tempo, al 632 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) fine di mettere in evidenza²senza retorica²la sua rilevanza storica e sociale, riconosciuto quale stile unificante e aggregante in virtù proprio della sua natura eterogenea. La sua ricezione culturale è affrontata prendendo in esempio casi che appartengono alla storiografia, alla critica G¶DUWH e alle arti visive in costante dialogo tra loro, al fine di sviscerare le dinamiche che hanno condotto alla rivalutazione in positivo del linguaggio artistico barocco. /¶RULJLQDOLWj della ricerca è quella di raggiungere tale obiettivo avvalendosi di volta in volta dei diversi media rintracciati e selezionati dalla studiosa²cartoline, riviste, libri, fotografie, pitture, sculture, architetture, mostre. Il volume è diviso in sei capitoli, ognuno dei quali presenta momenti cruciali in cui il Barocco è stato declinato nel suo lento e complesso processo di Nationbuilding avvenuto tra O¶HWj postrisorgimentale e il ventennio fascista in Italia. Il discorso si apre con ³'HFDGHQW Seicento: the emergence of the Baroque in the Italian fin de siècle´ (17-54) e con O¶LPPDJLQH fascinosa e perturbante della Roma di reviviscenza neobarocca di Andrea Sperelli e, per riflesso, di Gabriele '¶$QQXQ]LR /¶LQWHOOHWWXDOH di fine Ottocento sente di condividere una condizione comune con O¶DUWLVWD barocco, entrambi in crisi con il loro tempo e alla ricerca di una bellezza altra, densa di stimoli artificiosi che appaghino gli animi. Per i decadenti, le forme barocche ancora visibili in città erano espressione di una coscienza antimoderna che si ribellava al loro tempo presente e allo scempio urbanistico²condannato da '¶$QQXQ]LR²intrapreso a discapito della facies storica GHOO¶8UEH Sul finire del secolo si collocano le osservazioni di Adolfo Venturi, che seppur con idee contrastanti VXOO¶LPSRUWDQ]D di studiare O¶DUWH del Seicento, aveva consentito ai suoi allievi²frequentatori della Scuola di Perfezionamento da lui istituita presso La Sapienza di Roma²di avviare quei pionieristici studi sul negletto secolo che avrebbero da lì a breve portato alla ribalta molti artisti dimenticati. /¶HYHQWR che fece da cerniera tra i due secoli fu VHQ]¶DOWUR la Mostra berniniana del 1899, la prima a carattere monografico, su Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Contrariamente a come era stato visto in passato, la mostra di indirizzo liberale restituiva alla moderna capitale O¶LGHD rinnovata di un artista laico ed elevava Bernini al rango di eroe post-unitario. Argomentando sulle Esposizioni Universali di Roma e Torino, allestite nel 1911 in occasione del cinquantenario GHOO¶8QLWj G¶,WDOLD ³7KH %DURTXH¶V revenge: the 1911 jubilee exhibition and the search for an Italian VW\OH´ (55-87), O¶DXWULFH ricorda O¶DOORUD tangibile frammentazione culturale e artistica della Penisola e rimarca come tale momento fosse cruciale per interpretare il Barocco quale metafora adatta a congiungere le tensioni esistenti tra nazionalismo e regionalismo. Inoltre si rileva come, in quella temperie storica, la rivalutazione del barocco lo ponesse quale degno candidato a rappresentare la recente coesione politica GHOO¶LGHQWLWj italiana. Le forme e i sentimenti del Barocco rivivono in ogni regione nel traslato Neobarocco. In merito a questo aspetto, si sarebbe potuto forse meglio mettere a fuoco quali fossero le peculiarità del barocco locale riconosciute Italian Bookshelf 633 e accettate da ciascuna regione, al fine di completare esaustivamente XQ¶DUJRPHQWD]LRQH già bene articolata. Il multiforme stile GHOO¶LQGDJine sorprende il lettore soprattutto nei due brillanti capitoli centrali (88-121; 122-159) in cui si affronta prima il rapporto tra Futurismo e Barocco²oltreché Cubismo²attraverso la lettura critica di Roberto Longhi; e poi la relazione tra il Barocco e le tendenze contemporanee degli artisti ³VHLFHQWRILOL´²in cui si problematizza anche il concetto di ³FODVVLFR´²filtrato dalle vetrine delle due importanti manifestazioni espositive fiorentine del 1922. Moure Cecchini, che aveva già anticipato la discussione del primo punto in un saggio apparso nel 2019 in The art bulletin accenna al ruolo determinante di Longhi e del collezionista Angelo Cecconi nella ri-scoperta del Seicento meridionale, quasi sempre lasciato al margine, e descrive ampiamente la dipendenza del Futurismo dal Barocco e la natura intrinseca delle due correnti artistiche, entrambe portatrici di XQ¶HVWHWLFD moderna e ³ULYROX]LRQDULD´ Di grande interesse il ragionamento sulla provenienza dello stile, sia essa latina e quindi nata nella Penisola²come sostiene Longhi²oppure cosmopolita e quindi straniera² come sostiene Venturi²discussione, questa, condotta in funzione dei discorsi VXOO¶LGHQWLWj nazionale, molto accesi nei tempi odierni. Superando la complessa querelle sulla ³0DQLD del 6HLFHQWR´ avviata da Giorgio De Chirico nella rivista Valori Plastici e alimentata da una schiera di critici e storici GHOO¶DUWH negli ultimi due capitoli O¶DXWULFH dá spazio DOO¶DSSOLFD]LRQH che dello stile barocco è stata fatta, in ambito architettonico, sotto il regime fascista, guardando ai progetti di Vincenzo Fasolo, Armando Brasini e Giuseppe Capponi (160-96), fino ad affrontare le sperimentazioni tecniche di Lucio Fontana e Adolfo Wildt e il dibattito sulla ricezione e sulla crescente fortuna dello stile in XQ¶RWWLca (anti)crociana sviluppatasi tra gli anni Trenta e Quaranta del Novecento (197-236). Baroquemania è un saggio che permette alla storiografia italiana di allinearsi a quelle straniere²austriaca, tedesca, spagnola, latino-americana²che nel tempo si sono interrogate VXOO¶HVVHQ]D nazionale di questo stile e sul ruolo di esso nella costruzione GHOO¶LGHQWLWj artistica. I casi studio affrontati e le riflessioni proposte GDOO¶DXWULFH si pongono quali risorse imprescindibili per comprendere il rapporto del Barocco con la modernità le quali si inseriscono a buon diritto nel dibattito transnazionale sul tema, aprendo nuove piste di ricerca che spaziano e si intersecano nei livelli multipli della conoscenza storica, politica e sociale. Giada Policicchio, PhD Candidate, Università degli Studi di Salerno Pierluigi Musarò, and Emanuela Piga Bruni, eds. ³7XULVPR e PLJUD]LRQH´ Scritture migranti 13 (2019). Online. ³5LSHQVDUH la PRELOLWj´ è il titolo della tredicesima uscita del periodico Scritture Migranti curato da Pierluigi Musarò ed Emanuela Piga Bruni. /¶LQWURGX]LRQH a 634 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) questo numero intitolato ³5LSHQVDUH la mobilità. Oltre la contrapposizione WXULVPRPLJUD]LRQH´ (i-xix) enfatizza la rilevanza che O¶HVSHULHQ]D dello spostamento assume nelle varie discipline, dalla sociologia DOO¶DQWURSRORJLD dalla geografia urbanistica alla critica letteraria, alle arti performative, al cinema ed ai nuovi media. Oltre a definire la pratica del viaggio e a offrire un rinnovato sguardo teorico DOO¶DPELYDOHQWH relazione tra migrazione e turismo, le varie riflessioni contribuiscono a costruire nuove opinioni sulla mobilità intesa come fenomeno sociale totale. Secondo il nipote di Émile Durkheim, O¶DQWURSRORJR Marcel Mauss, un fatto sociale totale è un insieme di discorsi (dibattiti, teorie, dichiarazioni, ecc.) e di pratiche (azioni politiche, controlli, limitazioni, ecc.) che influisce ogni aspetto della vita e delle interazioni sociali. Dunque O¶LPPLJUD]LRQH coinvolgendo nel suo accadere la pluralità dei livelli sociali²dalla politica DOO¶HFRQRPLD dalla comunicazione DOO¶HGXFD]LRQH alla religione²si configura come tale nella percezione delle persone coinvolte. In ³7XULVPR e migrazioni. Un percorso QHOO¶LPPDJLQDULR VRFLDOH´ (1-19), O¶DXWRUH Angelo Turco si propone di mostrare come il turismo e il fenomeno della migrazione in tempo di pandemia si mescolino. Nella definizione di Zygmunt Bauman il turista è libero di muoversi da un paese DOO¶DOWUR per piacere, mentre il migrante è costretto a partire per necessità, a superare i confini a rischio della propria vita e sottoposto a forme di controllo e segregazione. Nel 2020, la pandemia ha per la prima volta sottoposto anche il turista a un regime di mobilità più restrittivo. Il turista diventa soggetto pericoloso al pari del migrante in quanto entrambi potenziali vettori della diffusione del virus. La sociologa Ilenya Camozzi nel suo intervento intitolato ³*LRYDQL in transizione. Una lettura generazionale dei concetti di mobilità, migrazione e WXULVPR´ (20-39), rivede la definizione delle complesse categorie da lei esaminate, ovvero migrazione, mobilità e turismo, evidenziando tra loro più affinità che differenze. Nel saggio intitolato ³4XDQGR O¶$OWUR incontra O¶$OWURYH Riflessioni del ruolo GHOO¶LQQRYD]LRQH sociale nel turismo e nella PLJUD]LRQH´ (40-64), la studiosa Melissa Moralli sostiene che turismo e migrazione siano di fatto due facce della stessa medaglia che rappresentano occasioni di incontro tra il cosiddetto established e outsider. La relazione tra le due entità si caratterizza da una reciproca dipendenza: O¶estabilished è tale perché esiste O¶outsider e viceversa, O¶LGHQWLWj GHOO¶XQR si definisce in relazione a quella GHOO¶DOWUR ognuno è ciò che O¶DOWUR non è. 1HOO¶DIIURQWDUH la questione, secondo Moralli, occorrerebbe considerare il ³FRQFHWWR-RPEUHOOR´ di innovazione sociale che include un insieme variegato di iniziative e attività che permetterebbe agli attori di dar vita a nuove forme di collaborazione. In assenza di un vero e proprio genere o di una narrazione abituale, O¶LPPLJUD]LRQH nel cinema, secondo Gino Frezza in ³0RULUH e rinascere. Estremi di storie migranti nel FLQHPD´ (65-82), si incentra spesso sulle relazioni tra gli estremi di vita e morte, tra tenacia e sconfitta, povertà ed emarginazione dei migranti. /¶DXWRUH propone tre nuovi modelli che chiama ³VJXDUGR retroverso´ Italian Bookshelf 635 epica WUDJLFD´ e ³LQFRJQLWH GHOO¶LPEDUFR´ attraverso i quali il cinema riuscirebbe a dimostrare la complessità dei racconti del migrante e a rappresentarne cinematograficamente O¶HVSHrienza. Nel contributo intitolato ³9LDJJL teatrali. Osservazione e narrazione tra migrazione e turismo nel teatro FRQWHPSRUDQHR´ (83-109), le due autrici, Laura Gemini e Francesca Giuliani, esplorano come le arti performative e nello specifico il teatro approccino il tema del viaggio sia come pratica dei commedianti del passato che si spostavano da un posto DOO¶DOWUR sia come metafora del viaggio introspettivo al quale gli spettatori sono invitati a partecipare nelle pièce teatrali. Sul recupero e protezione del patrimonio culturale e turistico da parte della popolazione indigena canadese si concentra il contributo di Elena Lamberti intitolato ³/DGUL di canoe. Turismo, migrazione e identità indigena in &DQDGD´ (110-28). Gli indigeni canadesi hanno scoperto come O¶RIIHUWD di tour e di esperienze ³RULJLQDOL´ all-inclusive nelle zone di riserva siano fonti di ricchezza e generino ritorni economicamente vantaggiosi per la comunità ed allo stesso tempo siano un nuovo metodo di valorizzazione del territorio. Le città hanno modificato la loro morfologia per adattarsi alle esigenze dei turisti adottando un ordine ³HVFOXVLYR ed HVFOXGHQWH´ nei confronti di una specifica mobilità: il migrante o altro viaggiatore. Dopo un breve excursus storico sulla nascita del turista come categoria, gli autori Chiara Rabbiosi e Prosper Wanner in ³'DO µGLULWWR alla FLWWj¶ al µGLULWWR alla PRELOLWj¶ Spunti per una critica socio-spaziale della definizione di ³WXULVWD´ (12953), rivendicano un ³GURLW à la YLOOH´ non inteso come utopia egualitaria ma come espressione di partecipazione, o come direbbe Arjun Appadurai, di aspirazione della comunità a generare e condividere il cosiddetto ³FDSLWDOH FLYLFR´ (David Harvey, Il capitalismo contro il diritto alla città, Verona: Ombre corte, 2016), cioè i beni, O¶DFFRJOLHQ]D le ricchezze collettive delle città, le potenzialità dei singoli cittadini, la ³ULFHUFD di unità DOO¶LQWHUQR di XQ¶LQFUHGLELOH varietà di spazi IUDPPHQWDWL´ (Harvey, 106). Il lefebvriano ³GLULWWR alla FLWWj´ è anche utilizzato come chiave di interpretazione dallo studioso Fabio Corbisiero, in ³, beni comuni come antidoto alla turistificazione dei centri storici? Il caso di Santa Fede Liberata a 1DSROL´ (154-76) per una riflessione critica sullo stato del centro antico di Napoli che si trova a fare i conti con una turistificazione crescente. /¶DXWRUH racconta che per contrastare la commercializzazione del centro storico napoletano si assiste a un consistente processo di ³OLEHUD]LRQH´ riappropriazione ed autogestione di spazi dismessi o abbandonati da parte di gruppi o comitati autonomi per renderli beni comuni fruibili da tutti. Di turismo del dolore o turismo scuro, GDOO¶LQJOHVH Dark Tourism, termine coniato nel 1996 dagli accademici John Lennon e Malcom Foley, se ne parla nel contributo intitolato ³9LVLWDUH la follia. /¶RVSHGDOH psichiatrico come meta WXUtVWLFD´ (177-204) di Marina Guglielmi. Mentre O¶LQWHUHVVH accademico a questo tipo di turismo è recente, la pratica è molto più antica. Secondo Tony Seaton la tradizione del cosiddetto thanatourism risale 636 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) al Medio Evo e si intensifica durante il Romanticismo, basti pensare alla scoperta di Pompei nel 1748 e che diventerà una delle maggiori destinazioni di turismo oscuro del periodo romantico (Seaton, ³*XLGHG by the Dark: from thanatopsis to WKDQDWRXULVP´ International Journal of Heritage Studies 2(4): 234-244). La forma tanatoscopica del viaggio inteso come desiderio di familiarizzare con la morte e, in senso più largo, con la sofferenza, reinventa luoghi di natura macabra in spazi che evocano emozioni e sentimenti autentici dove poter riflettere, ricordare ed interpretare aspetti legati alla moralità. I manicomi, i ³OXRJKL GHOO¶R]LR PDOHGHWWR´ (Michel Foucault, Storia della follia QHOO¶HWj classica) definitivamente chiusi per la legge 180 del 1978 nota come legge Basaglia, hanno prodotto sofferenza, disperazione e annullamento GHOO¶LGHQWLWj per migliaia di ³PLJUDQWL LQYLVLELOL´ (178), troppo spesso strappati alla normalità non per motivi psichici ma fisici o perché irrequieti, malinconici o semplicemente poveri. Quella di Musarò e Piga Bruni si presenta come una collezione originale che approfondisce concetti fondamentali della riflessione sulla mobilità: il turismo e O¶LPPLJUD]LRQH In un contesto dove nulla ha più contorni nitidi, definiti e fissati una volta per tutte, in questa modernità liquida di Bauman, gli autori decostruiscono la dicotomia turista-migrante per sovrapporre, scambiare e riconvergere le due figure a seconda del luogo. Francesca Muccini, Belmont University Giovanni Pascoli. Convivial Poems. Transl. Elena Borelli, and James Ackhurst. Introduction, notes, glossary, dual-language poetry. New York: Italica Press, 2022. Pp. 332. The Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney first encountered Giovanni 3DVFROL¶V poetry when in Urbino to receive a laurea Honoris causa in 2001. So taken was he by the landscapes and evocations of child-wood memories that, in 2009, he translated²though Heaney preferred the descriptors imitated, paraphrased, and transfused²the sixth section of Myricae, the sixteen-poem sequence /¶XOWLPD passeggiata, published posthumously as The Last Walk (2013), and the poemetto ³/¶DTXLORQH´ ³7KH .LWH´). Heaney was hardly alone in his late-found discovery of Pascoli. The Romagnol poet is enjoying a new appreciation in the Anglosphere as evinced by five other post-2010 translations: Last Voyage: Selected Poems, transl. Deborah Brown, Richard Jackson, and Susan Thomas (2010); The Poems of Giovanni Pascoli, transl. Alessandro Baruffi (2017); The Last Walk of Giovanni Pascoli, transl. Danielle Hope (2018); Last Dream, transl. Geoffrey Brock (2019); and Selected Poems of Giovanni Pascoli, transl. Taije Silverman and Marina Della Putta Johnston (2019). The preference in these editions is for 3DVFROL¶V elegiac and bucolic poems from Myricae and Canti di Castelvecchio even though both 1904, annus mirabilis in 3DVFROL¶V creative production, and epigraphical variants of 9LUJLO¶V verse non omnes arbusta iuvant humilesque myricae conjoin the three collections. The one exception to this indifference to 3DVFROL¶V Classical-Christian Italian Bookshelf 637 myth cycle is Last Voyage: Selected Poems, which includes translations of ³6RORQ´ ³,O sonno di 2GLVVHR´ ³/¶HWqUD´ (the second poem in ³3RHPL di $WH´  and the 24-poem sequence ³/¶XOWLPR YLDJJLR´ Nevertheless, these various publications, despite their many merits, take an anthological approach that divorces the single compositions from their poetic context. Anthologies are literary museums: the works in the collection stand on their own but are decontextualized from their referential frames. Elena Borelli and James Ackhurst recognize this misrepresentation and rectify the need for an integral dual-language volume. Their source text appears to be the 1905 Zanichelli edition, which is reliable except for the typographical error in part XVII of ³*RJ e 0DJRJ´ where ³$VVXP´ should be ³$VVXU´ (284-85). Pascoli came to the title through the felicitous and fortuitous linguistic convergence of carmina convivalia, which he had studied in the early 1890s, and the literary journal Il Convito, in which he had published three poems and to whose editor, Adolfo De Bosis, he then dedicated Poemi Conviviali. Whereas classical and biblical literature declaratively inspire the form and content of the collection, Giacomo Leopardi and Giambattista Vico almost surreptitiously inform the poetic anthropology of these compositions. They guide 3DVFROL¶V vision of classical genealogy to inspire an innovative mythography that shrouds antiquity in a pall of pessimism to speak to the drama and to the crises of the modern world. Poemi Conviviali¶V current critical stature owes much to the authoritative reevaluations of the late Mario Pazzaglia and Giuseppe Nava. Pazzaglia noted that ³L Conviviali sono >«@ un momento essenziale della poesia pascoliana >«@ si assiste ad una piena rivalutazione di essi, che qualcuno giunge a considerare la più alta prova del SRHWD´ (Giovanni Pascoli. Poemi e canzoni, ed. Mario Pazzaglia. Roma: Salerno Editrice, 2003, 9). Nava went even further than Pazzaglia by calling the collection: ³LO capolavoro della poesia pascoliana e una delle più alte espressioni della cultura letteraria di fine OttocentR´ (Giovanni Pascoli. Poemi Conviviali, ed. Giuseppe Nava. Torino: Einaudi, 2008, xxx). %RUHOOL¶V concise, erudite, and engaging introduction (ix±xv) provides a similar assessment while also articulating the WUDQVODWRUV¶ methodology. The introduction eschews any biographical references as though the target audience were initiated readers, yet this handsome volume should appeal to the uninitiated as well. Poemi Conviviali presents numerous challenges to translators because 3DVFROL¶V poetic idiom has an artificial patina and incorporates loan words and classical metric forms while still evoking a sense of novelty and innovation. Borelli and Ackhurst refute archaisms and convoluted sentence structure in favor of modern terminology and standard syntax to enhance the WH[W¶V accessibility. They adopt a flexible approach to meter: for example, utilizing a fixed rhyme scheme in ³7KH Birds of 0HPQRQ´ and ³*RJ and 0DJRJ´ and imbuing ³$QWLFORV´ with a prose rhythm. In several poems, Borelli explains, they created ³OLQHV of four beats, which provide the English reader with the same familiar rhythm that the hendecasyllable presents to the Italian HDU´ (xv). At times, they 638 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) replicate the meter (e.g., the Sapphic stanzas in ³6RORQ´ and the hendecasyllables in ³$OH[DQGURV´ but replace the rhyme scheme with slant rhymes and alliteration. Simplifying 3DVFROL¶V complicated syntax and favoring concision facilitates readability. For example, in the closing couplet of ³6RORQ´ ³4XHVWR era il canto della Morte; e il vecchio / Solon qui disse: µ&K¶LR O¶LPSDUL e PXRLD´  they eliminate the enjambment and create two short declarative sentences: ³7KLV was the song of Death. / He said: µ, will learn it and GLH´ (13). Understated transparent vocabulary replaces archaisms and punctilious language to similar effect in ³$OH[DQGURV´ ³3H]HWqUL´±³VROGLHUV´ ³PLVWRIRUL di &DULD´±³PHUFHQDULHV and SLNHPHQ´ ³ILXPH 2FHDQR´±³VWUHDP´ ³)LJOLR G¶$P\QWD´±³3KLOLS my VLUH´ (260±63). Perhaps to avoid a visual shout, in ³7KH &RXUWHVDQ´ ³/¶HWqUD´ the funerary epigram (177) downgrades the font to lower-case letters. Curiously, the volume does not acknowledge the translation that first brought Anglophones to the banquet: Egidio Lunardi and Robert 1XJHQW¶V Convivial Poems: Text and Translation (1979). Lunardi and Nugent employed a quasiverbum pro verbo translation. To use Lawrence 9HQXWL¶V terminology (The 7UDQVODWRU¶V Invisibility New York: Routledge, 1995), Lunardi and Nugent favored a foreignization strategy to signal textual differences. In stark contrast, Borelli and Ackhurst tend toward a domestication strategy to produce poetry that conforms to contemporary culture and reads as though there were no source text. Lunardi and 1XJHQW¶V text emphasized the referential qualities of 3DVFROL¶V language; Borelli and $FNKXUVW¶V text modernizes and post-modernizes 3DVFROL¶V poetics. Each interpretation informs and enriches the other. Convivial Poems imbues vibrancy and life into 3DVFROL¶V verse through a refreshing diction that speaks to the present. Judicious notes and a detailed glossary (305-13) clarify and elucidate specific textual references, but the beauty and prescience of this translation lies in its subtle and eloquent pliancy. Convivial Poems is a sumptuous banquet. Welcome and drink. Piero Garofalo, University of New Hampshire Giulia Pellizzato. Prezzolini e Parise: XQ¶DPLFL]LD transoceanica. Edizione critica e commentata del carteggio (1951-1976). Firenze: Leo S. Olschki, 2021. Pp. 420. The first contact between Prezzolini and Parise took place in 1951: an elderly professor from Columbia University (Prezzolini) wrote to a twenty-two-year-old debut writer (Parise) to compliment him on his recently published debut novel, Il ragazzo morto e le comete, and offered to act as an intermediary to bring the book to the United States. From that moment on, the two writers maintained a correspondence that lasted a quarter of a century, which is masterfully reconstructed and commented upon by Giulia Pellizzato in the volume Prezzolini e Parise: XQ¶DPLFL]LD transoceanica. Edizione critica e commentata del carteggio Italian Bookshelf 639 (1951-1976), published in 2021 by Leo S. Olschki Editore. It is interesting to note the asymmetry in what remains of their correspondence: there are few letters from Prezzolini preserved by Parise, who had little regard for his own archive, in contrast to the large number of letters from Parise preserved by Prezzolini (according to 3HOOL]]DWR¶V investigations, the entire group of letters sent by Parise to Prezzolini is preserved), as Prezzolini was extremely attentive to his archive even during transnational and transcontinental transfers. The two met in person only once, in Milan at the end of 1955. 3HOOL]]DWR¶V work is multifaceted, composed of various components, namely letters, commentary, essays, and appendices, which mutually complement each other and suggest, as noted in the DXWKRU¶V own will, a non-linear reading path. After the flattering presentation by Domenico Scarpa and the introduction, which explicitly explains the rigorous editorial method and numerous tools used by the scholar (archival sources, newspapers, letters, correspondence, critical texts, private conversations), the volume presents two distinct yet perfectly complementary parts: a lengthy essay (3-203) titled ³8Q¶DPLFL]LD di OHWWHUH´ and the correspondence (1951-1976) (which is carefully annotated, 205-309). In the essay reconstruction, the letters are juxtaposed with the public realm represented by periodicals, which, through reviews and interviews, manifest the reception of the books. The result is a publication capable of combining biography with criticism, editorial history with literary history, investigating a field of research that finds its center of gravity in the relationship between Parise and Prezzolini. The book concludes with three appendices (311-63), composed of rare materials, previously undiscovered and/or difficult to obtain, unearthed by Pellizzato. Pellizzato views the correspondence as a theatrical piece, in which the writer develops a linguistic strategy and tests the resilience of their own character. Therefore, the first part of the essay serves as a prelude, outlining the characters and the initial situation, namely who the two individuals were before the start of the correspondence and how the correspondence began. This is followed by a prologue, which pertains to the first two years of correspondence, followed by three acts and a conclusion. The first act covers the years 1954-1955, corresponding to 3DULVH¶V public success with the novel Il prete bello and 3UH]]ROLQL¶V return to Italy in 1955. The second act spans just over ten years, from 1956 to 1967, encompassing the failure of the volumes Il fidanzamento and Amore e fervore, as well as the resounding success of the novel Il padrone (which earns him the Viareggio Prize) and a reportage from the East. The third act covers the years 1969-1971, during which Parise publishes the collection of stories Il crematorio di Vienna and his first stories from the Sillabari are published in the Milanese newspaper Corriere della Sera. During this phase, the interaction between Parise and Prezzolini becomes more frequent: Parise, now an established author, responds to his IULHQG¶V letters without the reservations that had characterized their earlier exchanges. Moravia enters the dialogue between the 640 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) two, as they discuss the pessimism (ethical and moral for Prezzolini and Moravia, and biological for Parise) that afflicts them. The epilogue covers the years from 1972 to 1976 and sees a spontaneous suspension of the correspondence, which is interrupted long before their respective deaths. 3HOOL]]DWR¶V volume is indeed a work of great historical-documentary and critical significance. It not only reconstructs the details of a human and intellectual relationship that helps us clarify the cultural and literary landscape of twentiethcentury Italy, but also aids in reconstructing the first twenty years of Goffredo 3DULVH¶V literary career, from his striking debut novel Il ragazzo morto e le comete to the years of the Sillabari. One recurring theme is the young 3DULVH¶V search for validation, navigating between editorial support and critical endorsement. The investigation also sheds light on the work of other figures who interacted with Parise and Prezzolini in various ways, such as Antonio Barolini, Neri Pozza, Livio Garzanti, Leo Longanesi, and Fernanda Pivano. Numerous previously unknown pieces of information emerge from Giulia PeOOL]]DWR¶V research: for instance, 3DULVH¶V attempts to publish narrative texts in newspapers and magazines as early as 1951, his movements between Vicenza and Venice in the early 1950s, the intricate process behind the novel La grande vacanza, and the criticisms sparked by the awarding of the Viareggio Prize to Il padrone. 8Q¶DPLFL]LD transoceanica is a fascinating and valuable text, important for those studying the works of Goffredo Parise and Italian literature of the second half of the twentieth century as a whole. Dario Boemia, Università IULM di Milano Goffredo Polizzi. Reimagining the Italian South. Migration, Translation and Subjectivity in Contemporary Italian Literature and Cinema. Liverpool: Liverpool UP, 2022. Pp. 256. The first encounter with any book is with its cover. For this text, the UHDGHU¶V attention is instantly captured by an intriguing image from the archive of Sardinian artist Maria Lai (1919-2013) representing vivid red thread embroidered in the shape of ants onto a book made of pale blue fabric pages. Above /DL¶V Formiche rosse (1992) and the ERRN¶V title, the series announces itself through the headline across the front: Transnational Italian Cultures. The UHDGHU¶V mind, following these first steps, is already in motion. Beyond the predictable sentimentalized and romanticized views of the Italian South and the ³4XHVWLRQH 0HULGLRQDOH´ this pioneering study problematizes and reinvents an identity that is informed by intersectional and transnational experiences of other ³6RXWKV´ of the world. Historically seen as the point of departure of millions of emigrants, this region has increasingly become a destination for migrants with different origins and backgrounds. Contemporary Southern Italy is here examined as a border where the local, the regional, and the Italian Bookshelf 641 global are reconfigured into discourses of power and knowledge, and where gender, sexuality, class, race, and ethnicity are reformulated into a new mosaic of methodologies based on such mapping as cultural, postcolonial, and decolonial studies. When so many theoretical frames of analysis are employed, it is imperative to keep organization straightforward. The book is divided in three parts: the first part (11-61) has a theoretical and historical focus ³7UDQVQational Theories and Transnational Histories of the 6RXWK´  the second part (63-120) analyzes literary discourse ³5HSUHVHQWDWLRQV of the Italian South in Contemporary Italian /LWHUDWXUH´  and the third part (121-76) discusses race, gender, and sexuality in cinematic representations (New Representations of the Italian South in Contemporary Italian Transnational Cinema). It is quite refreshing and exciting to study this Italian region using frameworks and academic approaches that have been applied to other ³6RXWKV´ of the world, but only seldom to what is known as Mezzogiorno. Goffredo 3ROL]]L¶V own unique experience as a Research Fellow and founding member of CRAAAZI²transfeministqueer center of research and independent archive ³$OHVVDQGUR =LMLQR´²is undoubtedly the reason for this ERRN¶V multi-disciplinary and intersectional approach in analyzing literary and visual representations. The first part of this study is original because it combines a wide range of theories (Antonio Gramsci, Emma Bond, Pasquale Verdicchio, Jane Schneider, Piero Bevilacqua, Donna Gabaccia, Franco Cassano, Iain Chambers, etc.) into a larger one that transnationalizes the southern question and revisits its cultural aspects in light of the experiences of mobility across borders²following the opposing routes of colonialism and dreams of socio-economic empowerment. Trapped under a rigid Orientalist gaze since the eighteenth century, Southern Italy is here instead re-presented as a border where geopolitical transformations deeply influence language and literature, and where polylingual stylistic and rhetorical strategies foster a postcolonial and transnational consciousness that displaces a unified and exclusive notion of what this region signifies. Giulio $QJLRQL¶V Una ignota compagnia (1992), Evelina 6DQWDQJHOR¶V Senzaterra (2008), and Christiana de Caldas %ULWR¶V Colpo di mare (2018) are chosen for their linguistic heterogeneity with a view to understand the representation of cultural difference. These texts confront the historical racialization of southern Italians, though they avoid the pitfalls of cultural nationalism. In individual chapters of Part II, Giulio $QJLRQL¶V Una ignota compagnia (1992), Evelina 6DQWDQJHOR¶V Senzaterra (2008), and Christiana de Caldas %ULWR¶V Colpo di mare (2018) are chosen for their linguistic heterogeneity with a view to understand the representation of cultural difference. The migrant body has often been represented in literature as the site of pain and suffering caused by migration, and as the material ground on which a range of social diseases, including exploitation of labor, are played out. This view is one 642 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) that generally strips agency away from those who are displaced and who are in a prime position to tell their own story, whether they are southern Italian or nonItalian migrants. The works selected by Polizzi for his study reveal a somewhat different trend through the adoption of a hybrid multilingual style that enables self-expression and undermines the dominance of standard Italian, together with a homogeneous and monocultural conception of the nation. In these novels, marginalized bodies caught in the oppressive structures that regulate the borders are able to empower themselves in an act of resistance as they powerfully reclaim the interstitial spaces within and against social realities that Foucault defines as ³KHWHURWRSLDV´ (95). 7KDW¶V where alternative forms of life, including queerness, take place, and where emancipation from oppressive structures is made possible. Polizzi has made it easier for those who wish to take hints from his book and develop a college course on issues of migration in the Italian South through the lenses of literature and cinema. The theoretical contextual analysis of these three novels is mirrored, in the last section, by that of three movies: Emanuele &ULDOHVH¶V Terraferma (2011), Emma 'DQWH¶V Via Castellana Bandiera (2013), and Jonas &DUSLJQDQR¶V Mediterranea (2015). These visual narratives point to the Italian South as the embodiment of a paradox: while the region still represents the point of departure for many millions of emigrants and it is construed in the Italian collective memory and consciousness as home to a racial minority, it is also viewed as the gateway to Europe by migrants from the Global South, who look at southern Italians as white Europeans. &ULDOHVH¶V Terraferma is a direct response to the cruel Bossi-Fini law that criminalizes migrants and the Italians who decide to help them. Polizzi believes that &ULDOHVH¶V act of ³WDONLQJ EDFN´ seems to follow ³D highly gendered pattern and to reinforce normative conceptions of JHQGHU´ (133). This reviewer disagrees with 3ROL]]L¶V view in this regard, as the young protagonist in particular, Filippo, could well be asexual. Although he befriends the young group of tourists, he never seems to be motivated to go as far as initiating a sexual relationship with Maura, the young woman among that group, though the occasions to do so abound. Polizzi also states that the female migrant in the film, Sara, is the product of ³D patriarchal logic at ZRUN´ (139) and ³WKH cipher of her character seems to be that of victimhood and VXIIHULQJ´ (138). Crialese, who came out as trans man in September 2022, must have thought of Sara as a female Ulysses who travels great distances to be reunited with her husband. Far from a passive victim, Sara is able to fight back against extremely harsh conditions. Ulysses was alone in his journey, but Sara simultaneously takes care of her son and gives birth to a girl as soon as she arrives to Italy. 6DUD¶V embracing of the new life that has emerged from her (despite being the product of rape) is the source of an ancient power. In several close ups Sara openly rejects the objectifying gaze by looking back at the camera. Her language is spare but moral. It is poetic and so powerful that Giulietta is persuaded to help the family regardless of the great risk. Giulietta is not her sensible savior, though she ends up assisting her, for example, in giving birth. Italian Bookshelf 643 Sara unrelentingly saves herself by securing the resources that are needed for her long journey and transforming the lives of people who come into close contact with her. The analysis of Emma 'DQWH¶V film Via Castellana Bandiera, adapted from a novel by the same title, opens to a sophisticated range of discourses that see the South as ³LQWHUQDO DOWHULW\´ (155)²one that troubles borders between different spatialities (north and south, center and periphery, city and country, local, national and global), temporalities (modernity and tradition, past and present), and identities (gender, class, ethnicity, region and nation, sexuality). The only blemish in 3ROL]]L¶V dazzling critical discussion here is a snafu, likely generated by the Italian language interfering with English: a few times he refers to the grandson of the Arbëreshë Samira as her ³QHSKHZ´ (nipote is the word for both in Italian), but it is a minor glitch in a book that is a feat of intellectual dexterity. The study of &DUSLJQDQR¶V Mediterranea, which centers on the Rosarno riots, seen by many as a crucial moment for the inception of a political conscience of the migrants in Italy, represents a sensible choice for Polizzi to conclude his study. This film focuses on a transnational dimension that is radically different from what is commonly portrayed in the media: heavily invested in the perspective of the African migrants, what was before invisible here is brought into the light. The ERRN¶V reader is guided into a multifaceted and complex understanding of the life of migrants in the film, whether it is manifested in the practices of communitymaking and networks of solidarity that create support for the Africans in Italy, or in the use of digital technology and the global circulation of pop music that provides migrants with some degree of agency. By virtue of the wide range of analyses in this volume as well as the multilayered use of theory and identity politics, Polizzi writes introductions and conclusions for all the sections, so that the reader is never left alone to retrace the ERRN¶V steps. Like the red ants sewn in Maria /DL¶V book and reproduced on this PDQXVFULSW¶V cover, the readers become part of a trajectory that is tracing a way to advance knowledge and contribute to the production of a new account for the construction of ³,WDOLDQQHVV´ as it applies to the Southern region. The next step in this trajectory would be to add other stages of this intellectual progression so that the Italian South can re-articulate its own identity informed by interest in and knowledge of other cultures and parts of the world, not only from the Global South, but also from other areas such as Eastern Europe. A study of Eastern European migrants to the Italian South, including Ukrainian flows from before the Russian invasion to the present, and the types of gendered work that they offer, would be a welcome addition to such a reflection on transnational Italian cultures. The next chapter of these uncharted stories would perhaps include an analysis of the way different types of migrants interact with one another on Southern Italian 644 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) territory. An investigation of these complex scenarios would be a welcome direction for continuing to reimagine the Italian South. Wanda Balzano, Wake Forest University Elena Porciani. Il tesoro nascosto. Intorno ai testi inediti e ritrovati della giovane Morante, con sei storie e una poesia. Macerata: Quodlibet, 2023. Pp. 240. Il nuovo libro di Elena Porciani racchiude gli esiti più recenti di un lungo e fertile lavoro di ricerca VXOO¶RSHUD di Elsa Morante, scandito sul versante delle pubblicazioni monografiche da /¶DOLEL del sogno nella scrittura giovanile di Elsa Morante (2006) e Nel laboratorio della finzione. Modi narrativi e memoria poietica in Elsa Morante (2019). /¶LQGDJLQH critica condotta QHOO¶XOWLPR volume di Porciani prende le mosse, oltre che dagli studi precedenti, GDOO¶LQWHUHVVH per gli inediti ritrovati dopo le donazioni degli eredi DOO¶$UFKLYLR Morante²avvenute nel 2007 e nel 2016²e per le pubblicazioni apparse in rivista negli anni Trenta e riemerse soltanto ora. Se questi materiali rappresentano il punto di partenza della ricerca, il suo intento è proprio quello di fornire una mappatura dei suddetti testi, atta ad approfondire la produzione giovanile morantiana nei suoi aspetti tematici e diegetici. Il volume è composto di otto capitoli, il cui ordine progressivo si accorda con la periodizzazione²aggiornata rispetto a quella offerta QHOO¶Alibi del sogno² proposta da Porciani già QHOO¶,QWURGX]LRQH (11-18). Nei tre capitoli iniziali la studiosa indaga i testi composti o rimaneggiati tra il 1931 e il 1935; nel quarto si sofferma su alcuni racconti che segnano il passaggio dalla prima fase al pieno della seconda; nei capitoli quinto, sesto e settimo si dedica alla produzione degli anni 1936-38; infine, QHOO¶XOWLPR capitolo analizza i testi relativi agli anni 193941. In particolare, nel primo capitolo ³6WRULH della prima JLRYHQW´ (19-41) Porciani concentra O¶DWWHQ]LRQH sulle sei storie apparse nella stampa periodica durante la prima metà degli anni Trenta, interamente riportate QHOO¶$SSHQGLFH accanto alla poesia Ninna nanna del piccolo Billi. Si tratta di cinque racconti pubblicati sul Balilla e di una storia apparsa sul Cartoccino dei piccoli, dalla cui indagine si possono ricavare alcune costanti della produzione giovanile morantiana come la ³VFRSSLHWWDQWH varietà di utilizzi del VRJQR´ (25-26), O¶LQVHULPHQWR di ³HIIHWWL di realtà a misura infantile nella dimensione del ILDEHVFR´ (25), e la declinazione di miti e temi che saranno, talvolta, duraturi QHOO¶RSHUD GHOO¶DXtrice. Al dittico rappresentato dalla poesiola La ninna nanna del piccolo Billi e dalla storia Il mio straordinario viaggio in cerca di Billi è dedicato, invece, il secondo capitolo ³%LOO\ e la Favolaia della OXQD´ (43-63), nel quale O¶DXWULFH esamina dei casi particolarmente curiosi di autointertestualità che coinvolgono anche la Storia dei bimbi e delle stelle. Se i testi analizzati nel terzo capitolo ³'DOOD Italian Bookshelf 645 preistoria DOO¶LVROD di &DSUL´ (65-85)²Il servo che dormì nel tempio, Una sirena vi attende, La casina rossa e Sette candele²sono legati da un elemento di forte affinità, ossia il cronotopo GHOO¶,VROD di Capri, diverso è il caso dei racconti esaminati nel quarto capitolo ³)DQWDVWLFKH SDVVLRQL´ (87-112)²La piccola, Dionisia, Principessa. Da un lato, questi si collocano DOO¶LQWHUQR di un orizzonte tematico omogeneo; GDOO¶DOWUR essi consentono invece ³GL osservare direttamente GDOO¶LQWHUQR del laboratorio della scrittrice il graduale passaggio dal romanzesco sentimentale degli esordi a XQ¶RULJLQDOH pratica del IDQWDVWLFR´ (89). Nel capitolo successivo, ³0HPRULH GHOO¶LPSHUR´ (113-32), Porciani fa riferimento alle due linee genetiche che portano alla pubblicazione di Via GHOO¶$QJHOR (1938) e alle tre redazioni dattiloscritte La cortigiana, Cortigiana e Peccati²distesamente analizzate DOO¶LQWHUQR di Nel laboratorio della finzione. La studiosa si dedica in seguito DOO¶LQGDJLQH di altri due scritti ambientati come quelli del ciclo angelico ³LQ una remota città dalle perturbanti DUFKLWHWWXUH´ (115): Chiesa di Santa Maria. Leggenda e La morte romantica. Nel sesto capitolo ³'UDPPL di famiglia e G¶DPRUH´ (133-64), Porciani si sofferma invece su due delle tematiche principali di questo momento creativo, ovvero quella familiare²a cui appartengono I genitori, Il marito di Berta, La vedova, La settima figlia²e quella eroticoadolescenziale maschile²a cui sono ascrivibili Primo amore, più precisamente Il primo amore, e O¶DOWUR Primo amore, intitolato originariamente Giuditta. Nel penultimo capitolo ³8QD pesante molteplicitj´ (165-83)²concentrato sui racconti La lezione di ginnastica, Il peso, /¶LVWLWXWRUH e Ponte G¶2UODQGR²la studiosa ricostruisce in termini tematici la fenomenologia testuale della pesanteur² autodiagnosticata da Morante come il suo peggiore difetto. Infine, nel tassello conclusivo del suo discorso ³8PRULVPL e parodie poetiche (185-204), Porciani indaga un articolo di giornalismo narrativo dal titolo Signore e cani e il racconto Divorzio, oltre che il manoscritto Il poeta demoniaco ovvero /¶DUGXR stil novo. In TXHVW¶XOWLPR sono evidenti i primi segni della ³SUHGLOH]LRQH per un tipo di poesia onesta, aliena dal compiacimento autoreferenziale, il cui massimo rappresentante sarà, agli occhi della scrittrice, in Umberto 6DED´ (204). Il risultato di questo lavoro coincide con la definizione di un quadro organico e corposo da cui risultano importanti acquisizioni che hanno condotto alla necessaria revisione GHOO¶LGHD di ³SUHLVWRULD´ relativa alla produzione giovanile di Morante. Se finora ci si poteva infatti riferire ai testi più precoci GHOO¶DXWULFH utilizzando, appunto, O¶HVSUHVVLRQH ³SUHLVWRULD PRUDQWLDQD´ ora, invece, ³VL può affermare che tale preistoria si è ormai fatta storia e che la vera preistoria è semmai costituita dal decennio SUHFHGHQWH´ (17). Questo libro si inserisce fra O¶DOWUR DOO¶LQWHUQR della svolta filologica che ha caratterizzato gli studi morantiani, poiché raccorda O¶LPSHJQDWLYR e minuzioso lavoro G¶DUFKLYLR e O¶HVHUFL]LR di interpretazione critica sui testi. Esso permette, inoltre, al lettore di seguire O¶LQWHUR processo di sviluppo della ricerca: dalla definizione della cronologia dei testi, passando per O¶DQDOLVL della singola storia, 646 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) fino alla ricostruzione di alcune delle relazioni con il restante corpus morantiano. Nel suo libro, Porciani illustra infatti con grande puntualità e dovizia di dettagli il modo in cui è pervenuta alla datazione dei racconti, considerando sia le informazioni reperibili a livello testuale (ad esempio O¶XVR del ³YRL´ e la focalizzazione del personaggio narrante) sia quelle relative alla forma materiale dei documenti (come la tipologia, il formato della carta, la distribuzione del testo). La studiosa rende conto con precisione degli aspetti tematici e formali più interessanti, e riesce, al contempo, a ricostruire i vari fenomeni di autointertestualità relativi non solo ai testi della prima produzione morantiana, ma spesso anche a quelli più tardi. /¶DWWHQWR lavoro G¶DUFKLYLR e la ricerca sui numeri della stampa periodica svolti da Porciani, insieme DOO¶LQGDJLQH approfondita dei testi ritrovati, DOO¶LQGLYLGXD]LRQH di nuclei tematici particolarmente significativi anche sulla lunga durata e alla disamina dei tic stilistici giovanili, permettono, dunque, di conoscere oggi quel ³WHVRUR´ rimasto ingiustificatamente sepolto per troppo tempo. ³7HVRUR´ capace di svelare, una volta riemerso, la sua incidenza sulla narrativa più nota di Morante e di suggerire nuovi spunti per la ricerca futura. Maria Claudia Petrini, Università degli Studi GHOO¶$TXLOD Ilario Quirino. Pasolini sulla strada di Tarso. La conversione del poeta di Casarsa. Bologna: Pendragon, 2022. Pp. 491. La monografia proposta da Ilario Quirino, medico-legale diventato poi pittore e scrittore, cerca di stabilire un nesso tra O¶RSHUD di Pier Paolo Pasolini e la tragica morte, avvenuta la notte tra il primo e il due novembre 1975. Lo studioso calabrese prende spunto dal suo amico, collega e maestro, il pittore e studioso di Pasolini Giuseppe Zigaina, curatore della ³3UHPHVVD´ (9-16) al libro. 1HOO¶³$SSHQGLFH´ al suo studio Quirino riporta che Zigaina sosteneva che ³3DVROLQL avrebbe organizzato la sua fine terrena per determinare una grande trasgressione sul piano linguistico-esistenziale, al fine di compiere una sorta di µWUDVXPDQL]]D]LRQH¶ cioè di scavalcare le umane possibilità e avvicinarsi al PLWR´ (469). Il libro è diviso in due grandi parti che possono essere considerate come studi autonomi, e che, allo stesso tempo, se letti in congiunzione, forniscono un panorama completo GHOO¶DUJRPHQWD]LRQH dello studioso. Nella prima parte, intitolata ³3DVROLQL sulla strada di 7DUVR´ (17-238), Quirino segue le diverse fasi GHOO¶RSHUD pasoliniana, partendo dal rapporto travagliato con il padre e il trauma della morte precoce del fratello e passando per la psicanalisi²freudiana e junghiana²utile a spiegare le scelte stilistiche e artistiche di Pasolini. Secondo Quirino, O¶LWHU culturale di Pasolini lo porta allo studio di, e DOO¶LGHQWLILFD]LRQH con, San Paolo, anche conosciuto con il nome di Paolo di Tarso, a cui si ispira il titolo della sezione. Nelle frasi iniziali GHOO¶XOWLPR capitolo della prima sezione intitolata ³/D nuova JLRYHQW´ (233-238), lo studioso scrive: ³/D presenza GHOO¶DSRVWROR divenne, negli ultimi tempi della vita del poeta, in sintonia con un suo particolare Italian Bookshelf 647 stato psichico, particolarmente pregnante, ossessiva. Basti considerare la frequenza con cui il Santo ritornò, e si impose, nel rifacimento di alcune poesie inserite ne La meglio gioventù´ (233). Come sostiene anche in altre fasi dello studio, Quirino termina la prima parte affermando che ³OD presenza del Santo >«@ esprime, di fatto, O¶DGGLR di Pasolini al mondo terreno, e la conseguente ascesa verso O¶LPPRUWDOLWj del PLWR´ (238). La seconda parte, la più interessante, presenta uno studio approfondito di alcune tardive (o incompiute o mai pubblicate) opere di Pasolini. In questa sezione, intitolata ³Dove O¶DFTXD del Tevere V¶LQVDOD´ (239-487), le opere su cui Quirino si sofferma maggiormente sono Ostia (1970), una co-produzione con Sergio Citti, e San Paolo (1969-1974), ³un film da IDUVL´, per cui Pasolini aveva scritto la sceneggiatura, ma per la produzione del quale non era riuscito a reperire i fondi prima della sua scomparsa. Il titolo di questa sezione proviene da una citazione dantesca rimaneggiata da Pasolini e poi inclusa DOO¶LQWHUno del film Ostia come epigrafe alla sceneggiatura (Dante, Purgatorio, II, 100-105). Il significato di tale citazione è plurivalente: essa, infatti conduce da referenti culturali a referenti personali collegati alla vita privata di Pasolini. Un luogo ricorrente QHOO¶RSHUD pasoliniana, soprattutto durante e dopo la sua produzione che si concentra sui sottoproletari romani, è Ostia. La località balneare romana è uno spazio fisico dove si snodano i multipli intrecci del vissuto e GHOO¶LPPDJLQDULR pasoliniano. Esso non è infatti soltanto il luogo dove i protagonisti del romanzo Ragazzi di vita si incontrano per sperimentare O¶HVLVWHQ]D al di là delle borgate, o il set territoriale GHOO¶RPRQLPR film girato con Sergio Citti, ma si rivela anche spazio colmo di significato religioso. La referenza geografica descrive ³OR sbocco del Tevere nel mar 7LUUHQR´ (297). Ostia è ulteriormente importante per il significato simbolico che tocca direttamente la persona dello scrittore, data la sua vicinanza al luogo della morte di Pasolini. Partendo da questi significati, Quirino sottolinea come Ostia rappresenti, per Dante, il primo passo verso O¶DVFHVD in Paradiso, come confermato dal lungo paragrafo di Quirino che ha come protagonista il personaggio dantesco di Casella. Insieme a questo riferimento tangenzialmente religioso, ce ne sono altri due importantissimi per il poeta e per il suo corpus artistico: il primo è che la parola ³RVWLD´ significa anche ³YLWWLPD FRQVDFUDWD´ (195), e il secondo consiste nel fatto che il medesimo termine è connesso, per ragioni toponomastiche, al luogo (la via Ostiense) dove San Paolo rese la sua vita a Dio, concetti, questi, costantemente reiterati da Quirino nel corso del suo studio. Bisogna considerare O¶LQVLHPH delle informazioni presentate da Quirino, soprattutto attraverso le parole-chiave vittima consacrata. Una gran parte del ragionamento dello studioso si basa, infatti, sul senso di colpa di Pasolini per la morte precoce del fratello, Guido, ucciso da ³IXRFR DPLFR´ DOO¶HWj di YHQW¶DQQL QHOO¶Lnverno 1945 a Porzûs, mentre faceva parte delle Brigate Osoppo perché voleva mettersi alla prova. Pasolini ritorna sempre sulla maniera in cui Guido fu 648 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) ucciso²colpito prima da un proiettile, morì a causa di un secondo alla nuca. Le sopracitate opere pasoliniane, secondo la mia lettura, servono per capire che Pasolini usava la poesia, la scrittura, il cinema da un lato come un modo per rivivere il trauma vissuto e, GDOO¶DOWUR per esorcizzarlo. In Ostia e San Paolo, rimane sempre la figura della vittima consacrata che tormenta, in una maniera o QHOO¶DOWUD il protagonista: nel primo è il fratellino del personaggio principale che viene colpito ripetutamente da un ramo alla nuca, e di cui poi il corpo morto viene lanciato nel vortice marino creato dal confluire delle acque del Tevere e quelle del mar Tirreno; nel secondo è il protomartire Stefano che viene fucilato, con un colpo di grazia alla nuca, davanti a Paolo che fungeva da persecutore. Alla luce di tali componenti tematiche lo studioso torna DOO¶HOHPHQWR personale più saliente che fa combaciare le figure di San Paolo e di Pasolini: il luogo della morte²³DOOH Acque Salvie, sulla via Ostiense, a 5 chilometri dalle mura di 5RPD´ (195), che si collega a ³TXHOOR spiazzo desolato della periferia di Ostia, caratterizzato GDOO¶LPPRQGL]LD e da un ponticello, costellato dalle baracche abusive costruite dalla povera gente vicino al PDUH´ (404). Ma perché questo luogo? Il percorso GHOO¶LQGDJLQH riporta il lettore DOO¶LGHD che, secondo Quirino e Zigania, Pasolini aveva creato le condizioni propedeutiche alla sua morte² O¶DYHYD, cioè, sceneggiata per andarsene a modo suo, rispecchiando e vivendo i drammi violenti creati per i suoi personaggi. /¶LQVLVWHQ]D di Pasolini sul fatto che ³>O@D morte compie un fulmineo montaggio della nostra vita >«@ [e] solo grazie alla morte, la nostra vita serve ad HVSULPHUFL´ (446-47), è stato lo spunto che ha permesso a Quirino di ripercorrere la produzione pasoliniana e farne il montaggio, grazie anche DOO¶LQVHJQDPHQWR di Zigaina, per cercare di capire la sua morte violenta ancora irrisolta. Irene Hatzopoulos, University of California, Riverside PhD Candidate, University of Wisconsin, Madison Caterina Romeo. Interrupted Narratives and Intersectional Representations in Italian Postcolonial Literature. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2023. Pp. 282. The book was originally published in Italian as Riscrivere la nazione: la letteratura italiana postcoloniale (Milan: Mondadori, 2018). With this new English adaptation, Caterina Romeo takes into account a reader who might be unaware of Italian society and literature and develops in a pedagogical and precise way the connections that remain in Italy between present reality, colonial history (most of the time denied or at best ignored) and the various waves of migration (in and out of Italy). In Chapter 1, ³'HFRORQL]LQJ Italian /LWHUDWXUH´ (1-21), Romeo presents her essay as ³D tribute to the social importance, cultural relevance, and literary significance of Italian postcolonial OLWHUDWXUH´ (14). The title chosen for Chapter 1 summarizes the intention of the book: it aims at ³GHFRORQL]LQJ Italian OLWHUDWXUH´ Italian Bookshelf 649 and denounces how classical canons continue to ignore Italian postcolonial literature by not considering it as part of Italian literature tout court. In the literary and academic context, it is urgent to recognize the importance of postcolonial literature and above all to be able to define the term ³SRVWFRORQLDO´ and to use it adequately: it is often replaced by expressions such as ³PLJUDWLRQ OLWHUDWXUH´ ³PXOWLFXOWXUDO OLWHUDWXUH´ among others. Such expressions hide the legacy of Italian and European colonial history in contemporary Italy. It is not a battle of definitions or a debate de niche: it enlightens ³WKH criteria of inclusion and exclusion operated by the Italian (and European) literary and cultural canons but also on who can be considered Italian (and (XURSHDQ ´ (4). The fact that postcolonial Italian literature is pretty much absent from the literary canon questions the very notion of a literary canon, historically linked to a specific Italian identity, shaped within national boundaries and expressed in the national language. A suggestion made in the book would be to develop a ³WUDQVQDWLRQDO turn in Italian VWXGLHV´ that would ³VWUHWFK >«@ or go >«@ beyond the confines of national ERXQGDULHV´ (Emma Bond, 2014, ³7RZDUG a Trans-National Turn in Italian 6WXGLHV"´ Italian Studies 69 (2014), 416). In order to tend toward that ³WUDQVQDWLRQDO WXUQ´ Romeo explains how the literature presented in the volume questions the very idea of the national perspective. Indeed, from a legal perspective, many authors are simply not Italian citizens: including them and their cultural production expands the notion of Italianness or italianità. After laying these theoretical foundations, Chapter 2, ³,WDOLDQ Postcolonial Literature: An 2YHUYLHZ´ (23-64), presents a survey of Italian postcolonial literature from 1990 to 2022, through a periodization in four phases. The first phase (1990-94) is often called ³PLJUDWLRQ OLWHUDWXUH´ the second phase (19942000) is an in-between period during which collaborative writing was gradually abandoned, while at the same time important authors emerged, prizes began to be established, dedicated journals were founded. In the third phase (2001-19), themes related to migration became increasingly distant. An important turning point in this phase was the arrival on the literary and cultural scene of ³VHFRQG JHQHUDWLRQV´ (in a comprehensive footnote, Romeo details the historicity of this term and its problematic nature). Romeo innovates the usual chronological path of postcolonial literature by highlighting a fourth phase that began in 2019 and continues to the present day. It is characterized by the production of race studies in the Italian language by Black Italian women and non-binary authors on issues of race, color, gender, sexuality, citizenship exclusion, and racism from an intersectional perspective. While in Chapter 1, Romeo makes clear the postcolonial perspective and its necessity, in Chapter 3, ³*HQGHU and Its InWHUVHFWLRQV´ (23-80) she claims the choice of an intersectional perspective and focuses on the presence in the Italian national imagination of the ³%ODFN 9HQXV´ and all the stereotypes that derive from it. She not only notes the all too pervasive presence of this collective imagination 650 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) but also explores the oppositional narratives written by contemporary Black women authors. Romeo explains the history of the term ³LQWHUVHFWLRQDOLW\´ by placing it in the chronology of feminist struggles since the 1970s. The concept of ³XQLYHUVDO VLVWHUKRRG´ still very strong in Italian feminism, is targeted: through the work of Geneviève Makaping (Traiettorie di sguardi. E se gli altri foste voi? Soveria Mannelli: Rubbettino 2001), this concept is denounced as a white feminist concept that ignores privileges associated with Whiteness. In Chapter 4 ³'HI\LQJ the Chromatic Norm: Race, Blackness, (In)Visibility, Italianness, &LWL]HQVKLS´ (133-218), Romeo analyzes how Blackness has been and still is considered alien to the social, political, cultural, and symbolic space of the Italian nation and how it has been represented in Italian postcolonial literature. It also examines how redefinition is possible thanks to the work of secondgeneration artists ³ZKR forcefully demand a more inclusive conception of ,WDOLDQQHVV´ (27). What Romeo highlights is that these authors do not simply denounce a status quo, they ³DUWLFXODWH a collective response to structural racism and VH[LVP´ (181). In Chapter 5, ³*HRJUDSKLHV of Diaspora and New Urban MDSSLQJV´ (21956), Romeo explores how the representations of gender (Chapter 3) and race (Chapter 4) are crucial in the construction of (especially urban) spaces. This reflection about space goes back to the colonial times when colonizers reimagined territories in order to erase the presence of the colonized but it explores above all how incoming migrations (starting the 1980s) have remapped physical and symbolic national spaces in Italy. This essay not only draws the most complete picture of Italian postcolonial literature in the last thirty years until nowadays: it forces the reader to embrace the political issues contained in this work opting for an intersectional and postcolonial perspective. It is impossible²and not even desirable²to remain politically neutral in front of this work that highlights the hidden part of the colonial past and its lasting effects in the present. Through the analysis of literary production, we are invited to untangle how strongly the notions of race and gender are still active in contemporary Italy and what Italianness and Blackness (and the possibility of mixing both) really mean in Italy. Anna Eberle, PhD Candidate, Université Paul-Valéry 3 Montpellier Andrea Sartori. The Struggle for Life and the Modern Italian Novel, 18591925. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022. Pp. xii + 271. The centrality of the notion of ineptitude in the modern Italian novel is, to use a well-known expression, a truth universally acknowledged. It is therefore refreshing to see the publication of a new volume that investigates the historical origin of this new species of character from a different perspective. In The Struggle for Life and the Modern Italian Novel, 1859-1925, Andrea Sartori sheds Italian Bookshelf 651 new light on the work of Svevo, De Roberto, and Pirandello, shifting the focus from the usual philosophical references (above all, Nietzsche and Schopenhauer) to 'DUZLQ¶V struggle for life in the creation of the notion of ineptitude. The book is divided into six chapters; conceptually, however, it is possible to individuate two macro sections. The first two chapters focus on 'DUZLQ¶V legacy and set a methodological dichotomy that characterizes the entire volume. On the one hand, Sartori analyzes the historical reception of 'DUZLQ¶V work in Italy during the last decades of the nineteenth century, with a specific focus on the relevance of the ³VWUXJJOH for OLIH´ ³7KH Anxiety of 0RGHUQL]DWLRQ´ 1-22), investigating the role of Darwin as the origin of a new interest in the relationship between the self and the world. On the other, he offers a post-structuralist interpretation, strongly influenced by 'HUULGD¶V deconstructionism, of On the Origin of Species and discusses the status questionis of the influence of Darwinism in literary studies ³'DUZLQ¶V 7UDFHV´ 23-71). Here, 'DUZLQ¶V work becomes a metonymy of a broader attack against the humanist fallacy of the centrality of human beings in the universe. This methodological dualism finds its way into the chapters on Svevo, De Roberto, and Pirandello, which present two souls, one more analytical and one more theoretical, both successful in terms of results, but in profoundly different ways and to different extents. Each chapter focuses on an author, offering close readings of Una vita ³6YHYR (A) Life and :ULWLQJ´ 73-127), I Viceré ³'H Roberto: Power and 7UDQVIRUPLVP´ 129-174), and some of the most important works of Pirandello ³3LUDQGHOOR Name and 3HUIRUPDQFH´ 175-238). On the one hand, Sartori traces back the influences that Darwinian ideas had on the three authors; on the other, he reads the texts analyzed through a post-structuralist lens that offers interesting new perspectives on the similarities among the three authors. In his close reading of 6YHYR¶V Una vita, for instance, Sartori translates the notion of ineptness as inaptness, reconceptualizing 6YHYR¶V idea in Darwinian terms. In doing so, he suggests a possible origin for the cross-contamination between the two terms in Giovanni &DQHVWULQL¶V translation of On the Origin of Species into Italian. This approach produces a more convincing investigation of the historical motivations for the emergence of ineptness/inaptness into the fin de siècle literary landscape. Sartori abandons the existentialist approach to ineptness which characterizes much of the traditional scholarship to investigate the emergence of the historical conditions that required, from the hero of the nineteenth-century novel, an adaptation that, in the case of the Italian inetto, did not occur. Moreover, 6DUWRUL¶V approach challenges the relevance of Schopenhauer when discussing the final suicide of Alfonso, which is often interpreted as a rational and ascetic withdrawal from the struggle for life, but that should be read as the FKDUDFWHU¶V impossibility of adapting to the modern world. In the analysis of De 5REHUWR¶V I Viceré, the Darwinian influence is not immediately evident, but it is nonetheless profound. Sartori uses Darwin to 652 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) demonstrate the profound novelty of De 5REHUWR¶V masterpiece compared to the naturalist novel. According to Sartori, De Roberto abandons the hereditary principle that characterizes the ³VFLHQWLILF´ method of naturalist writers and reinterprets the storyline of the Uzeda family as a struggle to adapt to remain alive in a mutated political and historical landscape. Here, nature leaves room for history and politics, and the trajectory of Consalvo Uzeda is the trajectory of a hero who needs to evolve to keep alive his own species/family. The chapter on Pirandello is the least historicist of the three. Sartori reads the masterpieces along with 3LUDQGHOOR¶V biography and discusses the transformation of one narrative (the self-narration of RQH¶V own story) into a work of art, and traces the origin of two fundamental elements of 3LUDQGHOOR¶V literature: the inescapable proto-existentialist struggle of the self with others and the theatricality which emerges once the self discovers the metaphysical void that lies behind the theater of reality. This is where the Derridean influence, less visible in the previous chapters, takes the center of the stage and leads 6DUWRUL¶V reading of Il fu Mattia Pascal, Uno, nessuno, centomila, and Sei personaggi in cerca G¶DXWRUH as a progressive theatricalization of life, which, if it is to be expected in 3LUDQGHOOR¶V case, represents one of the most exciting results of the volume when considered as a leitmotiv of the post-Darwinian literature analyzed in the book. The most promising results, in fact, are not necessarily in the close readings themselves, but rather in what emerges if we consider them together and pay attention to the influence of the Derridean reading of On the Origin of the Species. According to Sartori, like 3LUDQGHOOR¶V Copernicus, Darwin demonstrates the falsehood of the centrality of humans in the universe, and in doing so it makes it impossible even to conceive the possibility of escaping modernity through a return to an uncontaminated and innocent nature that has never existed. In deconstructing the traditional metaphysical approach to nature, Darwin opens the way to a theatrical approach to reality and to the socially constructed relationships that characterize life. It is in this light that Sartori investigates the theatricality that hides the existential void of Alfonso Nitti, the non-referentiality and transformism of &RQVDOYR¶V values, and the separation between form and life, and its consequences on the psyches, in of 3LUDQGHOOR¶V works. More importantly, 6DUWRUL¶V volume invites us to investigate more deeply and more broadly the reification of life and the theatricalization of the world as something not only characteristic of Pirandello but of the modern(ist) novel as a whole. It is probably the Derridean lens used by Sartori to read the Italian inetti that is the most profitable tool to inherit from this work. Through this deconstructionist lens, Sartori shows the importance, when approaching canonical texts, to adopt different theoretical methodologies to shed new light on universally acknowledged truths. Lorenzo Mecozzi, Columbia University Italian Bookshelf 653 Gloria Scarfone. Il pensiero monologico. Personaggio e vita psichica in Volponi, Morante e Pasolini. Milano: Mimesis, 2022. Pp. 200. Nella sua monografia, Gloria Scarfone sfida i formalismi della ricerca accademica del secolo scorso, che si concentrava soprattutto sul principio dialogico del romanzo, per focalizzare la sua analisi su tre componenti essenziali: il personaggio, la vita psichica e la possibilità di una sua rappresentazione. Al cuore del corpus di questo saggio in cinque sezioni, si trovano tre opere che hanno segnato il panorama letterario del ventesimo secolo: Corporale di Paolo Volponi, Aracoeli di Elsa Morante e Petrolio di Pier Paolo Pasolini. A sorreggere in modo convincente TXHVW¶DQDOLVL tripartita F¶q O¶LSRWHVL di una ³VFHQD GHOO¶DXWRFRVFLHQ]D´ (14), in cui si delinea un passaggio da un mimetismo psichico radicale, caratterizzato da una certa aderenza del personaggio alla realtà rappresentata e una possibilità per il lettore di identificarsi con essa, al suo paradossale annullamento. La corrispondenza e O¶DSHUWR dialogo tra i protagonisti dei tre romanzi di questo corpus avallano O¶LSRWHVL GHOO¶DXWULFH che ci siano state influenze e corrispondenze tra le opere da lei analizzate. Oggetto primo dello studio è O¶LGHD di un pensiero monologico, ovvero della narrazione che converge verso O¶DXWRFRVFLHQ]D del personaggio, portandolo a esprimere in narrativa le sfumature della propria vita psichica attraverso la tecnica del monologo. Il primo capitolo, ³/D scena GHOO¶DXWRFRVFLHQ]D´ (21-45), descrive TXHVW¶XOWLPD come caratterizzata prima di tutto dal passaggio dal principio dialogico del romanzo al pensiero monologico. La studiosa rimarca che tale spostamento deriva dalla concentrazione della narrazione del ventesimo secolo VXOO¶LQWHULRULWj del personaggio: il pensiero, in quanto tale, è di per sé monologico, e questo libero fluire di riflessioni si rispecchia nella forma romanzata. La convergenza della narrativa col monologo tende ad avvicinarsi il più possibile a un principio di verosimiglianza, ³FUHDQGR O¶HIIHWWR di un contatto senza mediazioni tra lettore e coscienza del SHUVRQDJJLR´ (25). Non vi è quindi la mediazione di un narratore, ma il lettore si ritrova a tu per tu con la coscienza del personaggio o, meglio, O¶DXWRFRVFLHQ]D dato che il personaggio si rinviene coinvolto in riflessioni spesso solipsistiche. Partendo da una considerazione GHOO¶Ulisse di James Joyce, opera dello stream of consciousness per eccellenza, Scarfone prosegue con O¶DQDOL]]DUH il movimento GHOO¶DXWRFRVFLHQ]D dal romanzo (che secondo XQ¶DFFODUDWD tradizione è stato fino ad allora dialogico o addirittura corale) a una narrazione per voce sola. Ciò non toglie che i romanzi qui analizzati abbiano comunque una base ideologica consistente, spesso espressa attraverso una tendenza al saggismo, e il fatto che si reggano principalmente su una sola voce non ne limita il carattere aperto e problematico. Basandosi su una definizione di Debenedetti, e superandola, Scarfone analizza la categoria del personaggiouomo e i modi in cui il lettore si identifica con questa creatura che, pur essendo frutto della fantasia del suo autore, possiede una carica di umanità tale da portare chi legge a immedesimarsi, a rispondere e a ricevere risposta. Tale personaggio 654 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) risulta quindi un interprete adatto alla forma-monologo, protagonista della scena GHOO¶DXWRFRVFLHQ]D Proseguendo sulla linea teorica che precede O¶DQDOLVL testuale, nel suo secondo capitolo, ³/D forma-monologo e la sua WUDGL]LRQH´ (48-70), Scarfone ripercorre la storia del monologo in letteratura dal pionerismo di Dostoevskij nel generare la figura ormai classica GHOO¶XRPR del sottosuolo, fino DOO¶LR sragionante di Beckett, per poi concludere con il saggismo di Musil e la multiformità potenziale GHOO¶Uomo senza qualità. Tale approfondita analisi delle condizioni teoriche preesistenti permette a Scarfone di basare O¶DQDOLVL testuale del suo corpus narrativo su fondamenta stabili, aprendo così la strada ai capitoli dedicati a Volponi, Morante e Pasolini. Questi autori presentano infatti tre diverse declinazioni della forma narrativa del monologo: se Volponi si avvicina a un tipo di mimetismo radicale che coinvolge anche le parti più saggistiche del suo romanzo, Morante alterna mimetismo e saggismo (inteso come autoanalisi), mentre Pasolini rinuncia del tutto al mimetismo per dirigersi verso il saggismo, trasferendo così il problema GHOO¶LR e la sua identità dal piano della rappresentazione a quello della riflessione. Difatti, il terzo capitolo, dedicato a Corporale di Volponi e intitolato ³/D coscienza LSHUWURILFD´ (71-100), si concentra VXOO¶HSRQLPR concetto, per cui la tecnica dello stream of consciousness è spintaai suoi limiti: è quindi O¶LPPDJLQDULR del personaggio a comandare la narrazione. Benché Corporale si rifaccia alla tradizione del monologo autonomo, però, la struttura del romanzo vede XQ¶DOWHUQDQ]D simmetrica tra omodiegesi e eterodiegesi, benché TXHVW¶XOWLPD appaia spesso fittizia: anche quando si dice egli, la focalizzazione resta sul protagonista. Il tema del doppio diviene tutto il romanzo, sintetizzando così XQ¶DOWUD caratteristica della forma-monologo, ovvero la dissociazione interna del personaggio che ³VL estroflette in un dialogo paradossale con un Altro che è in fondo un 6p´ (90). Il personaggio risente quindi del distacco dalla realtà di cui è vittima, e ancor più risente del fallimento del suo tentativo di riappropriarsi della suddetta realtà, e il prisma della coscienza si avvia così alla sua distruzione. In Volponi, come accade anche in Beckett, gli eventi tendono a ridursi di fronte DOO¶LQFRPEHQ]D GHOO¶DXWRFRVFLHQ]D mentre diversa è la situazione della Morante in Aracoeli, oggetto GHOO¶DQDOLVL nel quarto capitolo, ³)RUPH GHOO¶DXWRDQDOLVL´ (101-33). Il romanzo stesso offre già nelle sue pagine una dichiarazione programmatica che presenta subito i fulcri GHOO¶RSHUD il monologo sregolato (quindi un soliloquio non troppo strutturato che guida il racconto) e il pellegrinaggio maniaco O¶hic et nunc della storia). Nella narrazione della Morante, persiste il tentativo di voler recuperare dei ricordi apocrifi, ovvero di salvare memorie nascoste o ricostruirne di false. In Aracoeli, la malattia del personaggio ha infatti a che fare con la memoria, ma di nuovo la coscienza si fa autocoscienza e lo psicodramma si fa un espediente crudele a sostegno della narrazione. Anche per la Morante, Scarfone si concentra sul tema del doppio, in cui appaiono delle connessioni con la precedente analisi su Volponi, e aggiunge la metafora dello specchio, per cui ogni tentativo del personaggio di guardarsi Italian Bookshelf 655 GDOO¶HVWHUQR fallisce, in quanto lo specchio ci rimanda XQ¶LPPDJLQH parziale e il personaggio è destinato a cercare il suo riflesso in funzione del punto di vista GHOO¶$OWUR A concludere il volume appare O¶DQDOLVL testuale di Petrolio di Pasolini nel quinto capitolo, ³6WRULD di XQ¶DXWRSVLD´ (135-75), in cui Scarfone studia O¶DXWRUH-personaggio che si fa protagonista GHOO¶RSHra, mettendo così in atto una terza variante della forma-monologo in cui la mimesi psicologica è esplicitamente eliminata dal racconto. Petrolio moltiplica infatti i personaggi e si presenta come un insieme di appunti, rimasti incompleti per via della morte del loro autore. Scarfone riconosce le difficoltà di interpretazione, e si focalizza sul fatto che Pasolini non solo trasforma il ruolo del narratore convenzionale e la sua distanza GDOO¶DXWRUH ma tramuta O¶DXWRUH stesso in un eroe che si concede un lirismo saggistico e performativo capace di esporre, tra le altre cose, la mediocre tipicità della borghesia. La monografia riesce con successo a enucleare il tema della scena GHOO¶DXWRFRVFLHQ]D e O¶XWLOL]]R della forma-monologo in tre autori-cardine del ventesimo secolo, aprendo un dialogo che, indagando le forme di espressione del sé in narrativa, non può che contribuire a un più ampio dibattito internazionale che coinvolge anche la letteratura più recente. Strutturato in maniera nitida e ordinata, e sostenuto da fondamenta teoriche solide, il libro si presenta come un necessario e originale contributo alla ricerca sulla narrativa italiana contemporanea, e sulle influenze internazionali che hanno contribuito a definirla. Bianca Rita Cataldi, University College Dublin Helen Solterer, and Vincent Joos, eds. Migrants Shaping Europe, Past and Present. Multilingual Literatures, Arts, and Cultures. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2022. Pp. 307. Migrants shaping Europe, Past and Present. Multilingual Literatures, Arts and Cultures, edited by Helen Solterer and Vincent Joos, challenges dominant discourses on migration by examining the contribution of migrants to European cultures from a long-durée perspective. The volume focuses on migration phenomena across three border zones (Ceuta/Melilla, Lampedusa, Calais) from the premodern period until today. The volume is divided into five sections, which examine literary, artistic, scientific, and other expressions of migration in three Romance languages (Spanish, Italian, French). As such, the volume presents multiple reading trajectories, each offering rich stimuli for comparison and dialogue (i.e., between language areas, temporalities, or forms of expression). The volume reconsiders the very concept of the ³PLJUDQW´ starting from the question of whether recent discussions of migration have perhaps overlooked too many examples of migration, contributing to an imagery of people on the move that is not only politically charged, but also culturally biased. The editors ask whether current discourses on migration have not sufficiently been attuned to 656 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) analyse the migrations of the past, and whether they have been overly inspired by anglophone perspectives. Hence, the volume privileges Romance languages and reconceptualizes cases of migration that have hitherto been considered almost exclusively as examples of exile, expulsion, exchange or enclaves. In the first section, ³$ premodern cultural KLVWRU\´ (17-40), Pedro 5DSRVR¶V contribution, ³7KH astrolabe: from µPDWKHPDWLFDO MHZHO¶ to cultural FRQQHFWRU´ (19-39), offers a suitable example of such a reconceptualization. On the one hand, Raposo considers the ancient navigation instrument known as the astrolabe as a symbol of the movements of people and the exchanges of knowledge between the European continent and the Islamic world. On the other hand, Raposo traces the construction of public and academic discourses on the astrolabe in texts and exhibitions from the ¶V until today, where the object has been linked to recent migration phenomena. In 5DSRVR¶V analysis, thus, the astrolabe functions synchronically as a connecter between geographies and cultures of the past, but also diachronically as a connector between disparate critical discourses on movement and migration. In the second section, ³0LJUDWLQJ in 6SDQLVK´ (41-76), James Amelang reconsiders one of the largest migration phenomena in early modern European history: the expulsion of converted Muslims from seventeenth-century Spain. By assessing new insights into the experience of the Moriscos, inspired, for example, by transnational and gender studies, this contribution effectively demonstrates the critical opportunities that may result from an interaction between current debates on migration and studies of early modern migration phenomena. Juxtaposing $PHODQJ¶V chapter with Anna 7\ELQNR¶V contribution on Rachid 1LQL¶V Diario de un ilegal (2002), the section illustrates the persistence of 6SDLQ¶V anxieties about migration. The third section, ³0LJUDWLQJ in ,WDOLDQ´ (77-166), reconsiders the fluidity of meanings attached to migration and exile in Italy. Akash Kumar investigates Sicily and Morocco as literary tropes in the works of Dante and Ibn Hamdîs. Through a cross-reading of the two poets, the author highlights the ³JOREDO and cross-cultural FXUUHQWV´ (85) in 'DQWH¶V Commedia and proposes a decolonial turn that dismantles a romanticized distinction between exile and migration in the Italian literary tradition. While considering both Ibn Hamdîs and Dante as migrant poets²and the latter not exclusively as a poet in exile²is one way to (again) emphasize ³PLJUDWLRQ and cultural alterity as lying at the heart of vernacular literary SURGXFWLRQ´ (79), the merit of .XPDU¶V chapter is primarily that it reveals some of the mechanisms of inclusion/exclusion that hover in debates on national literary traditions. Saskia Ziolkowski considers these mechanisms on a transnational level and thereby most explicitly addresses the YROXPH¶V aim to challenge the predominance of anglophone perspectives on migration. Comparing the Italian anthology Anche Superman era un rifugiato (2018), edited by Igiaba Scego, with similar anthologies in English, Ziolkowski demonstrates how Italian literary history may diversify dominant critical understandings of concepts such Italian Bookshelf 657 as migration and exile. Tenley Bick concludes this section with a discussion of the different, often conflicting, interpretations of migration evoked by Mimmo 3DODGLQR¶V sculpture/monument Porta di Lampedusa, porta G¶(XURSD (2008). Calais is the focus of the chapters in the fourth part, ³0LJUDWLQJ in )UHQFK´ (167-226). Helen Solterer investigates the recurrence of the representation of Calais as an enclave in premodern and contemporary narrative texts and poetry, concluding that ³ILFWLRQ is a necessary and invaluable part of composing the centuries-long history of &DODLV¶ PLJUDQWV´ (191). 6ROWHUHU¶V stimulating analysis of the presence of the inside/outside dialectic in texts from different centuries offers a framework to Vincent -RRV¶V chapter, which examines this dialectic with regards to Chinese labourers in WWI-era Calais. Aided by photographs by Eric Laleu, Joos illustrates how colonial segregation measures aimed at preventing Chinese labourers from settling in Calais have set the premises for )UDQFH¶V present-day anti-immigration measures in and beyond the port city. In lieu of a conclusion, the YROXPH¶V final section, ³$UWV of 0LJUDWLRQ´ (22779), illustrates the critical interaction between discourses on past and present migration phenomena with a reflection on visual arts. The In Transit-collective, composed of artists and scholars from various disciplines, describes eight pieces of art from different eras that were part of an exhibition on view at Duke University in 2018. The last chapter zooms in on one of these art pieces: Raquel Salvatella de Prada discusses her video installation Cornered (2018), which represents the stories of migrants who experienced the impassibility of (XURSH¶V borders in Ceuta and Melilla. Salvatella de 3UDGD¶V reflection on one of the more recent migration phenomena towards Europe concludes a volume that, thanks to its original comparative structure and extensive introductory framework (1-16), offers a timely journey through a history of (discourses on) migrations that have crossed the European continent. The YROXPH¶V well-connected chapters dwell on some understudied examples of people on the move that not only challenge national European self-perceptions, but also lend themselves perfectly to further debate on the recent configurations of academic discourses on migration. Rachelle Gloudemans, PhD Candidate, KU Leuven Tiziano Toracca. Il romanzo neomodernista italiano. Dalla fine del neorealismo alla seconda metà degli anni Settanta. Palermo: Palumbo Editore, 2022. Pp. 448. Il saggio di Tiziano Toracca presenta un convincente e vigoroso sforzo di sintesi ed esattezza QHOO¶LQTXDGUDUH aspetti teorici tanto complessi e sfuggenti quanto rilevanti DOO¶LQWHUQR del panorama letterario italiano degli ultimi decenni. Questo tratto emerge già dal titolo, Il romanzo neomodernista italiano. Dalla fine del neorealismo alla seconda metà degli anni Settanta, che mette in primo piano, in modo chiaro ed efficace, gli elementi chiave e le strategie critiche del volume: da 658 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) un lato, O¶LPSHJQR teorico a introdurre e irrobustire la formulazione di questo ennesimo -ismo DOO¶LQWHUQR del panorama letterario contemporaneo; GDOO¶DOWUR quello di definirne i connotati cronologici precisi²anche e soprattutto attraverso un confronto abbastanza serrato con le altre correnti limitrofe (modernismo, neoavanguardia, neorealismo e postmodernismo). Il volume è diviso in tre sezioni. Nella prima di queste²a sua volta divisa in tre capitoli²Toracca espone ai lettori le considerazioni che lo hanno portato a ricorrere DOO¶HWLFKHWWD di ³QHRPRGHUQLVPR´ per raggruppare alcuni importanti romanzi italiani del secondo novecento. Nel fare ciò, lo studioso entra nel dibattito sul modernismo italiano che molto in voga è tornato in Italia DOO¶LQL]LR degli anni Duemila (soprattutto grazie al lavoro di studiosi come Romano Luperini, Raffaele Donnarumma, Massimiliano Tortora e Luca Somigli). Nelle altre due, O¶DXWRUH si dedica DOO¶DQDOLVL dei testi²divisi per decenni²che presentano, in modo esemplare, i tratti tipici della narrativa neomodernista. Se, come precisato da Toracca, a proposito di TXHVW¶XOWLPD non si può parlare di movimento o corrente, dal momento che è sprovvista degli essenziali elementi di organicità e programmaticità che la renderebbero tale, altrettanto disfunzionale sarebbe stata XQ¶DQDOLVL che procedesse per autori. Per nessuno di essi infatti²con O¶XQLFD possibile eccezione di Volponi²la definizione di neomodernista può essere valida in modo complessivo; essa, piuttosto, è applicabile ad alcune opere specifiche DOO¶LQWHUQR di carriere narrative complesse e articolate. Tra questi²per citare solo alcuni illustri esempi²La giornata di uno scrutatore di Italo Calvino, La vita agra di Luciano Bianciardi, Il sorriso GHOO¶LJQRWR marinaio di Vincenzo Consolo, Horcynus Orca di Stefano '¶$UULJR o Petrolio di Pier Paolo Pasolini. /¶LPSLDQWR del saggio fa si che la prima sezione sia investita di una funzione fondamentale. È qui che Toracca, in modo chiaro e lineare, prepara il terreno per le successive, predisponendo i passaggi preliminari e chiarendo i nodi centrali della questione. In primo luogo, come già detto in precedenza, O¶DXWRUH delimita O¶HVSHULHQ]D neomodernista a partire da quelle che, sia da un punto di vista cronologico che interpretativo, le sono affini. /¶DVVXQWR di base, che viene a corroborare alcune acquisizioni critiche recenti (49-51), è che il modernismo italiano si sia sviluppato tardivamente e non si sia esaurito negli anni Trenta del Novecento, quando il neorealismo ne ha arrestato la spinta iniziale. Accordando O¶DQDOLVL del caso italiano al panorama internazionale²dove, soprattutto in ambito anglo-americano, si distingueva già da tempo una fase di high modernism da una di late modernism, in cui gli elementi più sperimentali della forma convivevano con un realismo attenuato²Toracca ravvede una persistenza di elementi modernisti ancora in alcuni testi degli anni Cinquanta. Questo ³VHFRQGR PRGHUQLVPR´ (51) è da definirsi ³QHR´ non soltanto per ragioni temporali, ma anche per ragioni strutturali: esso presenta continuità con O¶HVSHULHQ]D modernista e allo stesso tempo ne prende le distanze. Tra gli elementi di somiglianza troviamo sicuramente alcune caratteristiche estetiche: tra tutte la presenza forte GHOO¶LR e O¶LPSHJQR sulla forma. Tra gli elementi di discontinuità Italian Bookshelf 659 O¶DXWRUH mette in evidenza il fatto che il neomodernismo stabilisce un rapporto diverso, meno ostativo, nei confronti del realismo e della ricerca della verità. Da un lato, le trame sono meno sfilacciate, più intellegibili e più vicine al romanzo tradizionale; GDOO¶DOWUR la ricerca della verità non viene più banalizzata e rifiutata a prescindere. Sebbene gli autori contemporanei rimangano coscienti GHOO¶LPSRVVLELOLWj di raggiungere certezze assolute, e rimane nonostante tutto presente in alcune loro opere una tensione a ³UDSSUHVHQWDUH O¶HVLVWHQ]D nonostante WXWWR´ (77). In questo modo, il romanzo neomodernista privilegia ³XQD visione del mondo soggettiva. Antigerarchica e straniante. Ma la vita psichica, O¶DQDUFKLD del mondo e la dimensione quotidiana GHOO¶HVLVWHQ]D vengono adesso iperdeterminate e colonizzate da questioni G¶LQWHUHVVH FROOHWWLYR´ (61). Non si tratta dunque, di un recupero ³GHOO¶HQJDJHPHQW post-EHOOLFR´ a tutti gli effetti tramontato con O¶HVSHULHQ]D neorealista (83), ma del persistere di un interesse politico in forma sfumata e di un realismo anestetizzato e di secondo grado. Nel volgere la loro attenzione alla storia e al mondo reale, i romanzi neomodernisti si concentrano su alcuni temi precisi: il confronto con la guerra e la dittatura fascista '¶$UULJR Consolo, Tomasi di Lampedusa), le questioni più spinose che riguardano momenti precisi DOO¶LQWHUQR GHOO¶HVSHULHQ]D della Prima Repubblica (Calvino, Arpinio), le conseguenze del boom economico (Testori, Bianciardi, Parise, Volponi, Pasolini) che hanno avvicinato O¶,WDOLD alle altre nazioni avanzate (82-83). 4XHVW¶XOWLPR appunto apre la strada a una considerazione importante che Toracca presenta, in modo ancora una volta molto lucido, nel secondo capitolo. Se il modernismo è stato in generale, una risposta alle crisi sociali provocate dalla prima e seconda rivoluzione industriale è chiaro che per O¶,WDOLD sia necessario un discorso a parte: la fase di modernizzazione in Italia si è consumata solo molto tardi, dopo la Seconda Guerra Mondiale, periodo che ha rappresentato per la nazione una svolta epocale e, in un certo senso, O¶DYYLR di una modernità compiuta. È pertanto più che comprensibile che Toracca individui negli anni che vanno dal 1954 al 1979 i confini entro cui circoscrivere O¶HVSHULHQ]D neomodernista, e cioè quella di una modernità che in Italia giungeva ormai alla sua fase matura (93). Tale operazione, finisce con il concentrare QHOO¶DUFR di un ventennio, tre esperienze artistiche fondamentali per il secondo novecento italiano, ovvero neomodernismo, postmodernismo (nella sua fase germinale) e neoavanguardia. Tre esperienze che, come descrive Toracca nel terzo capitolo del volume, convivono²e a tratti si sovrappongono²come risposta a esigenze comuni, mantenendo però connotati identitari diversi. Il saggio di Toracca dunque, proprio in virtù della sua compattezza e limpidezza, è da considerarsi uno strumento critico utilissimo sia per quanti intendano entrare nella spinosa²e come ripetuto molto attuale²questione che riguarda la categorizzazione e classificazione del modernismo italiano; sia per coloro che vogliano rivisitare le tendenze e i tratti fondamentali delle esperienze 660 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) letterarie²soprattutto narrative²del Novecento italiano. In entrambi i casi, tenere ben presente O¶XOWLPR aggettivo sarà fondamentale: come il titolo mette in chiaro sin da subito, nonostante un minimo di spazio sia lasciato anche alla riflessione più ampia sul modernismo e i suoi ³GHULYDWL´ il fuoco è posto in maniera molto forte sullo scenario critico e narrativo nazionale. Infine, dotato di due corpose e considerevoli sezioni di analisi testuale che si concentrano su numerose opere capitali²a prescindere dal neomodernismo²nel quadro della letteratura italiana del secondo novecento, il volume di Toracca diventa imprescindibile²grazie al taglio specifico e innovativo con cui tale analisi è condotta²sia per gli studiosi che si concentrano su tali testi e autori, che per coloro i quali, più in generale, si occupano di narrativa contemporanea. Emiliano S. Zappalà, PhD University of Warwick Alessandro Viola. Il fascismo secondo Pasolini (1942-1975). Milano: Mimesis, 2020. Pp. 136. A partire dalla presentazione di una serie di eventi che hanno scosso la vita nazionale e animato il dibattito sociopolitico tra destra e sinistra durante la campagna elettorale del 2018, Alessandro Viola fornisce un importante contributo per chiarire i rapporti tra Pasolini e il fascismo. In particolare, dinanzi ai tentativi FRQLTXDOLGLYHUVLHVSRQHQWLGHOODFODVVHSROLWLFDLWDOLDQDSURYDQRDULGXUUHO¶LFRQD 3DVROLQLVRWWRLOSURSULRYHVVLOORSDUWLWLFRO¶DXWRUHGHOYROXPHDYYHUWHODQHFHVVLWj GL ULRUJDQL]]DUH LO SHQVLHUR GHOO¶LQWHOOHWWXDOH IULXODQR SHU VFDO]DUOR Ga ogni banalizzazione legata alla contingenza della lotta politica contemporanea. La GLVSXWD SHU O¶HUHGLWj FXOWXUDOH GL 3DVROLQL VL JLRFD SULQFLSDOPHQWH VXOOH FRQVLGHUD]LRQL FKH OR VFULWWRUH DYDQ]D VX ³IDVFLVPR´ H ³DQWLIDVFLVPR´ LQ XQD presunta lettera a MRUDYLDGHO$OGLOjGHOODTXHVWLRQHOHJDWDDOO¶RULJLQDOLWj della lettera²affrontata da Wu Ming 1, che ne dimostra la falsità²Viola dispiega gli strumenti della filologia per imbastire una ricostruzione solida e non aprioristicamente a tesi del pensiero politico di Pasolini. /¶DXWRUH SUHQGH LQ HVDPH WXWWD OD SURGX]LRQH WUHQWHQQDOH GHOO¶LQWHOOHWWXDOH muove, cioè, dalle prime poesie scritte a Casarsa fino ad arrivare al romanzo incompiuto Petrolio, per chiudere il cerchio con la cosiddetta poesia testamento, ancora in friulano, Saluto e Augurio; passando nel mezzo per gli interventi luterani e corsari, per testi di natura saggistica e narrativa, per lettere e interviste. Fissate in questo modo le coordinate strutturali nelle quali si inserisce (e si modifica) il rapporto di Pasolini con il fascismo nel corso del tempo, ogni citazione dello scrittore può trovare la giusta collocazione in un discorso più complesso, che evade le maglie di una politica rapace, che non rinuncia a sacrificare le ragioni del YHURVXOO¶DOWDUHGHOORVORJDQFRVWUXLWRad hoc. Più precisamente, nel primo capitolo del libro, ³µ/H GXH VWUDGH FKH VROH SRWHYDQR SRUWDUPL DOO¶DQWLIDVFLVPR¶ - ´ (21-  O¶DXWRUH VL VRIIHUPD Italian Bookshelf 661 suOOD³VFRSHUWD´GHOIDVFLVPRHGHOO¶DQWLIDVFLVPRGDSDUWHGL3DVROLQLLQVLVWHQGR VXOOHGXHVWUDGHFKHORKDQQRFRQGRWWRDOO¶LPSHJQRSROLWLFRO¶HVSHULHQ]DSRHWLFD e la conoscenza diretta del mondo contadino. Per quanto possa sembrare strano al lettore di oJJL GXUDQWH OD SULPD JLRYLQH]]D 3DVROLQL QRQ KD XQ¶LGHD FKLDUD GHO significato storico della dittatura fascista perché, come un pesce non sa di essere LPPHUVRQHOO¶DFTXDDOORVWHVVRPRGRXQUDJD]]RQDWRGXUDQWHLOYHQWHQQLRSXz accettare la società che lRFLUFRQGDFRPHO¶XQLFDUHDOWjSRVVLELOH$GLIIHUHQ]DGHO fratello, che imbraccia il fucile per combattere in favore della causa antifascista, Pasolini conosce una lunga fase di incubazione prima di manifestare una frattura netta con il fenomeno fascista. La natura del suo dissenso nasce da fattori culturali: O¶DYYLFLQDPHQWR DOOD OLQHD VLPEROLVWD-decadente da un lato e a quella ermetica GDOO¶DOWURORDOORQWDQDSHUTXHVWLRQLGLJXVWRHVWHWLFRGDOODFXOWXUDXIILFLDOHGHO regime. Pasolini trova nel friulano ³ODOLQJXDGLSXUDSRHVLDFHUFDWDGDLVLPEROLVWL´ (34) e fa i conti con la meschinità fascista nei riguardi dei particolarismi locali; HJOLGjYRFHDOO¶DQLPDVHFRODUHGLXQSRSRORODFRPXQLWjFRQWDGLQDIULXODQDFKH per il fascismo, per dinamiche di accentramento del potere, semplicemente non HVLVWHYD $ WDO SURSRVLWR XQR GHL PHULWL GL 9LROD VWD QHOO¶LOOXVWUDUH FRQ JUDQGH FKLDUH]]D OD WUDQVL]LRQH GDO GLVVHQVR HVWHWLFR DOO¶LPSHJQR SROLWLFR YLVVXWD GDO poeta, che ha come fulcro la lotta dei braccianti contro i grandi proprietari terrieri del Friuli, culminata nel gennaio 1948. Intrapresa la via del marxismo, Pasolini ingaggia il personale duello contro i YDUL IDVFLVPL 1HO VHFRQGR FDSLWROR ³,O IDVFLVPR VHFRQGR 3DVROLQL´ -102), dopo aver affrontato il discorso sul fascismo storico²cioè quello circoscrivibile al periodo mussoliniano²O¶DXWRUH UHSHULVFH H ODGGRYH QHFHVVDULR SRUWD LQ VXSHUILFLHOHULIOHVVLRQLODWHQWLGHOO¶LQWHOOHWWXDOHVXOQXRYRIDVFLVPRGLVVHPLQDWH nei testi più disparati e non sempre di IDFLOHLQWHUSUHWD]LRQH/¶RELHWWLYRGL9LROD è mettere a sistema tutte le dichiarazioni pertinenti per approdare ad una descrizione esaustiva del nuovo fascismo e, in ultima istanza (nel quarto e ultimo capitolo), per offrire una chiave di lettura attendibLOH VXOO¶DQWLIDVFLVPR pasoliniano. Il punto cruciale su cui si basa il confronto tra fascismo storico e QXRYR IDVFLVPR q O¶³D]LRQH RPRORJDQWH VXOOH PDVVH SRSRODUL´   1HO SULPR FDVRWDOHD]LRQHQRQVFDOILVFHO¶DQLPDGHOODYHFFKLD,WDOLDFRQWDGLQDLQTuanto il UHJLPH q ULXVFLWR DG RWWHQHUH O¶REEHGLHQ]D VROR HVWHULRUH GHO PRQGR SRSRODUH VHQ]DPRGLILFDUQHLQWLPDPHQWHLYDORULHLFRVWXPL&RQO¶DYYHQWRGHOODVRFLHWj neocapitalista, grazie ai mezzi di cui dispone²in primis la televisione²il mondo popolare va incontro ad una mutazione antropologica senza precedenti pur vivendo in uno stato non dittatoriale, bensì formalmente democratico. . Sotto il velo del benessere e della falsa tolleranza, la borghesia impone il proprio modus vivendi ai contadini e ai soWWRSUROHWDULFRQFOXGHQGRODORWWDGLFODVVHDOO¶LQVHJQD GLXQ³HGRQLVPRGLPDVVD´   In uno dei passaggi più significativi del libro, nel quale si prova a far luce sui mandanti delle stragi che dilaniano il Paese durante gli anni Settanta, compare la 662 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) figura enigmatica di Eugenio Cefis, colui che secondo Pasolini è tra i principali UHVSRQVDELOLGHOO¶DYYHQWRGLTXHVWRIDVFLVPRQHRFDSLWDOLVWD3UREDELOHIRQGDWRUH GHOOD ORJJLD 3 QRQFKp SUHVLGHQWH GHOOD 0RQWHGLVRQ &HILV q O¶DQHOOR GL congiunzione tra il vecchio e il nuovo fascismo, avendo innescato in Italia quel SURFHVVRGLVRVWLWX]LRQHGHOVHQVRGLDSSDUWHQHQ]DDOODSDWULDFRQO¶LGHQWLILFD]LRQH GHOO¶LQGLYLGXRDOOHLPSUHVHPXOWLQD]LRQDOL -89). Infine, per spegnere ogni appropriazione indebita del pensiero di Pasolini, Viola decide di affrontare una poesia insidiosa, la già citata Saluto e Augurio, che LQ YLUW GHOO¶LQWHUORFXWRUH VFHOWR²un giovane fascista²potrebbe generare fraintendimenti di ogni sorta. La scelta di affidare le ultime riflessioni sul fascismo a questo giovane va letta come una forma di rimpianto provocatorio per il passato, che proprio per questo necessita di precisazioni puntuali: Pasolini ovviamente non è un nostalgico del vecchio totalitarismo; piuttosto, negli ultimi anni della sua vita, DVVXPHODSLHQDFRQVDSHYROH]]DFKHYHQW¶DQQLGLGRPLQLRWRWDOLWDULRQRQVRQRVWDWL sufficienti alla borghesia per imporre la propria egemonia di classe, laddove con O¶DYYHQWRGHOQHRFDSLWDOLVPRWDOHULYROX]LRQHqDYYHQXWDLQPDQLHUDFRVuUDGLFDOH e omoORJDQWH FKH QHSSXUH OD VLQLVWUD QH KD FROWR OD SRUWDWD FRVu O¶XQLFR LQWHUORFXWRUHSRVVLELOHGLYHQWDXQVRJJHWWRDVWRULFR³FKHVHPEUDSURYHQLUHGDLa meglio gioventùHFKHTXLQGLKDO¶RUHFFKLRSHUUHFHSLUHLOVXRPHVVDJJLR´   Marco Borrelli, UniversiWjGL1DSROL/¶2ULHQWDOH Marco Zonch. Scritture postsecolari. Ipotesi su verità e spiritualità nella narrativa italiana contemporanea. Firenze: Franco Cesati Editore, 2023. Pp. 232. Scritture postsecolari di Marco Zonch, pubblicato da Franco Cesati nella collana Strumenti di Letteratura Italiana diretta da Franco Musarra, prende in considerazione la presenza della spiritualità nella letteratura italiana recente. Come O¶DXWRUH spiega QHOO¶³,QWURGX]LRQH´ (11-24), la narrativa italiana contemporanea è caratterizzata ³GD tutta una serie di elementi religiosi o, meglio spirituali. >«@ Proprio focalizzandosi su elementi di questo tipo >«@ ci si renderà conto della loro importanza nel definirsi del contemporaneo panorama letterario LWDOLDQR´ (16). /¶DXWRUH situa la sua analisi nel contesto della recente critica letteraria facendo riferimenti precisi a riviste, critici, autori, ma anche collocando le sue premesse nella contemporanea sociologia delle religioni, secondo la quale alla secolarizzazione progressiva della società occidentale e alle religioni tradizionali si sono sostituite altre forme di spiritualità. '¶DOWUR canto, come Zonch nota nel seguito GHOO¶³,QWURGX]LRQH´, il passaggio dalla religione alla spiritualità va concepito DOO¶LQWHUQR della particolare ricezione del paradigma postmodernista da Italian Bookshelf 663 parte della critica italiana. Paradigma che, a detta dello studioso, sarebbe più proficuo se inteso in senso ontologico più che epistemologico (19, 20). Enucleata dunque la spiritualità come ³FDWHJRULD FKLDYH´ di cosa? (20), anche in termini foucaultiani, O¶DXWRUH identifica le finalità del suo studio: ³DWWUDYHUVR questi strumenti affronteremo lo studio della spiritualità, provando a censirne le forme e il ruolo nelle opere di alcuni autori contemporanei. Arriveremo così a parlare di scritture che saranno appunto postsecolari, nel senso che le spiritualità là contenute possono essere pensate solo in rapporto con²dopo e durante²la VHFRODUL]]D]LRQH´ (20). Sebbene il tentativo esplicito sia quello di produrre ³XQ¶HWLFKHWWD critica che >«@ possa fungere da strumento per affrontare il territorio vasto e ancora inesplorato delle contemporanee ontologie OHWWHUDULH´ (20), O¶DXWRUH manifesta O¶DPEL]LRQH di voler superare il discorso storico-letterario per aprire la riflessione alle riverberazioni politiche in senso lato di tale approccio, influenzate dalle riflessioni di pensatori quali Agamben e Foucault. Passando alla struttura del volume, esso è diviso in cinque sezioni. La prima, intitolata ³Un punto di SDUWHQ]D´ (25-55), è dedicata allo scrittore Roberto Saviano. La seconda, intitolata ³La musa del FDRV´ (57-97), si occupa di Antonio Moresco. La terza parte, intitolata ³Una possibile VLQWHVL´ (99-130), prende in esame la produzione di Valerio Evangelisti. La quarta parte, intitolata ³Trevi, Scarpa, Nove, Santoni: prospettive di VWXGLR´ (131-84), si occupa appunto degli scrittori qui citati. La quinta e ultima parte, tira le somme GHOO¶DQDOLVL esposta nei capitoli precedenti e, riprendendo il titolo del volume, si intitola appunto ³Scritture SRVWVHFRODUL´ (185-217). Scendendo maggiormente nel dettaglio dei vari capitoli, rileviamo che nel primo capitolo lo studioso si concentra VXOO¶RSHUD dello scrittore napoletano, notando come, dal punto di vista stilistico, ³LO modo di comportarsi di Saviano sia simile solo in apparenza a quello GHOO¶LQYHVWLJDWRUH del giornalista o del sociologo. Se a questi appartiene il desiderio GHOO¶RJJHWWLYLWj al contrario al narratore appartiene quello della scoperta di sé e del suo modificarsi a causa del confronto con il 0DOH´ (32). Questa sezione presenta in coda XQ¶LQWHUHVVDQWH intervista a Saviano stesso. Nel secondo, analizzando O¶RSHUD di Moresco, O¶DXWRUH prende in esame la connessione tra letteratura, preghiera e sessualità, laddove si evince QHOO¶DXWRUH mantovano il recupero di una concezione GHOO¶DPRUH come ³WUDVILJXUD]LRQH genetica e VSLULWXDOH´ (58). La spiritualità postsecolare di Moresco rifiuta le forme religiose tradizionali per concentrarsi VXOO¶HVSHULHQ]D soggettiva e VXOO¶HPRWLYLWj individuale. Nel terzo capitolo, si prende in esame O¶RQWRORJLD antieroica di Evangelisti, la quale propone una separazione netta tra modernità e Medioevo, epoca prediletta dallo scrittore. Individuando i temi ricorrenti e i simboli dei romanzi fantasy GHOO¶DXWRUH bolognese, Zonch evidenzia il costante interesse GHOO¶DXWRUH" per il rapporto tra ragione e religione che si dispiega nelle sue narrazioni. Nella quarta parte, lo studioso prende in considerazione testi specifici degli autori elencati nel titolo: Viaggio iniziatico di 664 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Emanuele Trevi (2013); Il cipiglio del gufo di Tiziano Scarpa (2018); i lavori di traduzione ed esegesi biblica di Erri De Luca come Esodo/Nomi (1994), Giona/Iona (1995) e Kohèlet/Ecclesiaste (1996); i numerosi riferimenti mistici e religiosi nelle opere di Aldo Nove, in particolare in Professore di Viggiù (2018); Terra ignota (2014), il ³IDQWDV\ SRVWPRGHUQLVWD´ (157) di Vanni Santoni. 1HOO¶³appendice´ finale (pp.170-184), è presente anche una intervista a Santoni. Nella quinta e ultima sezione del volume, Zonch si interroga sul ritorno alla realtà da parte dei nuovi narratori, con riferimento al dibattito VXOO¶LPSHJQR già vivace ai tempi di Pasolini e Calvino e in seguito alimentato da Foucault, tra marxismo, decostruzionismo e poststrutturalismo. Un dibattito nel quale si delineano connessioni inestricabili tra etica, letteratura e spiritualità. Il criterio unificante di questo variegato panorama letterario, secondo Zonch, è di tipo ontologico: ³VRQR scritture postsecolari tutte le opere in cui il raggiungimento di un vero di ordine spirituale è presentato come possibile, e in cui è possibile individuare in tutto o in parte una linea che dal vero passa per la parola e arriva alle condotte >«@ Si intende spirituale secondo la schematizzazione foucaultiana e la collocazione storico-sociologica contemporanea; condurre come il tentativo di guidare gli altri e Vp´ (216). Si tratta in sostanza di scritture che, sebbene con modalità stilisticonarrative molto diverse, celebrano la spiritualità nel suo rapporto con O¶HVLVWHQ]D /¶DXWRUH conclude ribadendo quanto affermato DOO¶LQL]LR del volume, ossia che la definizione di scrittura postsecolare è aperta e atta a sollevare un problema più che a fornire una risposta definitiva. Il volume di Zonch ha la qualità di fornire al lettore una chiave interpretativa originale e produttiva, sebbene necessariamente densa di riferimenti filosofici e rimandi culturali e letterari alla tradizione italiana e non solo. Ciò rende il suo studio complesso ma prezioso per chi si occupi di letteratura contemporanea e voglia cogliere quegli elementi ricorrenti che la caratterizzano superando una mera catalogazione di tematiche. Qui la spiritualità è intesa come un paradigma profondo e pervasivo che consente una lettura non ingenua di quella che è la produzione letteraria contemporanea. In conclusione il volume di Zonch risulta di utilità a chi lavori nel campo GHOO¶LWDOLDQLVWLFD e affronti la contemporaneità estrema convinto che si tratti di un ambito di ricerca molto ricco ancora in larga misura da esplorare. Federica Colleoni, PhD University of Michigan Italian Bookshelf 665 HISTORICAL & CULTURAL STUDIES, MISCELLANEOUS STUDIES Andrea Canepari, and Judith Goode, eds. The Italian Legacy in Philadelphia. History, Culture, People, and Ideas. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2022. Pp. 424. Philadelphia is the setting for a centuries-long series of encounters between Italy and the United States in Andrea Canepari and Judith *RRGH¶V substantial volume. Spanning over three hundred years, the history between the Mid-Atlantic city and Italy is presented in all its diverse aspects, from the traditional look at Italian immigration to Philadelphia in the last decades of the nineteenth century to more obscure cultural junctions, such as the impact of Palladian principles on colonial Philadelphian architecture and the influence of Italian Jesuits within the FLW\¶V expanding education system. The volume was written in promotion of ³&LDR 3KLODGHOSKLD´ the Italian cultural month first organized by Canepari in 2014 while serving in his role as Consul General of Italy in Philadelphia. As a result, the contributions, provided by a mixed group of scholars, professionals, diplomats, and artists, take on a celebratory air. In keeping with this tone, the work contains numerous photos and images to complement its essays. The promotional nature of the work somewhat inhibits nuanced discussion of the more controversial inclusions. The references to Christopher Columbus, who is depicted as a symbol of Italian American pride, call for a more critical analysis, for instance. Nonetheless, Canepari and *RRGH¶V volume serves as a well-intentioned homage to the sociocultural partnership between Philadelphia and Italy, in addition to a compendium of topics relevant to the broader field of Italian American Studies. The work presents its thirty-one essays in roughly chronological order and divides them into four temporal periods, starting with 3KLODGHOSKLD¶V colonial past and the years it served as the first capital of the fledgling United States. This section, entitled ³,QGHSHQGHQFH and Early 5HSXEOLF´ aims to complexify the longstanding relationship between Philadelphia and Italy by demonstrating how this connection is rooted in a number of crucial interactions that preceded the decades of mass Italian immigration to the United States. This VHFWLRQ¶V contributions discuss the early American interest in Italian architecture, the presence of Giuseppe *DULEDOGL¶V brother in Philadelphia, and Thomas -HIIHUVRQ¶V friendship with the Italian merchant Joseph Mussi. Because of its understudied nature, the sparser historical record, and the small number of native Italians actually living in the United States at the time, this period is the shortest of the four presented in the volume. Furthermore, some essays, including the chapter on Cesare %HFFDULD¶V impact on the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention, are slim, numbering just a couple pages. The uneven length of the contributions is a feature of each of the ZRUN¶V four periods, with some essays representing little more than 666 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) a tantalizing snapshot of their featured aspect of the relationship between Philadelphia and Italy. The next period, which is given the title ³7KH Expanding Industrial 0HWURSROLV´ examines the link between Philadelphia and Italy from the perspective of affluent, nineteenth-century Philadelphians, whose appreciation for Italian art and visits to the country ultimately enriched the FLW\¶V cultural institutions. This transfer of Italian patrimony to American shores was enabled, as the essays in this section explain, by 3KLODGHOSKLD¶V status as an industrial powerhouse, which led to the creation of enormous fortunes and a class of privately funded art enthusiasts. The resulting collections of Italian statuary and paintings in Philadelphian museums are a lasting reminder of 3KLODGHOSKLD¶V cultural embrace of ,WDO\¶V artistic traditions. Among the essays dedicated to Italian art are two spotlighting the Italian influence on the Philadelphia Opera House and the Curtis Institute of Music. As the volume demonstrates in this section, ,WDO\¶V influence on Philadelphia begins to make itself felt in the contributions of Italian immigrants and their offspring. 3KLODGHOSKLD¶V music scene, for example, is revealed to be shaped by the presence of Italian American composers and musicians. In ³0DGH in $PHULFD´ its third section, the volume heads into more familiar territory with its examination of mass Italian immigration to Philadelphia, beginning in the final decades of the nineteenth century. The character of neighborhoods such as South Philadelphia owes itself, in large part, to Italian immigrants, whose arrival left a visible mark on the FLW\¶V local architecture, social institutions, and food scene. Many of the essays covering this period are substantially longer than those featured in the preceding two periods, attesting to the increased documentability of the topics at hand and to the crucial way in which they promote Philadelphia as still vibrantly connected to Italy due to its large Italian American population. The fourth section, ³&RQWHPSRUDU\ 3KLODGHOSKLD´ highlights the contributions of the FLW\¶V Italian American community to its civic and educational landscape. Topics discussed in previous essays²universities, architecture, and gastronomy²return in a modern context. Stressing the ongoing nature of the relationship between Philadelphia and Italy, this section pays particular attention to the cultural and academic bonds that the FLW\¶V two most prominent universities²University of Pennsylvania and Temple University²have established with Italy through their Italian programs and study abroad initiatives. The volume makes a case for the central role that American universities play in shoring up the FRXQWU\¶V relationship with Italy through their partnerships with Italian institutions and their temporary export of American students through study abroad programs. In the afterword, Canepari declares that the volume ³DLPV to put together under one roof all the Italianity woven into the social fabric of the Philadelphia region, even if it is still difficult to see that XQLW\´ (378). With its holistic approach, Italian Bookshelf 667 the book succeeds in assembling the seemingly disparate proofs of ,WDO\¶V long and lasting impact on Philadelphia, from the FLW\¶V early days as the QDWLRQ¶V capital to its present status as an important educational and cultural center. The YROXPH¶V take on the historical and sociocultural connections between Philadelphia and Italy is less scholarly than it is laudatory. Nevertheless, a critical question haunts the final section: in the face of ever-increasing globalization and shifting demographics, how can Philadelphia maintain not just its links to Italy, but also its identity as a city with an unmistakable Italian American flavor? A certain degree of tension thus underlies the YROXPH¶V exultant act of commemoration. Corie Marshall, Indiana University Bloomington Beatrice Falcucci, Emanuele Giusti, and Davide Trentacoste, eds. Rereading Travellers to the East: Shaping Identities and Building the Nation in Postunification Italy. Firenze: Firenze UP 2022. Pp. 229. The cultural predicaments of ,WDO\¶V Oriental fantasies have attracted sustained critical attention: in the wake of this growing interest, the brilliant collection of essays gathered by Beatrice Falcucci, Emanuele Giusti and Davide Trentacoste offers a much-welcomed contribution. Probing the multifaceted relations that linked modern Italy to Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Re-Reading Travellers to the East unearths a wide spectrum of intellectual experiences ranging from Giovanni *HQWLOH¶V involvement in the Istituto Italiano per il Medio e Estremo Oriente to Fascist attempts to (re)claim the ³,WDOLDQQHVV´ of Marco Polo, from the exploits of colonial architecture in the Dodecanese islands to an overview of the (largely unmapped) history of Italian travel writing to Iran. A solid critical aim holds together this versatile mosaic of critical forays: to deconstruct the multiple ³UH-UHDGLQJV´ through which post-Unification Italy has sought to resuscitate the ³P\WKLFDO´ halo of a tradition of medieval and early modern travelers. As it was often the case in the intellectual history of the peninsula, the retroactive glorification of an obfuscated µSULPDWH¶ (to recall a classic pamphlet by Vincenzo Gioberti) had to buttress far more pragmatic interests: the ³P\WK of Italian travelers in the (DVW´ stretching from Polo and Matteo Ricci to Giuseppe Tucci, was an artificial construction conjured up to bolster ,WDO\¶V aspirations in the brutal arena of imperial ambitions. Previous studies by Barbara Spackman (Accidental Orientalist: Modern Italian Travelers in Ottoman Lands, Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2017) and Fabrizio de Donno (Italian Orientalism: Nationhood, Cosmopolitanism and the Cultural Politics of Identity, Oxford: Peter Lang, 2019) have highlighted the need to problematize ,WDO\¶V involvement in the fabrication of the Oriental(ist) myth: building on these strands of research, Re-Reading Travellers to the East dissects the crucial mechanisms in the intellectual machinery of Italian Orientalism²a compensation mechanism. Italy ³IHOW the 668 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) need to compensate for losses and a lack of relevance in the international arena by referring to a glorious pDVW´ of ³WUDYHOHUV explorers and LQYHQWRUV´ known to all (13). An invented tradition had to offset the meager results of a deluding, and mostly disappointing, foreign policy. The opening contribution by Beatrice Falcucci, ³µ5LHYRFDUH certe nobili opere dei nostri PDJJLRUL¶ the Istituto per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente (IsMEO) and the µ0\WK¶ of Italian Travellers to the East´ (29-64), thus sets a first keystone in the volume reconstructing the hitherto largely uncharted history of the Italian Institute for the Middle and Far East, founded in 1933 by leading Tibetologist Giuseppe Tucci with the backing of Giovanni Gentile. The IsMEO showcased the ideological tensions underpinning Fascist Oriental fantasies. If at the heart of Fascist policy was the desire ³to rebuild an (imaginary) Italian HPSLUH´ Falcucci notes, Orientalist studies had to confirm ³WKDW Italians had arrived µILUVW¶ in a particular place (on a mountain top, an inaccessible city, a distant LVODQG ´ erudite justifications had to underpin otherwise dubious colonial claims (29-30). The next chapter by Fabrizio de Donno ³5HUHDGLQJ Italian Travellers to Africa: Precursors, Identities and Interracial Relations in Narratives of Italian &RORQLDOLVP´ 65-82) shifts the focus to ³WUDQVIRUPDWLRQV of Italian colonial FRQVFLRXVQHVV´ in East Africa, the most dramatic case of Fascist imperialism. De 'RQQR¶V critical excavation juxtaposes Fascist re-interpretations of the work of Pellegrino Matteucci (1850-1881), one of the most renowned Italian explorers to Ethiopia, vis-à-vis radically different postcolonial re-readings of other two key texts in Italian colonial literature, Indro 0RQWDQHOOL¶V XX Battaglione eritreo (1936) and Enrico (PDQXHOOL¶V novel Settimana nera (1961), re-read and commented in this case by Angelo del Boca and Igiaba Scego. This intertextual dialogue is meant to unravel the parabola of Italian colonial memory ³IURP celebration to postcolonial amnesia and VKDPH´ and its multiple, and often contradictory, reconfigurations (68). The essays by Alessandro Tripepi and Aglaia de Angelis engage the cultural re-appropriations of other significant episodes in the history of ,WDO\¶V relations with Asia. 7ULSHSL¶V essay ³8QVKHDWKLQJ the Katana. The Long Fortune of the First Two Japanese Embassies in Italy: Rediscovery and Rereading between Continuity and 'LVFRQWLQXLW\´ 83-103) scrutinizes the intellectual re-discovery of the first two Japanese diplomatic missions to early modern Europe²the 7HQVKǀ embassy in 1582-1590 and the less fortunate Keicho embassy (16131620)²examining how Italian scholarship and press re-contextualized these early contacts in the wake of -DSDQ¶V reprisal of diplomatic contacts with Europe spearheaded by Iwakura Tomomi, one of the founding fathers of modern Japanese foreign policy, who visited Rome in the spring of 1870 against the background of the modernization triggered by the Meiji restoration. On the other hand, making us of refined theoretical tools derived from Barthes, Derrida and 1DERNRY¶V Lectures on Literature, the chapter authored by de Angelis ³/RGRYLFR Nocentini: A Rereader of Modern Italian Travellers to &KLQD´ 103-24) sheds light on the Italian Bookshelf 669 nineteenth-century reappraisal of the most celebrated Italian traveler to China after Polo: Matteo Ricci. After a prolonged oblivion in the 18th century, linked to the troubled vicissitudes that accompanied the suppression of the Company of Jesus in 1773, de Angelis identifies in the book by Italian scholar Lodovico Nocentini (Il primo sinologo: P. Matteo Ricci, 1882) the beginning of a belated rediscovery of Ricci. 1RFHQWLQL¶V book, however, is interpreted as starting point of a specifically secular appropriation of 5LFFL¶V oeuvre intended to refashion the Jesuit missionary as the ³,WDOLDQ´ founding father of ³VLQology as field of VFLHQFH´ (117). ,WDO\¶V cultural relations with China are also at the center of the chapter by Laura de Giorgi, ³$Q Italian Hero for China. Reading Marco Polo in the Fascist (UD´ (161-80) where the author scrutinizes the ideological (mis)appropriation of the figure of Marco Polo pursued by Fascist culture. Functional to the image of a ³FLYLOL]LQJ FRORQLDOLVP´ advocated by Fascism in his Asian foreign policy, Polo was evoked by the regime propaganda as the idealized portrait of a µJRRG¶ colonizer, precursor of ³,WDO\¶V historical capacity to weave dialogue and cooperation with the (DVW´ however, as De Giorgio points out, such mythicization of proto-colonial enterprises was destined to loom as a haunting ³JKRVW´ in postwar Chinese scholarship on Polo (174-175). The contributions by Luca Orlandi, Davide Trentacoste, and Emanuele Giusti explore largely uncharted territories in the history of ,WDO\¶V cultural relations with the East and are thus particularly fascinating: Orlandi presents a well-researched investigation of the cultural and heritage policies implemented by Fascist authorities in the Dodecanese islands ³6HDUFKLQJ for µ,WDOLDQLWj¶ in the Dodecanese Islands (1912-1943). Some Considerations on Art, Architecture and Archaeology through the Works of Hermes %DOGXFFL´ 125-40). This microintellectual biography devoted to Hermes Balducci, a polyhedric architect, engineer and designer who joined the Istituto Storico-Archeologico FERT established in Rhodes by Italian authorities, offers a springboard to assess the impact that Fascist ideals of italianità and romanità had in archaeological research in the eastern Mediterranean. Trentacoste, on the other hand, brings back to light the largely unknown history of Fakhr al-'ƯQ 0D‫ޏ‬Q (1572-1635), Ottoman governor of modern day Lebanon, and his involvement in the ³HDVWHUQ DPELWLRQV´ of 17th century Grand Duchy of Tuscany. His chapter ³0HGLFL Ambitions and Fascist Policies. (Re)reading the Relations between Italy and the Levant in the 1930s through the Historiography on Fakhr al-'ƯQ ,,´ 141-60) examines the tardive ³UHGLVFRYHU\´ of Fakhr al-'ƯQ tempestuous diplomatic career sponsored by the Reale Accademia G¶,WDOLD in the mid-1930s and acutely reconnects this scholarly interest to far more incisive Fascist (and covertly anti-British) ambitions in the Levant. The contribution of Emanuele Giusti ³7KH Idea of Italian Travellers to Iran. Scholarly Research and Cultural Diplomacy in Post-war ,WDO\´ 181-210) presents an ambitious overview of Italian travel records to Iran, spanning from the Dominican friar Ricoldo of Montecroce (1243-1320) to 670 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) modern archaeological campaigns launched by 7XFFL¶V IsMEO in Iran (in parallel with the economic interests pursued by Enrico 0DWWHL¶V ENI). Surveying an impressive repertoire of sources, Giusti is able to show how such literary tradition was retrospectively historicized and constructed to ³HPERG\ the idea of the continuous cultural and µFLYLOL]DWLRQDO¶ exchange,´ forging an impromptu cultural bridge between the Italian and Persian national traditions (183). Giovanni 7DUDQWLQR¶V final contribution ³1RWHV on Rereading and Reenacting &KLQD´ 211-20) closes the volume with a thought-provoking reflection about the nachleben of Michele $QWRQLRQL¶V celebrated documentary Chung Kuo, Cina, filmed in the midst of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (the title of the film simply reflects the romanization of the word Zhongguo/中国, ³&KLQD´ in standard Mandarin). Initially sponsored by the Maoist political leadership, Chung Kuo was nevertheless bashed and censored in China: Tarantino takes up this unexpected backfire by Chinese spectators at $QWRQLRQL¶V documentary to point out how the film could be ³UHDG and reread in many ZD\V´ seen through ³GLIIHUHQW JD]HV´ from the angle of an ingenuous ³(XURSHDQ SXEOLF´ ³FXULRXV about a non-Soviet VRFLDOLVP´ through the radically different gaze of Chinese spectators and finally through the self-reflective gaze of the very people who stare back at $QWRQLRQL¶V camera ³LQ the melancholy austerity of their impoverished VLWXDWLRQ´ (216). It is this multiplicity of gazes, of endless appropriations and re-appropriations through which Italy has forged its imaginary about the ³2ULHQW´ that the authors of ReReading Travellers to the East have brilliantly pursued, probed and reconstructed. Tommaso Pepe, Guangzhou Maritime University Diana Garvin. Feeding Fascism: The Politics of :RPHQ¶V Food Work. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 2022. Pp. 292. When one asks how much popular consensus endorsed 0XVVROLQL¶V regime, it is tempting to imagine that all Italians were either committed fascists or sworn antifascists, all the time. Resisting such absolutism, Diana Garvin instead asks, ³:KDW happened between rebellion and FRQVHQW"´ (8). Analyzing fascist alimentary policy and the roles prescribed for Italian women in the dream of national autarky, Garvin finds that although Fascism dictated how women should farm, manufacture, and cook to feed their families, women maintained some freedom in their daily culinary work. In a two-way negotiation dubbed ³WDEOHWRS SROLWLFV´ (4), women sometimes supported fascist food policies and sometimes resisted² because ideology held less sway than day-to-day necessity in determining if and when they toed the party line. The productive tension between the ERRN¶V two sets of archival sources²those produced by elite men to direct ZRPHQ¶V labor and those generated by women during their daily toil²demonstrates that, true to Michel De &HUWHDX¶V theory of the practice of everyday life and the blurred line Italian Bookshelf 671 between producers and consumers of culture, Italian women could either employ fascist objects and ideas ³DV directed or make use of [them] in novel ZD\V´ (5). Chapter One, ³7RZDUGV an Autarkic ,WDO\´ (15-46), offers an account of fascist food politics, including the Battle for Grain and the promotion of rice over pasta, which is enriched by non-canonical sources that illustrate how politics were embedded in everyday objects. The regime published recipe books to promote autarkic ingredients and distributed ceramic dishes that were shaped to encourage meals of rice and vegetables over meat. Rather than evidencing a shift in ,WDOLDQV¶ culinary habits, however, these artifacts reflect the UHJLPH¶V effort to recast as patriotic duty habits that had previously been defined by economic necessity. In Chapter Two, ³$JULFXOWXUDO Labour and the Fight for 7DVWH´ (47-86), )DVFLVP¶V propagandistic image of the mondine (migrant rice weeders who worked in paddies across north-central Italy) as enthusiastic proponents of autarky collapses under *DUYLQ¶V account of their discontent. Drawing on evidence from these ZRPHQ¶V diaries about their protest songs and how they foraged for food to supplement their rice rations, she argues that their ³ILJKW for WDVWH´ (47) was an ³RQJRLQJ SURFHVV´ (85) of indirect rebellion, emblematic of subaltern peasant resistance as theorized by James Scott. Shifting to urban life, Chapter Three, ³5DLVLQJ Children on the Factory LLQH´ (87-118), recounts the UHJLPH¶V efforts to regulate nursing PRWKHUV¶ bodies and rationalize breastfeeding in factory-like clinics as part of its pronatalist campaign. This image of a hierarchical industrial complex exerting control over women is then complicated by the case of the Perugina chocolate factory, founded and managed by Luisa Spagnoli. Rather than merely implement the UHJLPH¶V policies, this female entrepreneur channeled ideas about autarky into her FRPSDQ\¶V advertising and product development, using political discourse to advance her own economic interests. In the ERRN¶V final two chapters, gender is considered in relation to social class. The Ventennio overlapped with the growth of home economics, a field initially associated with elite liberal social reformers, but which found a convenient conduit in Fascism. Chapter Four, ³5HFLSHV for Exceptional 7LPHV´ (119-52), details the proliferation of cookbooks written by Italian women during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Having laid a foundation for careers in home economics, cookbook authors were able to express their ideas about cooking as a precise science in )DVFLVP¶V language about rationalized foodways, thus promoting themselves as authorities over working ZRPHQ¶V lives even as they helped the regime surveil ,WDO\¶V domestic activities. Chapter Five, ³0RGHO Fascist .LWFKHQV´ (153-204), focuses on interior design, showing that the efficient, hygienic kitchens that home economics proposed as a middle-class ideal were presented as serving fascist productivity goals. Such kitchen design found resistance in urban peripheries, however, where working-class women refused to cook in the modernist refectories of new housing projects, instead preparing meals 672 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) over open fires in outdoor courtyards. True to De &HUWHDX¶V theory, these consumers of fascist urban space (re)produced it to suit their own needs. As a whole, *DUYLQ¶V book issues a powerful reminder that even in a hyperpoliticized period such as the Ventennio, politics was just one aspect of daily life. The women in this study lived first within networks of relationships, with families to feed and personal activities to pursue²and then Fascism entered the picture, and they had to feel out how to live their lives around and through it. As Garvin explains in her ³1RWH to Future 5HVHDUFKHUV´ (217-24), overusing central government archives can cause historians of Fascism to repeat the UHJLPH¶V ³QDUUDWLYHV of order and FRQWURO´ (217) and exaggerate the degree of ZRPHQ¶V consent. Her attention to small, everyday objects²brought up close to readers through the YROXPH¶V vibrant photographs²instead preserves the ambiguities of how politics entered ZRPHQ¶V food work. *DUYLQ¶V rich prose is central to the ERRN¶V impetus. Her narratives about how objects were designed or used tease out meaning from non-language artifacts, such that readers can hear the creators or users of the objects speak through a kind of free indirect discourse. This technique uncovers new ideas even within already familiar elements of fascist culture. A particularly compelling description of the ³JOLGH´ of spinning wheels, stools, and drawers in model fascist kitchens (18485), for example, demonstrates that )DVFLVP¶V futuristic obsession with speed was not just about trains, cars, and airplanes, but also appeared within the home. Admittedly, the author sometimes seems over-eager to find political agency in the activities of her female subjects. The section on the Perugina factory repeatedly proposes that its social welfare structures, its breastfeeding rooms, and 6SDJQROL¶V enthusiasm for rabbit raising provided a model for 0XVVROLQL¶V approach to maternal healthcare and promotion of conigliatura²but language such as ³>S@HUKDSV´ (99), ³PD\ KDYH´ (116), and ³TXLWH SRVVLEOH´ (117) relegates this thesis to the realm of conjecture. The cookbook chapter is similarly overambitious. Although the author argues that the books ³VKRZ how women felt about cooking under FDVFLVP´ (139), much of the evidence comes from recipes published during the shortages of World War II. Some comparison with contemporaneous cooking trends in other countries may have made a stronger case for reading the cookbooks as responding specifically to Italian fascism, rather than to wartime life in general. Although the book does not read as cohesively as it might, the independence of each chapter makes this volume, like the artifacts discussed in it, an ideal candidate for creative use by its consumers. Individual sections can be excerpted and integrated into undergraduate syllabi, doctoral reading lists, and research bibliographies. For its DXWKRU¶V insights into daily life during Fascism, this book certainly merits such a large audience. Daniel Rietze, PhD Candidate, Brown University Italian Bookshelf 673 Maria Teresa Giusti. 6WDOLQ¶V Italian Prisoners of War. Transl. Riccardo James Vargiu. Budapest: CEU Press, 2021. Pp. 388. 6WDOLQ¶V Italian Prisoners of War by Maria Teresa Giusti has finally been made available through the fine English translation by Riccardo James Vargiu. The translation is of the extended second edition of I prigionieri italiani in Russia (2012), a book that remains to this day one of the most pivotal and thorough studies ever written on the tragic fate of the over 300,000 Italian soldiers sent to fight on the Russian front between 1941 and 1942. With her study, Giusti sheds new light on the unresolved postwar issues regarding the 85,000 Italian prisoners of war (POWs) that were never repatriated or granted Red Cross assistance by the Soviet Union. Only 10,000 of them were eventually returned to Italy between 1945 and 1954. This translation offers to a wider international audience with little Italian or Russian language knowledge an unprecedented corpus of historical materials, data, photographs, archival records, and YHWHUDQV¶ life-writings that allows for a better understanding and positioning of the Italian military captivity experience in the USSR, within the larger existing comparative historiography on WWII military captivity in Soviet hands. The book opens with a ³3UHIDFH´ (vii-xiv) in which Giusti walks the reader through the many Italian and Soviet Archives that she has consulted since 1990, when Italy signed a groundbreaking agreement with Russia through which it acquired the documents and the official lists of Italian prisoners in The 3HRSOH¶V Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) archives. Giusti, who is a fluent Italian and Russian speaker, was able to access the Stalin and 0RORWRY¶V special folder at the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF), where she gathered innovative material about the exploitation and indoctrination of Italian POWs for propagandistic and espionage purposes. The volume is divided into a long historical introduction, six chapters investigating different aspects of Italian military captivity and repatriation, and a conclusion followed by an appendix (269-78) in which Giusti addresses two key historiographical issues: the gaps in data collection and the criteria applied by Italian and Russian authorities to determine the official numbers of Italian POWs that are now available. An interesting selection of thirty-three photographs documenting Italian captivity in the USSR concludes the volume. In the introduction, ³7KH Tragedy of the $50,5´ (1-38), Giusti examines the different military strategies elaborated by Russia and the Axis countries during the early days of WWII, thus offering a new take on the responsibilities and the violence perpetrated by German and Italian troops on the Eastern Front, as documented by Soviet records. She devotes particular attention to the 1941 mission of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia (CSIR), ³PDGH up of 62,000 PHQ´ (13), and the subsequent deployment of the 290,000 soldiers of the Italian Army in Russia (ARMIR), which Mussolini thought would easily defeat the Red Army in 1942. An appendix about Soviet POWs in Italian and German hands (28- 674 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) 38) offers an overview of another key historiographical topic that has been extensively investigated. The first chapter focuses on the massive defeat suffered by the poorly equipped ARMIR soldiers, who had no option but ³VXUUHQGHULQJ to the enemy [...] in the face of the Soviet WURRSV¶ devastating attacks and clear VXSHULRULW\´ (39), and the FLYLOLDQV¶ fierce hatred fueled by 6WDOLQ¶V propaganda against ³IDVFLVW SUHGDWRUV´ (40). The first part of the chapter describes the capture of Italian soldiers through official records and YHWHUDQV¶ memoirs, whereas the second half concentrates on the brutal conditions of ³7KH µGDYDL¶ Marches and the Transfers by 7UDLQ´ (43) with which the Soviets relocated prisoners to remote areas during the harsh winter of 1942-1943. In Chapter Two (53-64), Giusti looks at the challenges faced by the Soviets while developing a capillary system to manage captives, as documented by the NKVD decrees, along with 5XVVLD¶V decision not to respect the Geneva Convention regulations pertaining the treatment of POWs. Moreover, it includes a subchapter (60-64) on the problematic choices made by the Italian Communist Party members in Moscow²Palmiro Togliatti and Vincenzo Bianco²in relation to the horrific conditions of the Italian prisoners in Russian hands, a topic that the author could have investigated more at length given its postwar relevance in Italy. Giusti does an impressive job at documenting life in Soviet camps in Chapter Three (65-124), where she rigorously surveys all aspects of Italian captivity in the USSR through an unparalleled wealth of data coming from many different Italian and Russian archives. Chapter Four (125-78), too, includes pivotal research on the Soviet organization of ³$QWLIDVFLVW 3URSDJDQGD´ that turned into ³PDVV political work with the prisoners [...] and programs set up by the antifascist schools centering on [...] Marxism-/HQLQLVP´ (126). Giusti examines the training of Italian school instructors and personnel, the formation of ³DQWLIDVFLVW JURXSV´ (138) in camps, and the widespread use of radio messages. She incorporates many details about prisoner schools, organizations, and publications, focusing especially on /¶$OED, the paper of Italian prisoners of war in the Soviet Unionfirst published in Moscow in February 1943 under the direction of Rita Montagnana, 7RJOLDWWL¶V wife (152157). The last two chapters deal with the painful ³5HSDWULDWLRQ´ (179-220) and ³7KH Final 1HJRWLDWLRQV´ (221-60) that took place between 1945 and 1954 and saw the return of only 10,000 Italian POWs thanks to complex diplomatic mediations led by the Italian General Confederation of Labor (CGIL), PCI leaders, and the Holy See. Giusti rigorously surveys all the phases of these negotiations, including those connected to war crimes charges (235), the Republic of Salz¶V diplomats (243), and requests of prisoner exchanges (244), up to the last 1954 repatriations (252) and the subsequent trials of former POWs that went on in Italy (253). *LXVWL¶V extraordinary historical research about WWII Italian POWs in Soviet hands is particularly timely not only because it resonates with 5XVVLD¶V recent Italian Bookshelf 675 invasion of Ukraine and inhumane treatment of its civilian and military Ukrainian prisoners, but also because most Russian archives will remain inaccessible for a long time given the complete Russian closure resulting from current warfare. Elena Bellina, New York University Camilla Hawthorne. Contesting Race and Citizenship. Youth Politics in the Black Mediterranean. Ithaca and London: Cornell UP, 2022. Pp. 302. Camilla Hawthorne ci restituisce, attraverso un testo originalissimo, un panorama sfaccettato e composito della realtà politica e sociale GHOO¶DUHD mediterranea in generale e di quella italiana in particolare. Questo spazio geografico e culturale, da sempre percepito come la culla della civiltà classica e occidentale, è studiato e presentato nel libro come contenitore mai neutro, ovvero condizionato geopoliticamente e storicamente, delle esistenze di generazioni di italiani di discendenze africane, divise tra senso di appartenenza, nuove identità culturali e persistenti dinamiche di esclusione. La ricerca presentata in Contesting Race and Citizenship è organizzata in due parti. La prima, che consta di tre capitoli, si intitola per O¶DSSXQWR ³&LWL]HQVKLS´ (27-123) e indaga il tema della cittadinanza intesa sia come categoria politica, pericolosamente contaminata dal nazionalismo razziale, che come topos ideologico di appartenenza e negoziazione delle identità culturali multiple delle seconde e terze generazioni di immigrati. Attraverso la cronaca commentata di alcuni eventi che hanno caratterizzato il movimento per O¶DGR]LRQH dello ius soli da parte dello stato italiano (come ad esempio la campagna L¶Italia sono DQFK¶LR e il meeting organizzato nel marzo 2016 GDOO¶DVVRFLD]LRQH Rete G2) Hawthorne ci guida QHOO¶LQWULFDWR ambito dei diversi significati acquisiti dal termine cittadinanza, quando applicato alla realtà sociale italiana in divenire, e ci spiega come la cittandinanza stessa possa essere XQ¶DUPD di esclusione e diventare concetto fluido e oggetto di battaglie elettorali. Cosa implichi al giorno G¶RJJL acquisire lo status di cittadino/a in Italia viene inoltre indagato nella sua diacronica dimensione storiografica, dal Risorgimento al periodo storico seguito al secondo conflitto mondiale, ma anche attraverso i vari modelli di business, O¶LPSUHQGLWRULD femminile delle seconde generazioni di Black Italians e la rappresentazione estetica della presenza di questi nuovi membri del tessuto sociale, il cui attuale tratto cosmopolita esprime e implica sentimenti e problemi connessi alla loro diaspora. La seconda parte del testo, dal titolo ³'LDVSRULF 3ROLWLFV´ (127-83) affronta quindi in particolare TXHVW¶XOWLPR argomento e apre la questione con tre episodi autobiografici a testimonianza di un prototipo di interazione sempre attuale tra i 676 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) cittadini italiani bianchi e quelli di colore che poggia, secondo O¶DXWULFH VXOO¶DVVXQWR radicato italianità=bianchezza. Hawthorne cita alcuni esempi a dimostrazione del fatto che, a suo avviso, il sentimento discriminatorio e, più generalmente il pregiudizio, in Italia, si basi inevitabilmente su apparenze prima di tutto fisiche, quindi esterne e immodificabili, che rendono coloro che non soddisfano gli standard di un presunto corretto fenotipo, irrimediabilmente marginalizzati senza possibilità di soluzione. Seguendo un agile discorso narrativo che delinea la nascita e lo sviluppo del movimento italiano Black Lives Matter, le interconnessioni diasporiche oltre confine e i parallelismi tra Black Atlantic e Black Mediterranean, si conduce a compimento la disamina che termina con un quinto capitolo dedicato a una speciale categoria di attori sociali il quale abbraccia trasversalmente prime e seconde generazioni, ovvero i rifugiati e coloro che sono in attesa della cittadinanza ³5HIXJHHV and Citizens-in-:DLWLQJ´ 157-83). Il testo si conclude con il paragrafo ³/RRNLQJ 6RXWK´ (184-96), nel quale O¶DXWULFH pone O¶DWWHQ]LRQH sulla porzione meridionale del territorio italiano da lei non direttamente indagata ma teatro di importanti eventi, che hanno segnato la storia della comunità Black in Italia negli ultimi WUHQW¶DQQL Il sud Italia è un luogo inassimilabile ad altri contesti come il nord della penisola o altri paesi del bacino Mediterraneo non solo per le sue peculiari caratteristiche geografiche e culturali ma anche per la presenza di sistemi malavitosi che inficiano e modellano pesantemente le vite dei suoi abitanti. Il Mezzogiorno italiano appare non solo quale nuova frontiera di studio, ma anche come una zona ricca di promettenti movimenti spontanei per la tutela dei diritti civili dei lavoratori migranti di prima e seconda generazione e come una fucina produttiva e potente delle loro espressioni culturali. La fruibilità di Contesting Race and Citizenship è determinata dalla rimarchevole varietà di fonti che la studiosa riporta e utilizza senza soluzione di continuità per la realizzazione della sua analisi. Si va da quelle provenienti dagli studi etnografici a quelle storiche di archivio, passando per il materiale di comunicazione delle campagne politiche degli ultimi anni duemila e la documentazione inerente DOO¶LPSDOFDWXUD legislativa del sistema italiano, fino alle fonti di primissima mano, quali esperienze personali e familiari, interviste, cronache di eventi, riportate direttamente dai protagonisti dei movimenti per il diritto di cittadinanza rivendicato dalle seconde generazioni di Black Italians. Queste ultime testimonianze, è da notare, hanno O¶LQGLVFXWLELOH merito di contribuire a radicare QHOO¶DWWXDOLWj e a un livello più umano le tematiche del volume. Esse, spesso originali e suggestive, sono costantemente e fluidamente messe in relazione a ricerche, soprattutto statunitensi, che sono state e continuano a essere pietre miliari nello studio GHOO¶LQWHUD]LRQH esistente tra le categorie ontologiche e politiche di cittadinanza-razza e le dinamiche sociali, culturali e le politiche di inclusione - esclusione. Teorie economiche, sociologiche, femministe e indagini accademiche che spaziano dalla storia alla geopolitica, sorreggono la Italian Bookshelf 677 natura dinamica del testo. /¶LQVLHPH di tali componenti contribuisce a conferire al libro un approccio dialettico con il lettore ed XQ¶DSHUWXUD che rifugge dalla tentazione di fornire conclusioni, tracciando piuttosto linee guida per ulteriori ricerche ed approfondimenti. Per quanto geograficamente parziale, concentrata FRP¶q sulle realtà del nord e centro Italia, O¶LQGDJLQe non solo aggiunge un tassello importante al mosaico della ricerca e della riflessione su cittadinanza, appartenenza etnica e le loro connessioni in Italia, ma dà anche O¶RSSRUWXQLWj ai suoi lettori europei di riconsiderare lo spazio mediterraneo in XQ¶RWtica molto diversa rispetto a quella epica e classica di culla della civiltà e crocevia di popoli. Il Mediterraneo, come le cronache degli ultimi anni continuano a ribadire (riuscendo tuttavia a intaccare solo in minima parte lo stereotipo culturale con cui le nazioni europee ai suoi bordi ed oltre lo percepiscono), è stato ed è ancora, secondo O¶DXWULFH laboratorio di capitalismo razziale, luogo di sfruttamento, di creazione di confini e di perpetuazione delle differenze. Filo conduttore del testo è la considerazione su come la costruzione degli spazi sociali diventi (a causa delle politiche discriminatorie riguardo alla concessione del diritto di cittadinanza) la realizzazione stessa di una nuova segregazione. /¶H]LRORJLD e le implicazioni di questo sconcertante fenomeno sono indagate e discusse attraverso un approccio multidisciplinare che non esclude alcun tipo di angolazione epistemologica nel tentativo, ben riuscito, di offrire la visione olistica di un fenomeno che non può essere letto accuratamente se studiato in maniera compartimentata. La giusta chiave di lettura di Contesting Race and Citizenship è quella di considerarlo un punto di partenza e un terreno di indagine a supporto di un dibattito, competente e costruttivo, in ambito accademico, politico, istituzionale (e altresì informale) sulle condizioni, le dinamiche storiche e culturali, come pure sulle ragioni politiche, ideologiche ed economiche che continuano a confinare in una condizione paradossale di limbo legale e umano le vite di milioni di uomini e donne in Italia. Questo libro è a tutti gli effetti un contenitore efficace che raccoglie fedelmente gli elementi esistenti ed attivi nel quadro politico e sociale GHOO¶,WDOLD di oggi, li classifica, li analizza e in un certo senso li congela nel tempo per permetterne una migliore osservazione. Tale caratteristica di custode di un quadro quanto più possibile completo e accurato dei soggetti, delle dinamiche e delle categorie indagate, rende il testo un punto di riferimento sempre valido per le parallele o successive analisi. Elena Caselli, Brock University 678 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) John Heilbron. The Incomparable Monsignor: Francesco %LDQFKLQL¶V World of Science, History and Court Intrigue. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2022. Pp. 327. John +HLOEURQ¶V latest book opens in medias res, with an event more commonly associated with adventure novels than history books: the daring escape of a nameless ³VPDOO bright teenage JLUO´ assisted by the ³GLVKHYHOHG FDYDOLHU´ Charles Wogan (1). The details of their escapade are not immediately filled in: after reading +HLOEURQ¶V first page all we know is that the girl arrives safely in Rome in May 1719, where she meets +HLOEURQ¶V protagonist, the incomparable Monsignor Francesco Bianchini (1662-1729). Only much later, in chapter 6, does it become clear that the teenage girl was in fact Polish princess Maria Clementina Sobieski, rescued by the Irish Jacobite Wogan from a castle in Innsbruck where she had been imprisoned at the request of the newly crowned, protestant King George I, in order to prevent her marriage to the catholic Pretender. Between the prologue and chapter six we become acquainted with Francesco Bianchini and all of his different endeavors, and it quickly becomes apparent why a biography of one of the most esteemed scholars of the late seventeenth, early eighteenth century opens with the story of a politically motivated kidnapping: Bianchini epitomizes the entanglement of culture, politics, religion, and scholarship that is so characteristic of this period in Italian history. As a ³FKXUFKPDn-diplomat-VFKRODU´ and the ³FKLHI intellectual of 5RPH´ (3), there was almost no subject Bianchini did not take an interest in. +HLOEURQ¶V first chapter takes us to %LDQFKLQL¶V youth in Verona and education in Bologna, Padua, and Rome, where he was educated in the Jesuit curriculum. The second and third chapter mostly take place in Rome, where Bianchini respectively served as keeper of the Ottoboni library and profited from the patronage of Pope Alexander XII, worked on a universal history during the more austere Papacy of Innocent XII, and developed the solar observatory in the Santa Maria degli Angeli at the request of Pope Clemens XI. The fourth chapter focuses on the cultural politics of Clemens XI and %LDQFKLQL¶V role in them, and the fifth takes us deeper into papal politics as we follow Bianchini on a trip to France and England, where he mixed diplomacy, scholarship, and pleasure with a bit of espionage. After reuniting with princess Clementina and the Jacobites whose cause Bianchini supported in chapter 6, we again turn to %LDQFKLQL¶V scholarly interests²this time archeology and Church history (chapter 7) and, once more, astronomy (chapter 8). The final chapter discusses the death of the ERRN¶V most important actors, and various material artefacts that commemorate them. Bianchini led a rich and stimulating life, and Heilbron does his best to capture all its different aspects. To his credit, Heilbron does not try to obtain a spot in the canon of scientific heroes for his protagonist, nor does he try to establish that Bianchini was the ³ILUVW´ to make particular discoveries and therefore merits more attention and praise. Instead, Heilbron shows %LDQFKLQL¶V wide-ranging interests in all their diversity, and highlights his achievements as well as his miscalculations and shortcomings. His nuanced discussion of %LDQFKLQL¶V Italian Bookshelf 679 observations and interpretations of what he thought to be spots on 9HQXV¶V surface, for instance, captures the excitement that Bianchini and his contemporaries felt when they looked at the planet through a 24-meter-long telescope. It also describes their failure to interpret correctly what they saw. Bianchini convinced his fellow onlookers that what they saw were spots, just like the ones Galileo mapped on the moon a century earlier²but Venus is covered in dense clouds that cannot be penetrated by ordinary light, and the men could thus not possibly have seen such a thing. Here and elsewhere, Heilbron carefully explains the possible reasons for %LDQFKLQL¶V misinterpretation, while also appreciating the ingenuity and resourcefulness that led him to install a 24-meterlong telescope in Palazzo Barberini, a church garden, or a IULHQG¶V villa. In this way, the book is reminiscent of +HLOEURQ¶V much-appreciated biography of Galileo Galilei, Galileo (Oxford: Oxford UP 2010), which similarly captured a scholar with all his positive characteristics and shortcomings. However, there are differences between the two books as well. The central theme in +HLOEURQ¶V discussion of Galileo was formed by the Tuscan¶V ³TXL[RWLF´ tendencies which, as Heilbron showed throughout the book, led him to miscalculate risks and step on toes that were best avoided. +HLOEURQ¶V portrayal of Bianchini is much less character-driven. He shows Bianchini to be *DOLOHR¶V radical opposite: subtle, tactful, calculating and pragmatic, the churchmandiplomat-scholar knew how to navigate cultural and political differences and managed to maintain his position under three different popes. These character traits, however, remain background features rather than the driving force of +HLOEURQ¶V account. %LDQFKLQL¶V training in dissimulation and diplomacy are discussed in chapter 1, where Heilbron simply states that his main characteristic, his ³XQFRPSOLFDWHG FRPSDUWPHQWDOL]DWLRQ´ enabled him to ³practice all the conventional religious virtues while discharging doubtful political PLVVLRQV´ (14). The reader is left to wonder whether such compartmentalization bordered on hypocrisy or perhaps ruthlessness, and whether Bianchini ever experienced any doubts about his approach to matters of faith and politics. Perhaps the ³GDXQWLQJO\ H[WHQVLYH´ material documenting %LDQFKLQL¶V life (5) does not invite such an exploration, but recent scholarship on the history of emotions, affect, vice and virtue shows that most early modern actors did not find it so easy to the practice the compartmentalization Bianchini apparently embraced without second thought²was Bianchini different? And why? Heilbron instead structures his biography according to the various types of work Bianchini undertook. This impresses upon the reader the breadth and depth of %LDQFKLQL¶V (and +HLOEURQ¶V scholarship and erudition, but the sheer number of names, subjects, and details, can at times be overwhelming. Nevertheless, interested readers will certainly find something to their liking in +HLOEURQ¶V rich biography: the passages where he takes readers along on a trip to Newton in England are especially incisive and satisfying, as are the enthusiastic discussions 680 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) of the meridian in the Santa Maria degli Angeli. Heilbron characterizes the life Bianchini and his community led as an ³SHUSHWXDO VHPLQDU´ (4); in its best moments, +HLOEURQ¶V biography is a journey to early modern Rome. Anna-Luna Post, Cambridge University / University of Amsterdam Jacopo Pili. Anglophobia in Fascist Italy. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2021. Pp. xx + 215. In this book, Jacopo Pili reviews a remarkable amount of publications (articles, reports, orders, interviews) produced during the fascist Ventennio, in order to show to what extent anglophobia²that is, the feeling of hostility towards Britain and its inhabitants²was common and popular in Italy at that time, and through which strategies and for which purposes the hegemonic political narrative conveyed it. As a matter of fact, as 3LOL¶V study proves in great detail, this sentiment was not just superficially nurtured by the UHJLPH¶V propaganda, but deeply infiltrated in the whole society, and widespread among intellectuals, journals, newspapers, professionals of all kinds, and even the ordinary people. What is indeed of greatest interest in this work is its ability to demonstrate that, beyond the often successful attempt of the fascist government to raise and lower the level of the SHRSOH¶V anglophobia at will, depending on the needs of the moment, enmity towards the British was to a certain degree pre-existing. In fact, it was surely boosted by ideological components, but in many cases it expressed itself independently from the directly imposed political guidelines. Pili carries his argument on through several chapters, which he dedicates to different times, themes and aspects of anglophobic narrative in fascist Italy. After anticipating the main subjects of the book in the introduction (1-8), in the first chapter ³7he Representation of British Foreign 3ROLF\´ 9-41), the author notes how the relationships between Italy and the United Kingdom had been excellent during many decades after Italian Unification. Britain even helped Italy to become a nation during its Risorgimento. Nevertheless, despite them being allied in the First World War, the overlap of common geopolitical interests²that is, specifically, the control of Mediterranean Sea²brought to a growing tension between the two countries, and therefore to a progressive diffusion of anglophobia in Italy. Key-episodes of this process were Gabriele '¶$QQXQ]LR¶V occupation of Fiume (1919-1920), the Corfù incident (1923), the Great Depression (1929), and, of course, the Ethiopian War (1935-1937). The second chapter ³%ULtish Politics, Economics and Culture in Fascist 'LVFRXUVH´ 42-67) shows how, in the interwar period, both the ruling class and the intelligentsia of fascist Italy identified Britain as a more and more decadent and corrupt empire, and the true symbol of the declining liberal civilization. Pili analyses here not only the intellectual debate in cultural magazines like Gerarchia and Critica Fascista, but also interesting episodes like 0XVVROLQL¶V support of Oswald 0RVOH\¶V British Union of Fascists, Italian Bookshelf 681 the alliance between the fascist regime and the Catholic Church against Anglicanism, and the harsh attacks of Italian intellectuals to British feminism. The third chapter ³$SSUDLVDOV of British Military Strength and War 3URSDJDQGD´ 6889) examines the reports of Italian military attachés in the United Kingdom from the late 20s to the late 30s, who stated the British army was weakening. Their estimate was actually too optimistic, though, because filtered through ideological lenses. The fourth chapter ³µ7KH Racial Inferiority of Anglo-6D[RQV¶ Britain in the Nordicist/Mediterraneist 'HEDWH´ 90-113) is instead dedicated to the fierce discussion that took place in Italy on the racial definition of the British people. On the one hand, there was a group of theorists who shared the German biologistic approach to racism (Nordicists), on the other one, an original trend who supported the concept of a unified Mediterranean race (Mediterraneists). The fifth chapter ³7KH Italian 3XEOLF¶V Reception of the Fascist Discourse on %ULWDLQ´ 114-35) investigates the tactics used by the regime to instil and maintain anti-British sentiment between the Ethiopian War and the Second World War, and reconstructs ,WDOLDQV¶ reactions to events like the various defeats of Italian army and British areal bombings. Finally, the sixth chapter ³7KH Perception of the British after the Fall of )DVFLVP´ 136-50) reports how antipathy and hatred towards the British GLGQ¶W disappear after the armistice between Italy and AngloAmerican forces and the foundation of the Repubblica di Salò, but lasted a long time, as reported by the countless testimonials of both public figures and private citizens, while the conclusion (151-56) summarizes the whole study. Jacopo 3LOL¶V Anglophobia in Fascist Italy is undeniably a work of great interest, which is able to highlight specific aspects of Italian society and fascist ideology between the rise and fall of 0XVVROLQL¶V regime. Several of the points addressed by this study are definitely compelling. For instance, I found particularly intriguing how Pili interprets '¶$QQXQ]LR¶V endorsements for the rebellion of the colonies against European empires, during the occupation of Fiume, and states that they had a clear anti-British aim. In fact, they were mostly addressed to countries²Ireland, Egypt, India, Turkey²belonging to the sphere of influence of the United Kingdom. Under this light, the whole project of a Lega dei popoli oppressi, elaborated in Fiume by '¶$QQXQ]LR and his most revolutionary supporters in opposition to the League of Nations, appears to have, beyond its ideal aims, a geopolitical function: to undermine the foundations of the British Empire and its control of the Mediterranean Sea. This goal was, in the end, the very same as 0XVVROLQL¶V ³7KH claustrophobic feeling of being strangled by what he saw as his Mediterranean prison was to prove the key motive behind his foreign policy, sometimes hidden but always SUHVHQW´ (23). It is in the horizon of this international struggle for power that intellectuals like Margherita Sarfatti, Giuseppe Bottai, and Camillo Pellizzi, oscillate in their interpretation of Britain and its relationships with Italy. In this sense, as Pili points out, the British Empire could appear both as a consolidated and admirable model of national self- 682 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) confidence, social cohesion, and imperial vocation, and, alternately, as the negative example of a hedonistic civilization, generating a greedy, hypocritical and exploiting form of imperialism. In the first case, it served as an example for the più grande Italia to come; in the second one, as an opponent to overcome; in both cases as the object of a cunning, relativistic and pragmatic political narrative, it aimed at expanding the influence of Italy in the world. As addressed by 3LOL¶V research, the parallelism established by many fascist intellectuals between the ancient Rome and Carthage, and modern Italy and Britain, was part of the very same narrative. As a matter of fact, ³D systemic criticism of the British Empire was necessary for the reappropriation of Roman heritage and Carthage served as the perfect other, the anti-Rome with which to link %ULWDLQ´ (34). In conclusion, since Rome defeated Carthage, the symbol of their struggle was excellent to represent the geopolitical dispute between the rising Italy and the decadent Britain, and therefore to condense all the anglophobic narrative in one effective metaphor. Daniele Meregalli, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Matteo Pretelli, and Francesco Fusi. Soldati e patrie. I combattenti alleati di origine italiana nella Seconda guerra mondiale. Bologna: il Mulino, 2023. Pp. 600. La dichiarazione di guerra GHOO¶,WDOLD agli Stati Uniti, O¶ dicembre 1941, rappresentò un duplice trauma per i membri della comunità italoamericana. Da un lato, molti conservavano parenti e amici nella terra G¶RULJLQH e vissero il conflitto come una guerra fratricida nella quale si sarebbero potuti ritrovare materialmente a sparare a familiari e conoscenti sul campo di battaglia. 'DOO¶DOWUR soprattutto in ragione del diffuso consenso per il fascismo manifestato nelle Little Italies prima dello scoppio delle ostilità, autorità federali e opinione pubblica statunitense considerarono gli italoamericani una potenziale quinta colonna a disposizione del nemico. Non a caso, i quasi 700.000 immigrati italiani che non avevano ancora conseguito la cittadinanza americana furono giuridicamente designati come enemy aliens, con una conseguente limitazione sostanziale delle loro libertà civili, fino al 12 ottobre 1942. La storiografia, però, ha dedicato scarsa attenzione alla partecipazione degli italoamericani alla Seconda guerra mondiale. Nei casi sporadici in cui si è soffermata su questa tematica, in genere per la determinazione di studiosi con radici italiane, ha finito per esprimere forme di militanza etnica, anche in opere GDOO¶LQQHJDELOH taglio accademico, prefiggendosi di provare la quasi unanime adesione degli immigrati e dei loro discendenti alla causa di Washington allo scopo di enfatizzare la loro lealtà al Paese di adozione e di confutare le ipotesi VXOO¶LPSRVVLELOLWj di assimilare gli italiani nella società statunitense. Invece, la monografia di Matteo Pretelli e Francesco Fusi sui militari di ascendenza italiana nelle forze armate alleate si staglia sulla letteratura esistente Italian Bookshelf 683 per numerosi aspetti significativi e innovativi. Il volume è privo di intenti celebrativi o apologetici che avrebbero potuto comprometterne la scientificità. Adotta una prospettiva al tempo stesso diacronica (per cui le vicende dei combattenti della Seconda guerra mondiale vengono collocate nel quadro di conflitti precedenti e successivi ai quali presero parte soldati italoamericani: dalla guerra civile statunitense alla war on terror dopo gli attentati GHOO¶ settembre 2001) e sincronica (grazie a un ripetuto confronto tra O¶HVSHULHQ]D degli italoamericani, che predomina nella ricerca, e quella di italocanadesi, italobrasiliani, italobritannici e italoaustraliani). Si avvale di XQ¶DPSLD gamma di fonti, che privilegia memorialistica edita e inedita nonché interviste a reduci e a loro discendenti, e di XQ¶HVWHVD bibliografia. Amplia il campo di indagine a sfere che arricchiscono la trattazione centrale senza suscitare O¶LPSUHVVLRQH di disperdersi in un rivolo di digressioni superflue su questioni marginali: per esempio, il quinto capitolo ³7RUQDUH a casa? Turismo µGL JXHUUD¶ e visite ai SDUHQWL´ 153-206) mostra come i militari italoamericani che operarono nel teatro italiano avessero approfittato delle licenze per visitare i luoghi G¶RUigine degli antenati e andare a trovare parenti rimasti in Italia; il sesto ³(WQLFLWj e µEXRQD¶ RFFXSD]LRQH´ 207-40) accenna alle opportunità che la presenza di militari italoamericani fornì al comando alleato per cercare di attenuare la percezione delle truppe anglostatunitensi come brutali forze di occupazione; il settimo ³,WDORDPHULFDQL e popolazione LWDOLDQD´ 241-66) affronta i rapporti tra gli effettivi GHOO¶HVHUFLWR americano di ascendenza italiana e gli abitanti della Penisola; il decimo ³+ROO\Zood e i militari LWDORDPHULFDQL´ 335-72) ricostruisce O¶LPPDJLQH dei combattenti italoamericani nei film hollywoodiani e in alcune pellicole italiane; O¶XQGLFHVLPR ³0HPRULH´ 373-411) esamina il retaggio dei soldati italoamericani nella memoria pubblica collettiva sia negli Stati Uniti sia in Italia. Il contributo più originale della ricerca di Pretelli e Fusi scaturisce dal terzo capitolo ³The Greatest (Italian American) Generation´ 85-113). Un campione di 1.573 militari italoamericani²elaborato con uno spoglio certosino delle liste di caduti, prigionieri e dispersi pubblicate dal quotidiano newyorkese Il Progresso Italo-Americano e incrociato con le informazioni corrispondenti ai loro nominativi ricavate da alcune banche dati statunitensi²viene utilizzato con una valida approssimazione per tracciare un profilo socio-demografico dei combattenti di ascendenza italiana. Si trattò in maggioranza di figli di immigrati, nati negli Stati Uniti tra la fine del secondo decennio del Novecento e O¶LQL]LR del terzo, con un basso livello di istruzione e occupazioni lavorative prebelliche concentrate nel settore manifatturiero in mansioni non qualificate o semispecializzate e nella manovalanza generica. In larghissima misura questi 684 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) italoamericani servirono QHOO¶HVHUFito e furono arruolati attraverso la leva obbligatoria. Molti esiti dello studio ridimensionano ciò che gli autori definiscono la ³µPLWRORJLD¶ HWQLFD´ (92, 95) sui militari italoamericani. Pretelli e Fusi stimano il numero complessivo dei combattenti in circa 850.000, riducendo²rispetto a precedenti valutazioni²sia la loro entità totale sia la percentuale dei volontari su quella dei coscritti. Attestano anche che, al contrario di quanto sostenuto dalla stampa etnica coeva, pochissimi italoamericani ascesero nella gerarchia delle forze armate fino a gradi di rilievo. Infine, cercano di smentire la generalizzazione di testimonianze occasionali secondo cui gli italoamericani avrebbero scelto di arruolarsi nei marines, il corpo impegnato nel Pacifico contro i giapponesi, per evitare di combattere contro gli italiani. 4XHVW¶XOWLPD è forse la conclusione meno convincente, sebbene sia condivisibile O¶LSRWHVL che a mantenere un rapporto affettivo con O¶,WDOLD fosse stata soprattutto la generazione degli immigrati, che di solito non vestirono la divisa, anziché i loro figli, andati in guerra. Gli autori non distinguono tra i volontari e i richiamati presenti sui diversi fronti. Pertanto, la loro constatazione che solo il 15% del campione combatté nel Pacifico può semplicemente risultare dal fatto che a essere inviati in Europa e nel Mediterraneo fossero stati contingenti composti in prevalenza da reclute che non poterono scegliere O¶DUPD Inoltre, il volume documenta ripetute manifestazioni di empatia dei militari italoamericani verso gli italiani nonché la mobilitazione postbellica della loro comunità etnica nel tentativo di evitare O¶LPSRVL]LRQH di una pace punitiva DOO¶,WDOLD Del resto, gli stessi autori sottolineano che la tradizionale funzione delle forze armate quale mezzo di nazionalizzazione delle masse favorì O¶LQVHULPHQWR degli italoamericani nella società statunitense, anche in virtù del riconoscimento del loro patriottismo verso Washington, ma non fu incompatibile con il rafforzamento GHOO¶LGHQWLWj etnica, a evidenziare come TXHVW¶XOWLPD non coincida necessariamente con la cittadinanza giuridica. Tale dimensione avrebbe potuto essere colta maggiormente attraverso un approfondimento sul comportamento degli italoamericani sul fronte interno, a partire dal ruolo fondamentale di associazioni e giornali etnici nel promuovere O¶DFTXLVWR dei war bonds per finanziare la macchina bellica statunitense. Questo ambito di indagine, però, esula dagli obiettivi dichiarati della monografia. Stefano Luconi, Università di Padova Andrea Righi. The Other Side of the Digital. The Sacrificial Economy of New Media. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 2021. Pp. 304. What can Italian feminist theory say about contemporary digital technology? In the remarkable monograph The Other Side of the Digital, Andrea Righi aims to interpret political theology and sacrificial economy in terms of Italian feminist Italian Bookshelf 685 psychoanalytic theory of sexual difference. In eight chapters (on ³7UDQVFHQGHQFH´ (15-47); ³.QRZOHGJH´ (49-79); ³'HVLUH´ (81-107); ³:ULWLQJ´ (109-31); ³7HPSRUDOLW\´ (133-59); ³:RPDQ´ (161-87); ³+\VWHULD´ (189-213); ³3DVVLYLW\´ (215-41), Righi offers a thorough account of the libidinal economy that governs our relationship with the digital by analyzing it in terms of sexual and racial differences. When using digital technologies, humans experience a very particular affect: perennial unsatisfaction. Through increased and omnipresent repetitive actions, such as swiping and scrolling on the same social media or jumping from one app to another, human beings feel not only boredom but endless repetitiveness²an emptied desire that need to be fulfilled. In an outstanding work in theory (combining Italian Studies, Feminism and Media Theory), Righi develops original research around the question: why in using digital media do we constantly feel empty and why, at the same time, can we not stop searching for certainty and acknowledgement? According to Righi, there is a ³V\PEROLF LQIUDVWUXFWXUH´ that governs these mechanisms and depends on the ³SROLWLFal WKHRORJ\´ of Western culture ³,QWURGXFWLRQ The Sexed Truth of Neoliberal 'LJLWDOLW\´ 1-13). In the secularized political theory of the West, God is the Other written in capitalized letters, which permits the political order regarding earthly matters to be viewed as the mere resemblance of an ideal transcendence (17). In our present time, the relationship between transcendence and immanence, between the godly order and human political order, is regulated by a gendered and racialized libidinal economy directed towards the production and the consumption of new media² ³WKH sacrificial economy of new PHGLD´ as in the subtitle of the book. Righi explores the interpretations of Carl 6FKPLWW¶V schema of secularized political theology by analyzing the symbolic transcendental in terms of Lacanian theory, either in the Slovenian, or socialist (Jodi Dean) versions of it²and all of them constitute a crucial point of reference for this book, for example when the author examines the dynamics of ³HQMR\PHQW´ (32; 72). The novelty in the Other Side of the Digital is that Righi interprets this dynamic by re-reading Italian femministe della differenza. Righi, together with Cesare Casarino, has already worked on that fundamental (and sometimes neglected) Italian feminist tradition when they edited the book Another Mother. Diotima and the Symbolic Order of Italian Feminism (Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 2018), introducing to the Englishspeaking world writings by Luisa Muraro, Ida Domnijanni, Adriana Cavarero, Chiara Zamboni, and many others, who discussed questions related to sexed difference through the lens of psychoanalysis and post-structuralism. As stated in Another Mother, with Luce Irigaray, Luisa Muraro sees the maternal as the foundation of the social order, as a matrix made of bodies and language. We experience the world because someone, who is often the mother, taught us a language through which we can participate in everyday life. However, if the 686 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) matrix comes first from the ontological and linguistic point of view, the act of separation and engendering appears from above, as a patriarchal, masculine, transcendent super-imposition, an outward fracture cutting the continuity of the matrix. Today our desires and forms of enjoyment are stimulated by the libidinal exchange regulated by ³QHROLEHUDO GLJLWDOLW\´ that is the process of endless valorization guaranteed by technological and logistical platforms. However, if patriarchal capitalism traditionally defines the other as the woman and the stranger, in this book the other is conceived as an exteriority of the digital transcendence itself²from ³WKH Other of the 2WKHU´ (15-48) to ³WKH Other As 2WKHU´ (215-42). In this framework, the human sacrifice in contemporary capitalism appears as the constant appeal to subjective transformation through limitless valorization and self-valorization in terms of self-tracking, digital accountability, gamification of labor, and Tinderization of sexual relationships within the moral and material economy of debt. Sex through Tinder that regulates love and the machine vision of drones that standardizes wars are two of the examples that Righi mentions to clarify how, on the one side, both Tinder and drones they stimulate our pleasure and death drives, and that, on the other, remake our subjectivities in the tiny space of algorithmic abstractions and embodied geolocalizations ³'HVLUH´ 81-108). This book is a remarkable an extraordinary contribution to the field of Italian Studies because it re-shapes the field beyond its own boundaries, offering²in combining pressing questions, such as what is life, desire, and subject in the digital age, with a reading of political, feminist, and psychoanalytic texts²a new methodology for future research. Righi interprets the archives of Italian feminist theory and of Italian Autonomist theory²such as Panzieri, Hardt and Negri²to offer an innovative theory on contemporary, pressing issues, such as the economy, that regulates leads the digital and our future role within it. In so doing, it also uses Italian feminist philosophy to reinstate a promising dialectic within contemporary feminist theory itself²driven in the field of media and technology studies by new PDWHULDOLVWV¶ proposals, such as those of Sadie Plant, Donna Haraway, Rosi Braidotti, and Maria Puig de la Bellacasa. Putting Italian ³SV\FKRDQDO\WLF-feminist DSSURDFK´ within a ³ODUJHU FRQYHUVDWLRQ´ (12) allows potential feminist readers (and feminist scholars of Italian Studies) to frame that tradition beyond the label of ³HVVHQWLDOLVP´ and to see this book even as an specific intervention within a vast field of digital feminisms. Lastly, in discussing Italian Autonomist theory itself, this book acts as an intervention within media theory, capitalism studies, and social transformation. Contemporary examples of platform regulated economy show that ³QHROLEHUDO GLJLWDOLW\´ incorporates new post-Fordist creativity, performance, and optimization into the ³QHR-DUFKDLVP´ of a repetitive gig economy ³7HPSRUDOLW\´ 133-60). In the case of Mechanical Turk or Uber GULYHUV¶ gig work, human labor is not only undervalued and made invisible but also reduced to the basic tasks of Italian Bookshelf 687 crowdsourcing modeled on gendered and racialized reproductive labor. In contrast with Italian Autonomists who believed in the opportunity of repurposing fixed capital, Righi warn us ³WKDW what stands in the way of reappropriation is not just an organizational issue, but a subtle and lethal array of domesticating devices that capture and micromanage immaterial ODERU´ Subjects found themselves in again, a micro-economy of desires that makes digital tools even more ³DUELWUDU\ and GHVSRWLF´ (136). Righi, by analyzing Carla Lonzi, Luciano Parinetto, and Elvio Fachinelli, proposes to gesture to ³D convivial VXUSOXV´ that puts at the center of politics a relationality based on ³SDVVLYH ERQG´ outside capitalist value (227; 241). In conclusion, in an asphyxiated digital landscape, the possibilities for opposition to contemporary neoliberalism are identified in the collective evasion of the mechanisms of valorization and the attempt to escape from capitalist devices. Tania Rispoli, Duke University Carlo Salzani. Agamben and the Animal. New Castle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2022. Pp. 145. Carlo 6DO]DQL¶V book represents an in-depth study and critique of Giorgio $JDPEHQ¶V binomial opposition between the human and the animal as presented in his 2002 groundbreaking philosophical work, The Open (Stanford UP, 2003). 6DO]DQL¶V rereading is an attempt to go beyond $JDPEHQ¶V anthropocentric paradigm, rooted in the thought of Martin Heidegger. Salzani is most certainly not a novice when it comes to $JDPEHQ¶V philosophy. The large number of publications he has dedicated to the Italian philosopher, including the most important assessment in Italian language of $JDPEHQ¶V thought, Introduzione a Giorgio Agamben (Il melangolo, 2013), makes the young Italian scholar one of the most authoritative voices among the various exegetes of the author of Homo Sacer. 6DO]DQL¶V approach to $JDPEHQ¶V body of work is holistic in the sense that he argues that there is no caesura between his early and later periods. Furthermore, Salzani finds inspiration in $JDPEHQ¶V idea of doing philosophy, which resides in that which is unexpressed. What is not stated, in other words, represents the source of further philosophical elaborations. As Salzani points out in the ³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ (i-xvi), Agamben had borrowed this idea from Ludwig Feuerbach, who underscored the intrinsic philosophical potential of the Entwicklungsfähigkeit, ³ZKDW has been left µXQVDLG¶´ (i). Divided into five chapters and a conclusion, Agamben and the Animal is a succinct and conceptually dense volume. However, despite the complexity of the issues addressed, Sal]DQL¶V clarity must be commended. In the first two chapters, ³,QGLVWLQFWLRQ Beyond +XPDQ´ (1-16) and ³$QLPDO and Outside of Being: Potentiality Beyond $QWKURSRFHQH´ (17-32), 6DO]DQL¶V analysis revolves around the notion of potentiality inherent in Entwicklungsfähigkeit in The Open in order 688 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) to overcome the rigid opposition between the human-centered world and the animal dimension. Salzani, in chapter three, ³7KH Human as Signature: Beyond Human 1DWXUH´ (33-46), employs $JDPEHQ¶V concept of signatures. As he explains briefly in the ³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ these are ³WKH macro indicators devoid of fixed content that make certain kinds of discourse SRVVLEOH´ (xvi), to deconstruct the universal meaning of the category of human nature. In relying on the signatures he points to the nonpotentiality in philosophical terms of such a category if considered in the rigid thought structure of the Heideggerian philosophy. In chapter four, ³%H\RQG Species and Person: Towards a New (WKRORJ\´ 70), Salzani focuses on $JDPEHQ¶V radical critique of the notion of personhood in order to extend it to the animal realm. Since, in Agamben, personhood is established by the law, and has been extended to non-human entities like corporations, ³WKHUH exist within the legal framework the premises and the possibility to extend personhood to some nonhuman VSHFLHV´ (59). In Chapter five, ³%H\RQG the Open: Boredom and 6KDPH´ -100) Salzani successfully presents a solution that aims to go past the narrow and exclusive dualism human-animal present in AJDPEHQ¶V Open. Such a solution, as the author claims, is given by: ³>«@ shame. Shame, as it was elaborated by Primo Levi in the face of the horrors of the death camp²as a way of seeing that produces a shift in the perception and can lead to the critique and resistance²can also interrupt complacency of human exceptionality and cross the abyss of the 2SHQ´ ³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ xv). In concluding his argument, Salzani sets for himself the goal of going beyond Agamben by starting with the SKLORVRSKHUV¶ writings in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic. In his controversial critique of protective measures undertaken by world governments and the perceived threat posed by the virus, Agamben has never shown any interest in exploring the new notion of animal the virus has brought about. Such a notion has displaced radically the centrality of the Anthropocene and the metaphysic duality on which $JDPEHQ¶V philosophy solidly rests. As Salzani points out: Agamben ³UHPDLQV trapped within the traditional categories and the traditional dualisms that his own powerful analyses could and should have led him to overcome, and this prevents him from understanding and focusing on the major philosophical implications of the pandemic and on the real intellectual crisis it has provoked: the crisis of the dualism through which humanity has always defined itself in contradistinction to the rest of the animal ZRUOG´ ³&RQFOXVLRQ´ 103). 6DO]DQL¶V book achieves the objective of employing $JDPEHQ¶V thought to go beyond Agamben himself in proposing a posthuman view of the world that nullifies the obsolescent division between the animal and the human. As 6DO]DQL¶V comments clearly show: ³>«@ the COVID-19 pandemic is just the last call to fulfill one precise philosophical demand: to dismantle the old (and yet so resilient) dualistic order, to overcome the old dualistic categories, and to go beyond Italian Bookshelf 689 ontological constructions such as the Open that still try to maintain and defend the by-now dilapidated humanistic IRUWUHVV´ ³&RQFOXVLRQ´ 105-06). Sergio Ferrarese, William and Mary University Andrea Scapolo, and Angela Porcarelli, eds. Interpreting Urban Spaces in Italian Culture. Amsterdam: AUP, 2022. Pp. 272. Within the Humanities, the field of Urban Studies is taking an increasingly central role, which Andrea Scapolo and Angela Porcarelli amply emphasize in the introduction to their edited volume, Interpreting Urban Spaces in Italian Cultures. They make clear how a Humanities-based interpretation of the city requires an interdisciplinary approach. Cities are complex and multi-layered entities with ³FRQFUHWH buildings and monuments, streets and squares that are themselves forms of UHSUHVHQWDWLRQ´ (9). In other words, cities have ³D symbolic and material nature, each based on and affected by the RWKHU´ (9). Interpreting Urban Spaces in Italian Cultures revolves around FLWLHV¶ forms of representation and the variety of their symbolic nature within Italian culture. The edited volume is divided in three thematic parts: ³7KH City as a Performative Space in Early Modern ,WDO\´ (17-135), ³7KH City in Times of Crisis: Urban Space in Modern ,WDO\´ (137-203) and ³7KH City as a Space of Conflict: Landscapes of Late &DSLWDOLVP´ (205-63), followed by a useful index of both names and concepts. Part I of Interpreting Urban Spaces in Italian Cultures spotlights significant chronotopes of Renaissance city-states in literary discourse, urbanism and architecture. In ³Marketplace Encounters: Social Mixing on the Streets of Early Modern )ORUHQFH´ (19-37), April D. :HLQWULWW¶V focuses on the representation of WRGD\¶V Piazza della Repubblica in Florence, the then ³PHUFDWR YHFFKLR´ which in itself ³DOORZHG for the encounter of diverse members of VRFLHW\´ (19). However, early modern poetry and playwrights enhance the depiction of vendors or street singers, as well as ³WKH social mixing in the urban ODQGVFDSH´ (20) which gives us an insight in ³VRFLDO practices of diversity, inclusivity, and the prosperity of market ZRUNHUV´ (21). To corroborate that working hypothesis Weintritt proposes a close reading of Antonio 3XFFL¶V poem Proprietà di mercato Vecchio and three comedies, La sporta and Lo errore by Gian Battista Gelli and Giovanni Maria &HFFKL¶V /¶$PPDODWD. Matthew Knox $YHUHWW¶V contribution covers the rehabilitation of Rome which started in the late Middle Ages discussing ³WKH success and failures of papal performative architecture and XUEDQLVP´ (39). In his ³µ1REOH EdificHV¶ The Urban Image of Papal Rome, 1417-´ (39-63), the scholar unravels the ³PDQ\ links between political power and XUEDQLVP´ (39). Over more than two centuries, two-dozen popes restored ³5RPH¶V status as Caput mundi´ (46). Rome not only became one of (XURSH¶V largest and fortified cities dominated by men, but also the ³XQGLVSXWHG artistic and cultural capital of the 690 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) FRQWLQHQW´ (46). Moreover, it became a thriving center of religious and political power. Lucia Gemmani, in turn, switches back to representation of the city in literary discourse, more particularly the introduction of the discovery of perspective in the stage setting. Her ³3HUVSHFWLYH Cities: Staging Transferable Spaces in Learned &RPHG\´ (65-80) analyses how the theater audience in Renaissance courts was invited ³WR interrogate the interplay between their own lived experiences and the fictional representation of city OLIH´ (65). In the Sixteenth century, the Learned Comedy ³FRPPHGLD HUXGLWH´ a theater performance with play script) visualized ³D changed conception of society RYHUDOO´ (66) putting to the fore ³D tension between a search for an ordered and fixed image of the public space and the chaotic and disorderly perception of everyday OLIH´ (66). Isabelle &HFFKLQL¶V ³7KH Lure of Shopping: The Mercerie in Early Modern Venice and the City as a Permanent 0DOO´ (81-109) zooms in on the itinerary that links Rialto to Piazza San Marco ³LQ the foundational area of the FLW\´ (82), both a physical and symbolic place, despite its many renovations. Cecchini accurately describes how that itinerary was inhabited by merchants and craftsmen, whose shops were visited by Venetian patricians and customers from all over Europe. The growth of the Mercerie, the Venetian commercial heart where ³PHU]H´ (merchandise) could be purchased, illustrates the ³H[SDQVLRQ to the development of early modern FRQVXPSWLRQ´ (94), in particular that of luxury goods for an aristocratic clientele, such as Venetian silk and other fabrics. In the last contribution of Part I, Abbey Hafer examines a selection of etched images representing early modern Rome. ³$QFLHQW Magnificence and Modern Design: Roman Architecture and Identity in the Printed Works of Alessandro Specchi (1666-1729) and Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720- ´ (111-35) shows how the etched images by the two artists under scrutiny ³SURPRWHG an understanding and appreciation of the architectural layers of the FLW\´ (111) and circulated throughout Europe, amongst noble families, architects, artists and intellectuals. While Specchi focused on recent architecture for didactic purposes, Piranesi tended to concentrate on 5RPH¶V ancient past, but Specchi and Piranesi, both printmakers and architects, tapped into the need for city views ³YHGXWH´ presenting ³5RPH as a city of maJQLILFHQFH´ (112). Part II of Interpreting Urban Spaces in Italian Cultures opens with Julianne 9DQ:DJHQHQ¶V ³/H Piazze G¶,WDOLD De &KLULFR¶V Prophetic Vision of Public Space in Destination ,WDO\´ (139-56) which reconsiders de &KLULFR¶V paint iterations through the lens of tourism, in particular Roland %DUWKHV¶V interpretation of the portrayal of tourist destinations which has been taken up by other scholars. According to Barthes and like-minded researchers, tourists often expect their destination (city) to be timeless and empty, ³SXULILHG of its mundane daily uses and local VLJQLILFDQFH´ (140). VanWagenen argues that de &KLULFR¶V city squares are often interpreted in a strikingly similar way, while she proposes another take on the matter. Drawing mainly on Walter Benjamin, the scholar interprets de &KLULFR¶V city squares as the visualization of anxiety, alienation and loss where Italian Bookshelf 691 the potential presence of tourists has been erased. In ³Colonie architecture and )DVFLVP¶V Cult of <RXWK´ (157-82), Diana Garvin moves to the history of the holiday hostels created during Fascism which were an integral part of the UHJLPH¶V ³HXJHQLF approach to architecture and XUEDQLVP´ and their ³RSSRUWXQLW\ to pursue two intertwined political JRDOV´ (158). The holiday hostels were meant to improve the health of Italian children ³WKURXJK visibly structured mass playtiPH´ (158), while the dissemination of their photographic representations via media and expositions were a propaganda tool. Meanwhile, the Rationalist holiday complexes, which at the time proposed a variety of exposure cures for children of the working classes, have turned into ³NH\ sites for ruin WRXULVP´ (159) and continue to question Fascism and their cult of youth. In the last contribution of this part, ³Fare la vita grigia: The Industrial City of Italo Calvino and Luciano %LDQFLDUGL´ (183-203), Samantha Gillen addresses the problems and challenges post-war Italy faced, its economic boom and its evolution towards neo-capitalism and conformity. In her comparative analysis of Calvino and %LDQFLDUGL¶V take on the Italian material society, Gillen claims that the use of the color grey represents ³SROLWLFDO resignation, mental and emotional anguish, and VWDJQDQF\´ (185). Both intellectuals formulate a satirical or pessimistic critique. Gillen concludes as follows: ³7KH industrial city of the 1950s becomes a locus of grayness, a space in which individual voices fall onto deaf ears, ethics are blurred, and men forced to renounce their ideals to ensure VXUYLYDO´ (200). In the final part Brian 7KROO¶V ³,O mondo è meglio non vederlo che vederlo: Naples as Urban Dystopia in Un paio di occhiali´ (207-23) offers a close reading of 2UWHVH¶V original short story and Carlo 'DPDVFR¶V short film adaptation. Tholl states that in both works the city of Naples can be read as a theater of dystopia whose inhabitants are ³ERWK actors and spectators in society (207), a society in which various social classes clash. Drawing on Walter Benjamin and Asja /DFLV¶V interpretation of the city, Tholl sees Naples as a porous ³FRQJORPHUDWH of liminal VSDFHV´ which ³GLFWDWHV the interrelation between internal and external, public and SULYDWH´ (209), light and darkness. Moreover, its UHVLGHQWV¶ life seems to be written out for them, as in a script . According to Tholl, the coming-of-age of the young near-sighted protagonist Eugenia, who refuses to accept the world her glasses enable her to see, is in fact the depiction of 1DSOHV¶ post-war ³GHVWLWXWLRQ and extreme LQHTXDOLW\´ (221). Danila Cannamela and Achille &DVWDOGR¶V ³1DUUDWLYHV of a µ&LW\ Under 6LHJH¶ Bodies and Discourses of the 1977 Movement in %RORJQD´ (225-43), in turn, explores the (re-)mediation of places and narratives linked to the Movement, such as ³,O *ROLDUGR´ in via Zamboni, ³D key place for Bolognese IHPLQLVP´ (227) or the ³9LD Clavature ´ the factory where young artists rebelled against capitalist productivity. The latter became central to musicians but also to Andrea 3D]LHQ]D¶V comics Le straordinarie avventure di Pentothal and other fascinating narratives. The last place discussed is the iconic DAMS and its major exponent, Umberto Eco, which also figure into 3D]LHQ]D¶V 692 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) production but also inspired Pier Vittorio 7RQGHOOL¶V Altri libertini. Pazienza and 7RQGHOOL¶V narratives demonstrate how the diffusion of heroin damaged the 1977 Movement leading to a loss of community in the 1980s. Interpreting Urban Spaces in Italian Cultures concludes with Ellen 3DWDW¶V ³([SORULQJ Urban Space: 7HU]DQL¶V In Asia (1965- ´ (245-63). 7HU]DQL¶V collection of articles portrays the cities the journalist-traveler visited deconstructing the urban space in order to criticize modernity and to study ³KLVWRU\ in the PDNLQJ´ (245). In Asia treats a variety of topics, such as history, culture, geography, small-scale and large-scale events²the complexity resides properly in its miscellaneous nature. Patat interprets the collection as ³SRWHQWLDO>O@\ universal DFFRXQWV´ (249) that help the reader to conceptualize or to map narrative space. As the title of the Amsterdam University Press series suggests, Interpreting Urban Spaces in Italian Cultures offers many insights to ³6SDWLDO Iimageries in Historical 3HUVSHFWLYH´ privileging three periods in Italian culture. One could question the periodical division, but the editors do justify the choices made. The quality of contributions varies and some contributions could dialogue more with recent publications, but I did appreciate the variety of approaches and the deliberate use of illustrations. In conclusion, Interpreting Urban Spaces in Italian Cultures invites the reader/scholar to further explorations on the topics covered and, of course, other cityscapes. Inge Lanslots, KU Leuven JEWISH STUDIES Rachel Bespaloff. /¶HWHUQLWjQHOO¶LVWDQWHOpere. Gli anni francesi (1932-1942). Ed. Cristina Guarnieri, and Laura Sanò. Roma: Castelvecchi, 2022. Pp. 668. Rachel Bespaloff (1895-1949) is a relatively little-known Ukrainian-born FrenchJewish philosopher of the 20th century, despite her undeniable speculative stature, the variety of topics she addressed, and her great critical-literary sensibility. The publication of her complete works by Castelvecchi is undoubtedly an editorial event for which we must be grateful to the two editors, Cristina Guarnieri and Laura Sanò. Her four-volume Collected Works include: the texts published in France in 1932-1942 (vol. 1, 2022); the texts published in the US in 1943-1949 (vol. 2, in preparation); her correspondence (vol. 3, in preparation); her unpublished works (vol. 4, in preparation). I am not entirely persuaded that these chronological and editorial criteria are the most useful ones for appreciating the variety and evolution of her thought, her intellectual curiosity, and her various interests. It seems to me that the reader might have benefited from an edition that would collect %HVSDORII¶V prolific Italian Bookshelf 693 works²regardless of their published or unpublished nature²into three or four categories: philosophy, literature, politics, and so on. In any case, the number of contributions in this single volume is quite impressive but may be a little overwhelming. The first volume is titled /¶HWHUQLWj QHOO¶LVWDQWH. The volume is quite substantial and provides, first and foremost, a foreword by Monique Jutrin (5-22), a very detailed biography (25-115), various testimonies (116-32), and extensive appendices that include some reviews and prefaces penned by Jean Wahl and Hermann Broch (525-70), an essay by Laura Sanò (571-88), an essay by Cristina Guarnieri (589-650), and a bibliographic note (651-61). Apart from these numerous (perhaps even excessive) apparatuses, we finally find all the texts that Bespaloff wrote in France, from her literary debut in 1932 to her voluntary exile in America ten years later: ³6X Heidegger. Lettera a Daniel +DOHY\´ (132-66), ³5HFHQVLRQH a La Coscienza Infelice di Benjamin )RQGDQH´ (167-77), ³&DPPLQL e &URFHYLD´ (181-374), ³6XOOD Questione Ebraica. Scambio Epistolare tra Rachel Bespaloff e Daniel +DOHY\´ (375-410), ³5HFHQVLRQH alle Approximations di Charles Du %RV´ (411-23), ³$SSXQWL sulle Études Kirkegaardiennes di Jean :DKO´ (423-54), ³6XOO¶,OLDGH´ (455-512), and finally, ³/H Due $QGURPDFKH´ (513-25). As can be understood, this is a meticulously conceived, written, and edited volume, serving as a true guide for the reader into the intricacies of a thinker who has yet to rise to prominence in 20th-century thought but certainly deserves greater recognition. For example, it can be noted that Bespaloff was the first in France to study Heidegger and make a series of penetrating observations about his abstruse and innovative yet opaque vocabulary. The speculative force with which Bespaloff engages with Heidegger is no less significant, for instance, than that of Henry Corbin, who will be the only other scholar, alongside Bespaloff, to study Heidegger in the original and translate some of his works before the Second World War. Although written in epistolary form, this first essay is particularly original because it already projects Heidegger onto an existential and religious background that will be more precisely defined later, especially with the essays ³&DPPLQL e &URFHYLD´ and ³6XOO¶,OLDGH´ Part of this religious-philosophical theme also characterizes the original pages dedicated, in 1938, to the Jewish question, where Bespaloff ponders the meaning and reason of Zionism, especially in the face of an impending Shoah, already anticipated by the violent Kristallnacht. According to Bespaloff, the ³IRUFH´ emerging from her essay on the Iliad but also pervading each of her other texts collected in this volume, cannot be simply equated with power. Instead, it reveals itself as ³GLYLQH´ to the extent that it represents an ³RYHUIORZ of OLIH´ that, in strictly Nietzschean terms, emerges in the contempt for death, almost in the form of a blind impulse that drives it to abolish the very values it has generated. Bespaloff outlines the Iliad with the tremendous theme of the Sacred, its 694 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) disturbing force, and the transcendence that violently opens humans up to solitude and yet transcendence toward an absent God. Indeed, it should be noted that, for Bespaloff, the Iliad describes human freedom deeply influenced by Jewish thought: humans are responsible and called to ethics even in a universe where God may be absent. Drawing on Kierkegaard, Bespaloff considers ³PRPHQWV´ or different ³LQVWDQWV´ as opportunities for clarity and contemplation, and even as a means through which the possibility of eternity can manifest itself in an instant, hence the title of the first volume. As Cristina Guarnieri aptly remarks in her essay, Bespaloff tries to combine the Green and Jewish ³VSLULW´ by appealing to the very awareness that everything is perishable and therefore worth of the greatest tenderness for its fragility. The volume deserves great gratitude towards the editors, translators, and the publisher Castelvecchi, who have undertaken an editorial task with the quite remarkable intent to truly offer a complete work of a philosopher who should have deserved greater recognition but may now finally achieve it. Federico Dal Bo, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia Fabrizio Franceschini, Il chimico libertino. Primo Levi e la Babele del Lager. Roma: Carocci, 2022. Pp. 202. /¶DQDOLVL linguistica delle opere di Primo Levi è un filone che ha attratto O¶DWWHQ]LRQH degli specialisti del settore da quando lo scrittore torinese ha ammesso di aver nutrito, a partire dai suoi undici anni, un ³GLOHWWDQWHVFR LQWHUHVVH´ (11) verso O¶HWLPRORJLD e la linguistica. Franceschini, con questo suo lavoro, V¶LQVHULVFH nel filone, basandosi anche sugli studi di Alberto Cavaglion, Giovanna Massariello Merzagora, Martina Mengoni, Domenico Scarpa e di Cesare Segre, in un testo che appare completo e valido. /¶DXWRUH sostiene la tesi che in realtà lo scrittore torinese possedesse dalla sua ³XQD preparazione non banale, un interesse reale e anche un certo puntiglio nel difendere le proprie opinioni etimologiche e OLQJXLVWLFKH´ (12). Il volume di Franceschini si suddivide in due parti: la prima, ³/HYL OLQJXLVWD´ (19-104), si focalizza sulle serie linguistiche di Se questo è un uomo e su Il sistema periodico. La seconda parte, ³3DUROH del /DJHU´ analizza altre testimonianze linguistiche, sia italiane che straniere, VXOO¶XQLYHUVR concentrazionario. Il primo capitolo ³/D Babele del Lager e le serie multilingui in Se questo è un XRPR´ (19-44) affronta la genesi del romanzo più famoso di Levi mettendo in risalto ³OD crucialità del tema OLQJXLVWLFR´ (19) così come presentato dallo scrittore torinese. Franceschini sottolinea quanti e quali siano i lasciti dal tedesco DOO¶LQWHUQR delle varie edizioni, questo perché il tedesco era ³OD lingua in cui le cose erano avvenute ed a cui esse FRPSHWHYDQR´ (I sommersi e i salvati, 1986, in Opere complete, II, 2017, 1257) e anche perché²e ciò viene dato per scontato QHOO¶DQDOLVL di Franceschini²i prigionieri che potevano comprendere gli ordini Italian Bookshelf 695 urlati in tedesco avevano più speranze di salvarsi. Nella Babele concentrazionaria vige dunque un plurilinguismo che è riprodotto da Levi anche per evocare il terrificante caos linguistico del Lager, come testimonia il celebre esempio del ³SDQH-Brot-Broit-chleb-pain-lechem-NHQ\pU´ (Se questo è un uomo, 1958, 164) che secondo Franceschini ³VXRQD come un endecasillabo WURQFR´ richiamante addirittura il dantesco ³3DSH Satàn, pape Satàn DOHSSH´ (32). Il secondo capitolo, ³,O sistema periodico come atlante ELROLQJXLVWLFR´ (45104), analizza O¶LPSRUWDQ]D della dialettologia per Levi. Secondo Franceschini il rapporto con il dialetto ha per lo scrittore piemontese ³OD forza dei vincoli più sacri, e crea un ponte con Il canto di Ulisse´ (47); e proprio la sua mancanza nel Lager ³VL fa più dolorosamente VHQWLUH´ (47) e chiama a testimonianza O¶LQIOXVVR del dialetto torinese in altre sue opere, dalO¶DUWLFROR La carne GHOO¶RUVR a Il sistema periodico. Occorre però ricordare²e questo Franceschini non lo fa²che gli ebrei in Italia sono stati fino alla prima metà del Novecento bidialettali e spesso tridialettali: parlavano, infatti, il dialetto locale, di norma appreso in casa come lingua-madre, poi O¶LWDOiano standard, di solito imparato a scuola, e spesso conoscevano anche il proprio dialetto ebraico GHOO¶LWDOLDQR scritto in ebraico e acquisito ora in casa, ora in sinagoga. Anche in questo fatto sta O¶LQWHUHVVH di Levi per i gerghi dialettali italiani. L¶DOWUD mancanza linguistica notata GDOO¶DXWRUH in Se questo è un uomo sono le varietà linguistiche giudeo-italiane, qui definite come ³UDGLFH XPLOLDWD´ (65), intendendo probabilmente che O¶XPLOLD]LRQH verso lo yiddish derivi dalla commistione di dialetto gergale italiano e yiddish stesso, anche a fronte della presenza nel libro GHOO¶HEUHR romano Cesare e del suo pidgin romanesco-ebraico. Franceschini poi sottolinea O¶LQWHUHVVH di Levi per le varietà GHOO¶HEUDLFR in uso nelle altre parti G¶,WDOLD un tema su cui hanno scritto Mayer Modena e Merzagora Massariello ³,O giudeo-modenese nei testi raccolti da Raffaello *LDFRPHOOL´, in Rendiconti GHOO¶,VWLWXWR Lombardo-Accademia di Scienze e Lettere, Classe di Lettere, cvii (1974): 933-34). Sempre nel secondo capitolo si offre un godibile parallelo fra la lingua parlata da Libertino Faussone, il protagonista del leviano La chiave a stella (1978), e O¶RSHUDLR narrante di Vogliamo tutto (1971) di Nanni Balestrini. Secondo Franceschini siamo dinanzi a due lingue inconciliabili: la prima è tipica GHOO¶homo faber, il lavoratore innamorato del concetto weberiano di Beruf, ed è dunque ricca, spiega O¶DXWRUH di arditi piemontesismi, voci ed espressioni tecniche, forestierismi; ed è al contempo aliena da bestemmie o parolacce. La seconda, protestataria, GHOO¶RSHUDLR-massa, ha un lessico basso e osceno, povero e ripetitivo. Franceschini tuttavia sottolinea anche i punti di contatto fra i due personaggi, relativi a ³PROWL aspetti della discorsività popolare e della sintassi orale e LQIRUPDOH´ (83). Il secondo capitolo si chiude con una ³DSSHQGLFH´ inerente DOO¶Argon di Levi, il testo di glottologia poi inserito come primo capitolo de Il sistema periodico (1975) che riguarda O¶LGLRPD degli ebrei piemontesi, dialetto che comprende parole di origine ebraica e altre parole di cui non è chiara 696 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) l'etimologia. /¶DSSHQGLFH di Franceschini, assai dotta, raccoglie e mette a confronto le voci giudeo-piemontesi raccolte da Levi e da Bachi e nei glossari precedenti. Il terzo capitolo intitolato ³.DSR Kommando, Block, Lager: le parole dei campi in Levi e nelle testimonianze italiane ed HXURSHH´ (105-54), offre una disamina delle questioni grafiche, semantiche ed etimologiche del più celebre dei termini introdotti da Levi QHOO¶LWDOLDQR il lemma ³.DSR´ oggi più noto come ³NDSz´ dopo O¶RPRQLPR film di Gillo Pontecorvo. Franceschini illustra ricorrenze, varianti o la mancanza di tale termine nelle varie opere sulla Shoah prodotte sia da scrittori-testimoni italiani che stranieri. Si tratta, per gli italiani, di dodici libri a stampa rimasti QHOO¶RPEUD dopo il successo di Se questo è un uomo, e di fonti che non hanno mai visto la pubblicazione, costituite da una ventina di relazioni dattiloscritte conservate presso O¶8&(, (Unione delle comunità ebraiche italiane). Per gli stranieri, si è di fronte invece di saggi o memoriali assai famosi, come, ad esempio i lavori del tedesco Eugen Kogon, del rumeno (naturalizzato statunitense) Elie Wiesel e del francese David Rousset. Dopo aver notato che ogni autore (e ogni dizionario etimologico!) tende ad alienare questo termine così sgradevole dalle proprie radici culturali nazionali, ³LQ una specie di gioco dei quattro FDQWRQL´ (153), si rileva altresì che tutti devono infine arrendersi allo schiacciante potere del Cinema, che impone DOO¶,WDOLD e al mondo la parola ³.DSz´ nella sua versione francese, anche se i tedeschi e tutti gli altri la pronunciavano ³.DSR´ DOO¶LWDOLDQD perché questa era O¶HWLPRORJLD più probabile. Il quarto capitolo, ³Piccolo e Pikolo: un italianismo tra i caffè di Vienna e Auschwitz-0RQRZLW]´ (155-70)²che forse avrebbe avuto una migliore collocazione logica come nuovo e ultimo paragrafo 1.5 della parte prima del libro, là dove si analizza Se questo è un uomo²offre lo stesso tipo di analisi in relazione al nome ³Piccolo´ o ³Pikolo´ il vezzeggiativo dato da Levi a Jean Samuel, suo compagno di Lager. La conclusione di Franceschini è che O¶HWLPRORJLD del termine è italiana e che esso derivi dal nome che si dava già QHOO¶2WWRFHQWR al garzone molto giovane di bottega. Franceschini ritiene che Levi abbia voluto usare questo termine anche per distinguerlo dal peggiorativo tedesco Piepel, usato sempre QHOO¶DPELWR del Lager per indicare un giovane assistente del Kapò che veniva da questi anche abusato sessualmente. In conclusione, lo studio di Franceschini appare come un testo agile ma dotto sulla linguistica leviana, che tiene conto dei tanti lavori precedenti e analizza in modo puntuale e utile il rigore dello scrittore torinese nella scelta delle parole e O¶DWWHQ]LRQH alle parlate del suo mondo di ebreo laico (e quindi ³OLEHUWLQR´ e piemontese. Sciltian Gastaldi, PhD University of Toronto Italian Bookshelf 697 Massimo Giuliani. Antropologia Halakhica. Saggi sul Pensiero di Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Livorno: Belforte, 2021. Pp. 191. Rav Joseph Soloveitchik²a member of one of the most prominent Rabbinic dynasties in the 20th century²elaborated a distinctive speculative system that harmonized Orthodox Judaism with philosophy under the presupposition that Jewish Law is inherently compatible with rationalism, and therefore potentially universal, especially given its ethical tenets. Despite his prominence in 20thcentury philosophy, Rav 6RORYHLWFKLN¶V thought is deeply studied in the AngloSaxon world but is relatively unknown in Italy. Therefore, Massimo Giuliani² associate professor in Jewish thought at the University of Trento²has embarked upon the task to fill this gap and wrote the first Italian monograph on Joseph Soloveitchik. *LXOLDQL¶V Antropologia Halakhica. Saggi sul Pensiero di Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, has the merit to offer a brief but poignant introduction to 6RORYHLWFKLN¶V thought, by paying particular attention to the oral dimension of his teachings, according to a distinctive trope of Orthodox Judaism. The title of this monograph, Antropologia Halakhica, clearly alludes to 6RORYHLWFKLN¶V seminal work Ish Halakhah ³7KH Man of +DODNKDK´  an epic phenomenological study of the personality of a Jewish man who is bound to the tenets of Jewish Law. This important work is based on a main assumption: there is an ambivalence or, if one prefers, a bipartition between particular and universal law. This bipartition can never be solved in dialectical terms, nor can it be sublimated in a sort of ³UDGLFDO HWKLFV´ that would virtually transcend Jewish Law, as was eloquently suggested by the famous Lithuanian French Jewish philosopher and Talmudist Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995). Despite his apparent interest in Talmudic Judaism, his philosophical commentaries on the Talmud, published in several volumes, inspired generation of French intellectuals. Similarly to Levinas, with whom he was acquainted, Soloveitchik too was interested in interpreting the Talmud on the basis of philosophical presuppositions, mostly by combining neoKantianism and Phenomenology. Therefore, there is an important continuity between Soloveitchik and Levinas, especially because they both genuinely claim the importance of Jewish ethics. And yet, there is also an important difference between them, especially in the appreciation of Jewish Law and its actual social power. Joseph Soloveitchik operates with respect to the dimensions of faith based on these philosophical presuppositions. As a complex human dimension, faith has to be ³UHGXFHG´ to its essential components that include both the observance of Jewish commandments and the connection with Holiness. This reduction is operated in exquisite phenomenological terms by pointing both to the eidetic or ³HVVHQWLDO UHSUHVHQWDWLRQ´ of Jewish Law and to the potentially mystical dimension of Holiness. The monograph is structured in five chapters: Chapter One ³/¶DQWURSRORJLD halakhica di Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik e la sua influenza sul giudaismo modern orthodox´ 7-30) on the general context of 6RORYHLWFKLN¶V thought; Chapter Two 698 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) ³,O pensiero di Rav Soloveitchik nel contesto delle µILORVRILH del JLXGDLVPR¶ del xx VHFROR´ 31-62) on 6RORYHLWFKLN¶V connection with other philosophical interpretations of Judaism; Chapter Three ³µMaestro, Giudice e re¶ Il charisma e la missione di Mosq secondo Rav Soloveitchik,´ 63-84) on Soloveitchik¶s interpretation of Moses; Chapter Four ³'LDORJR o disputa con il Cristianesimo? Il Rav tra halakhj, riserve teologico-politiche e sionismo religioso,´ 85-110); Chapter Five ³,O razionalismo etico di Maimonide, il Rav e O¶LQWHUSUetazione della Guida dei Perplessi,´ 111-26) on Soloveitchik¶s interpretation of Maimonides; Chapter Six ³Legge halakhica e moralitj halakhica tra natura, etica e Torj,´ 13350) on the latent conflict between jewish law and ethics; finally, an addendum on Jewish ethics (151-68) and an afterword by Rav David Gianfranco Disegni (16988) conclude the volume. In his monograph, Giuliani does not simply offer a decent summary of 6RORYHLWFKLN¶V not always consistent thought in clear and adequate terms, as describing, for instance, the three-folded dimension of Moses as ³WHDFKHU´ ³OHDGHU´ and ³UXOHU´ (63-84). Giuliani also takes particular care in showing the potential conflict between these two dimensions of faith. While Soloveitchik unquestionably believes in the positivity of Jewish Law, Giuliani shows that he is also not eager to include a mystical dimension in his evaluation of Jewish Law. There is, so notes Giuliani, a specific dialectic between the homo halakicus ³OHJDO PDQ´ and the homo religiosus ³UHligious PDQ´ that is mediated by a sentiment for Holiness²the latter clearly being spelled in terms of Rudolf 2WWR¶V famous notion of das Heilige. The German scholar and historian Rudolf Otto (1869-1937) made a revolutionary contribution to the study of religion: he introduced the category of ³KROLQHVV´ as a non-rational element that allows for a direct and unmediated contact between the numinous and the human psyche, as he eloquently once said: ³WKH relation of the rational to the non-rational in the idea of the holy or sacred is just such a one of µVFKHPDWL]DWLRQ¶´ (The Idea of Holy. An Inquiry into the Non-Rational Factor in the Idea of the Divine and its Relation to the Rational, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2021, 45). And yet this openness to Holiness is never central in Soloveitchik. Giuliani does not neglect to state that the notion of ³KROLQHVV´ is apparently marginal in Soloveitchik but takes particular care in showing that this is essential for appreciating the dimension of positive law. In other words, Giuliani recalls for us that the dimension of ³KROLQHVV´ might provide a category for exploring the ³UHOLJLRXV SKHQRPHQRQ´²and therefore, for establishing a true ³3KHQRPHQRORJ\ of 5HOLJLRQ´²but also carries the risk to devaluate the observance of Jewish Law. There is indeed a latent juxtaposition between ³UHOLJLRQ´ and ³-HZLVK ODZ´ (16-17). In this respect, so says Giuliani, Soloveitchik elaborates an anthropology that is rather dominated by the appreciation of Jewish Law as an absolute positive reality: ³QHOOD filosofia ebraica della religione di Soloveitchik, al vertice sta, come intuibile, O¶LGHDOWLSR GHOO¶homo Italian Bookshelf 699 halakhicus, O¶ish ha-halakhà, in quanto sintesi equilibrata tra lo scienziato (meglio il matematico) e O¶XRPR UHOLJLRVR´ (15). Soloveichtik assumes that Jewish Law still represents an ethical, social, and religious model for modern Judaism. This is probably the most divergent point with respect to Levinas. Indeed, Levinas seems eager to elaborate a sort of ethical radicalism that is clearly based on his post-Heideggerian phenomenological premises. The consequences of this assumption cannot be discussed here in detail but are clearly different from what Soloveitchik proposes. Since he considers Jewish Law as being fundamental for shaping the ethical dimension of the contemporary man, Soloveitchik sees no problem in leaving untouched the ambivalence between particular and universal ethics²Jewish and non-Jewish ethics. On the contrary, this openness shall not be considered as a speculative weakness but rather emerges as a special form of an intercultural dynamic between the Jewish and the Gentile world respectively. It is on account of this special historical ³GLDOHFWLF´ so to say, that Soloveitchik only accepts JewishChristian relationships as long as they do not involve any theological confrontation between these two faiths but especially focus on the practicality of their mutual collaboration on social grounds. Giuliani is right in assuming that 6RORYHLWFKLN¶V conservative attitude is consequent to the tragic experience of the Shoah. Nevertheless, he also argues that this relative resistance to the theological principles of a Jewish-Christian dialogue also has a specific theological dimension: again, the assumption that the dynamic between particular and universal law shall never be resolved but will always, so to say, be ³LQ the DFW´ In his brief but dense monograph, Giuliani demonstrates that 6RORYHLWFKLN¶V unresolved dialectic between these dimensions of his ³KDODNKLF DQWKURSRORJ\´ also emerges from his philosophical assumptions that are mostly drives from Kantian and post-Kantian philosophy and nonHeideggerian Phenomenology (34). In this respect, transcendental philosophy seems to offer that conceptual flexibility that surely lacks in Heidegger and post-Heideggerian philosophy, SHUKDSV ZLWK WKH VROH H[FHSWLRQ RI -DFTXHV 'HUULGD¶V GHFRQVWUXFWLRQ :KHUH Heidegger²and his followers²vouches for a dimension of philosophical tradition and point to a dimension that is virtually incompatible with other ones, namely, in the present case, with Jewish tradition, Soloveitchik takes another path. He prefers, rather, relying on a transcendental philosophy that allows for multiple affiliations if not multiple identities, due to its regulative but, strictly speaking, non-normative nature. In this respect, it is not paradoxical that Soloveitchik seems to offer a Jewish way to universal ethics. Federico Dal Bo, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia 700 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Alessandro Grazi. Prophet of Renewal. David Levi: a Jewish Freemason and Saint-Simonian in Nineteenth-century Italy. Leiden: Brill, 2022. Pp. 316. Il libro di Grazi offre una biografia intellettuale di David Levi (1816-98), autorevole personalità GHOO¶2WWRFHQWR italiano ed ebraico-italiano. Il politico di Chieri, cittadina alle porte di Torino, fu patriota risorgimentale vicino al mazzinianesimo, deputato della Sinistra liberale e prolifico autore di opere liricoletterarie e di studi filosofici e storico-religiosi. La ricerca emerge sullo sfondo del recente, ancora parziale recupero di questa figura trascurata dalla storiografia novecentesca, promosso da Francesca Sofia e altri cultori della storia degli ebrei italiani QHOO¶HWj GHOO¶HPDQFLSD]LRQH Intellettuale secolare distante dalla religione avita, Levi fu interprete di XQ¶RULJLQDOH sintesi fra le identità ebraica e nazionale nella modernità, trascendente la separazione delle sfere promossa dal liberalismo risorgimentale e GDOO¶HEUDLVPR istituzionale. Il suo fulcro ideologico è costituito da una riflessione storico-filosofica VXOO¶HEUDLVPR²³VHPLWLVPR´ diceva il suo artefice²e sul suo ruolo nel processo di civilizzazione. Grazi la colloca al centro del proprio studio, indagandone la complessa elaborazione e radicandola nella visione del mondo del piemontese. Funzionale a questi obiettivi, la scelta di un approccio biografico-intellettuale muove dalla premessa che la storia GHOO¶HEUDLVPR emancipato o in via di emancipazione è storia di individui, correlata ma irriducibile a quella del gruppo in ragione della forte e continua interazione con le culture dominanti. La ricerca si avvale di fonti edite e inedite, fra cui le carte GHOO¶DUFKLYLR Levi conservato presso il Museo del Risorgimento di Torino. Il volume è strutturato in cinque capitoli, preceduti da XQ¶LQWURGX]LRQe e seguiti da una conclusione e da XQ¶DSSHQGLFH documentaria. Nella prima parte, O¶DXWRUH illustra i tratti principali della vita e GHOO¶RSHUD di Levi in funzione della contestualizzazione della sua concezione GHOO¶HEUDLVPR Il primo capitolo, ³$ Life of $FWLRQ´ (31-64), definisce gli snodi della sua biografia sullo sfondo GHOO¶,WDOLD della Restaurazione, del Risorgimento e GHOO¶HWj liberale. Assai sintetico sulla sua maturità, Grazi ne ricostruisce analiticamente, con acume e rigore critico, la formazione giovanile, decisiva a orientarne gli interessi culturali, spingerlo alla militanza risorgimentale e plasmarne la visione del mondo. /¶DGHVLRQH al pensiero illuminista e al nazionalismo cosmopolita, suggestionato anche GDOO¶DPELHQWH familiare ed ebraico G¶origine, assunse forma razionale, influenzata dal magistero di Giuseppe Montanelli e dagli ideali massonici e sansimoniani, durante gli studi universitari a Pisa nei tardi anni ¶ Nel decennio successivo, i soggiorni parigini, avanti il rientro a Torino, intorno al 1848, segnarono fra O¶DOWUR O¶DYYLR della sua riflessione storico-religiosa. Il piemontese poté valorizzare la tradizione ebraica di cui, nonostante la rottura con la religione positiva, si sentiva orgogliosamente un figlio: il recupero si fondò sulla sua reinterpretazione, mediata dagli insegnamenti degli storici Edgar Quinet, Jules Michelet e Joseph Salvador, in chiave di etica universale. /¶DWWLYLWj letteraria di Levi si concentra prevalentemente QHOO¶HWj matura, fra O¶8QLWj nazionale e la morte. Il secondo capitolo, ³'DYLG /HYL¶V RHXYUH´ (65-73), propone una rassegna dei suoi scritti, Italian Bookshelf 701 illustrandone sinteticamente contenuti e finalità. Scrittore eclettico, il piemontese fu rinomato soprattutto per i suoi drammi storici²il principale, Il Profeta (1866), a sfondo biblico²che diffondevano, in linea con il ³FDQRQH ULVRUJLPHQWDOH´ definito da Alberto Mario Banti (La nazione del Risorgimento: parentela, santità e onore alle origini GHOO¶,WDOLD unita, Torino: Einaudi, 2000), sentimenti patriottici modellando un ideale progressista e inclusivo della nazione italiana. Il suo approccio si fondava su un uso ideologico della storia, che appare tratto caratterizzante della sua intera produzione bibliografica. Dopo averne illustrate la vita e O¶RSHUD Grazi esamina alcuni temi centrali della riflessione di Levi, funzionali alla comprensione della sua concezione GHOO¶HEUDLVPR Il terzo capitolo, ³(QOLJKWHQPHQW and Secularity Mark the :D\´ (74-123), ritorna sulle fonti del suo Illuminismo, indagandone O¶LQfluenza sul suo percorso secolarizzante e sul suo pensiero socio-politico. Il piemontese, iniziato a Livorno nel 1837, fu figura apicale della massoneria italiana GHOO¶2WWRFHQWR /¶HVSHULHQ]D massonica funse inizialmente da leva, come per altri correligionari, del coinvolgimento nel Risorgimento, e lo avvicinò a un modello ideale di società, che concepiva il progresso civile quale prodotto GHOO¶DXWR-perfezionamento degli individui. La concomitante adesione al sansimonismo, favorita da Montanelli, lo radicò in un socialismo liberale, che da allora fu punto di riferimento della sua attività politico-culturale. /¶XWRSLD sociale del filosofo francese lo aveva affascinato anche perché, estranea al materialismo e alla critica antireligiosa, profetizzava O¶DIIUDWHOlamento dei popoli in una nuova religione universale, foriera di un impulso sentimentale verso lo sviluppo generalizzato. La riflessione di Levi sul ³VHPLWLVPR´ in questo contesto, emerse da esigenze di razionalizzazione della propria identità ebraica e di ricerca delle fonti del puro monoteismo etico preconizzato dal sansimonismo. Il quarto capitolo, ³$ Particular Relationship to the Wissenschaft des Judentums´ (124-43), illustra la sua interpretazione GHOO¶HEUDLVPR cogliendo gli echi della lezione dei maestri francesi e del dialogo con alcuni esponenti, fra cui Niccolò Tommaseo, del cattolicesimo liberale italiano, ma anche XQ¶LQDWWHVD attenzione per la scienza del giudaismo, basata sulla critica storico-filologica dei testi sacri, prodotta negli ambienti intellettuali ebraico-tedeschi. Pur non diffondendosi sul ricorso del piemontese al linguaggio razziale e, in risposta al rampante antisemitismo europeo di fine secolo, anche social-darwinista, O¶DXWRUH ricostruisce molto bene la razionalità, che gli consentì di integrare la tradizione ebraica nel mondo moderno. Il ³VHPLWLVPR´ non era per lui un culto o una nazionalità, ma XQ¶LGHD di società retta dai principi di libertà ed eguaglianza, bandita millenni prima della Rivoluzione francese dalle leggi religiose del popolo G¶,VUDHOH e dalla predicazione dei suoi profeti. Nel corso dei secoli, gli ebrei stabilitisi in Europa la avevano diffusa fra le genti, rendendosi vessilliferi di una feconda sintesi fra le culture immaginate antitetiche, secondo diffuse generalizzazioni storicoetnografiche, di un Oriente mistico e di un Occidente razionalista. Il piemontese 702 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) non ne concepiva esaurita la missione storica, giudicando solo parzialmente compiuta la realizzazione dei valori della loro cultura religiosa avanti la fusione GHOO¶XPDQLWj sotto le insegne della democrazia. Il volume esplora infine la ricezione e le motivazioni della sfortuna postuma GHOO¶RSHUD di Levi, e offre in appendice un tardo inedito, la commedia Il Mistero delle Tre Melarancie (1897), esemplificativo della sua crescente disillusione nei turbolenti anni di fine secolo. Il grande merito della ricerca è di proporre una raffinata analisi della parabola intellettuale di questo singolare artefice della sintesi fra ebraicità e italianità, che può auspicarsi G¶LQFHQWLYR alla ripresa degli studi VXOO¶2WWRFHQWR ebraico-italiano. Emanuele D¶Antonio, Università di Torino Emily Michelson. &DWKROLF 6SHFWDFOH DQG 5RPH¶V -HZV (DUO\ 0RGHUQ Conversion and Resistance. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2022. Pp. xiii + 331. On a Saturday evening, Giuditta Di Castro, a Roman Jewish woman is stopped by the police outside the ghetto and escorted to the weekly conversionary sermon in Luigi 0DJQL¶V film 1HOO¶DQQR del Signore (known in English as The Conspirators, 1969). Giuditta (played by famous Italian actress Claudia Cardinale) is accompanied by a guard and Angelo Targhini, an Italian anticlerical patriot. Despite a few inaccuracies about their biographies, the latter and his fellow Leonida Montanari were historical figures and were guillotined by the papal executioner, Mastro Titta, under Pope Leo XII, on November 23, 1825. While assisting the forced preaching and listening to the harsh speech of the priest defining Jews ³EUXWWL zozzoni, porci PDOHGHWWL´ ³XJO\ slobs and cursed SLJV´  among other things, Targhini asks how comes that Jews do not rebel. The guard points to the -HZV¶ ears filled with cotton balls, saying that they are clever and that they (the guards) pretend to ignore the fact because they are tolerant toward the Jews. While Giuditta is a fictional character, from around the 1570s to the nineteenth century, mandatory participation in weekly conversionary sermons was a reality for Roman Jews. The historical complexities, conflicts, and dynamics of conversionary preaching and the strategies of resistance adopted by Roman Jews are thoroughly illustrated and discussed in Emily 0LFKHOVRQ¶V captivating and thought-provoking book. The volume is articulated into seven chapters, and it is not a coincidence that it opens with the image of a pig. Michelson analyzes the text of a giudiata² a short theatrical play in rhyme against the Jews of Rome²composed and staged by the polemist Melchiorre Palontrotti on the occasion of 5RPH¶V rabbi funeral, Tranquillo Corcos the Elder (d. in the late 1640s). In 0LFKHOVRQ¶V words, the pig placed in the UDEEL¶V casket ³ZDV carried directly along the thin line between Italian Bookshelf 703 speech and violence, and that line remains blurred or half erased, and sometimes eliminated HQWLUHO\´ (5). This monograph is precisely about this thin line. While contextualizing the ³ZRUOG of conversion in early modern 5RPH´ in the same name chapter (Chapter 1, 17-61), Michelson reflects on the Jews who had to be converted and on a wide array of actors such as popes, preachers, religious orders, neophytes, wealthy patrons, and onlookers. The activity of preachers and neophytes was supported by notable patrons, religious orders, and confraternities, who played a fundamental role in the success of sermons and conversionary preaching in the long durée (Chapter 3, ³+RZ Sermons to Jews :RUNHG´ 62-96). ³7KH Careers of 3UHDFKHUV´ (Chapter 4, 97-124) reconstructs the very different backgrounds and careers of preachers ³inside and outside the SXOSLW´ (98) through the example of zealous converts such as Andrea del Monte (Joseph Zarfati) and Vitale Medici (born Jehiel da Pesaro) as well as renowned clergymen as the Observant Franciscan Marcellino and the Jesuit Antonio Possevino among others. The chapter argues that the job of a preacher to the Jews ³SUHGLFDWRUH degli HEUHL´ was particularly prestigious and greatly facilitated the LQGLYLGXDO¶V success in powerful ecclesiastical networks. While sermons were directed to the Jews, a public of spectators assisted: Roman residents, clerics, Catechumens, foreign diplomats, pilgrims, and curious tourists, including Protestants. As Michelson argues in her incredibly researched and detailed book, forced conversionary sermons were not only necessary to drive Jews to baptism, but they were also instrumental in supporting new narratives and devotions adopted by the Catholic Church to fight and extirpate Protestantism. The last three chapters examine VHUPRQV¶ contents, origins, rhetoric, developments, and reception. ³3UHDFKLQJ Tradition and &KDQJH´ (Chapter 5, 163-201) traces the historical evolution of sermons while looking at elements of continuity and innovation until mid-seventeenth century, when Gregorio Boncompagni Corcos became preacher to the Jews. The long career of this fierce preacher, a descendant of a family of converts, echoes the challenges and needs of the new global and universal Church ³6DLQWV Turks, and Heretics: Gregorio Boncompagni Corcos and Early Modern Catholicism´ Chapter 6, 202-34). The outstanding and hitherto overlooked collection of 750 manuscript conversionary sermons he composed throughout his life touches crucial and unprecedented topics such as the canonization of new saints from the Far East to the New World and contemporary discussions on Protestantism and Islam. The final chapter ³-HZLVK 5HVSRQVHV´ 235-66) illustrates the resistance strategies adopted by Roman Jews by setting formal protests, writing pleas and treatises, and²as in the film mentioned above²using earplugs. This timely and essential book fulfils the UHDGHU¶V expectations, as it successfully ³UHFRQVWUXFWV a history of violence, trauma, and tragedy, carried out by people who firmly believed they were doing the right and moral WKLQJ´ (15). Through meticulous research and analysis of a rich corpus of the manuscript and 704 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) printed conversionary sermons in addition to an extensive and accurate bibliography, Michelson unearths with clarity this nuanced history of JewishChristian relations, as reflected in the frail and blurred boundaries between persuasion and coercion, truth and performance, zeal and violence, beliefs and doubts. Not only the places destined for the sermons but also churches, oratories, confraternities, the university (in a few instances anachronistically referred to Sapienza University, which officially took the name Studium Urbis Sapientiae only in 1660), the House of Catechumens, the College of Neophytes, and the ghetto served as a theater to prepare actors and spectators and finally stage the ³&DWKROLF VSHFWDFOH´ Moreover, if Roman Jews were the primary target audience of conversionary sermons, the whole Eternal City participated in this tragedy² rather than a ³SOD\´ Thanks to this outstanding contribution, a new important and needed layer of knowledge has been added to the history of Jewish-Christian relations in early modern Rome and the repression of religious minorities. Martina Mampieri, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Francesco Samarini. Philip Roth e O¶,WDOLD Storia di un amore incostante. Ravenna: Longo Editore, 2022. Pp. 344. Since Philip Roth (1933-2018) never managed to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, North American readers might think of him as a writer whose vivid representation of post-war American society failed to resonate in other cultures and nations. In fact, 5RWK¶V avid American audience might be surprised to learn of his substantial readership in Europe, and particularly in Italy. To encounter nearly every dimension of 5RWK¶V decades-long presence in Italian culture, especially through his books and film adaptations of them, one need look no further than Francesco 6DPDULQL¶V authoritative, thoroughly researched study. Drawing on book reviews by important Italian literary critics, interviews, academic essays, newspaper articles, and previously unpublished correspondence between the author and his Italian publishers, Samarini traces the history of 5RWK¶V noteworthy reception in Italy, and the translation of more than two dozen of his works between 1960 and 2010. Almost all of these books were published by Bompiani in the first three decades, and, for most part, by Einaudi in the last two decades. Along the way, Samarini addresses the influence Roth exerted on contemporary Italian writers, such as Walter Siti and Alessandro Piperno (209-44), as well as the influence Italian culture exerted on Roth, both through his numerous sojourns to the peninsula and through writers as varied as Giovanni Verga, Luigi Pirandello and Primo Levi. Roth said at one point that he refused to read Italo Calvino, who had become overly fashionable in New York Italian Bookshelf 705 (127). However, we learn that his personal library held six volumes by Calvino, more than any other Italian writer, apart from Primo Levi (271). While there were many sophisticated readers of American literature in the Italian intellectual circles of the 1960s and 1970s, Samarini finds that some newspaper and magazine reviewers of the period relied on simplistic categories. Although Roth himself thought the classification meaningless (114), he was labeled a Jewish-American writer²rather than, say, an American realist who happened to depict Jewish milieus²and repeatedly described as talented but also as ego-centric, immature and ³ULEHOOH´ (29), which is to say, transgressive and even obscene. In chapters 2 and 3 of his study, Samarini contrasts the modest sales and unimpressed reviews of Addio, Columbus e cinque racconti (Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories), 5RWK¶V very first translated publication in any language, in 1960 (25), with the enthusiastic reception of Lamento di Portnoy (3RUWQR\¶V Complaint) nine years later (51). As Samarini tells it, the great Americanist Fernanda Pivano thought Portnoy was ³XQR dei documenti più significativi della liberazione VHVVXDOH´ (122), and that the book continued the subversive trend in American letters initiated by the Beat Generation. Shifting mores in 1960s Italy can be measured by the fact that some sexually explicit passages in Addio, Columbus were censured by Bompiani, without 5RWK¶s knowledge, so as to not offend ³LO comune senso del SXGRUH´ (21, 39, 42). However, by the end of the decade, Bompiani agreed to 5RWK¶V insistence, after some hesitation, that Lamento di Portnoy render faithfully in Italian the original risqué English version. (A second translation, completed in 1989 by Roberto C. Sonaglia, is even more sexually explicit, and thus even more faithful than Letizia Ciotti 0LOOHU¶V initial translation.) Samarini documents in detail the lively, polarized intellectual and popular responses to the novel and its sexualized language, all of which testified to 5RWK¶V growing influence in Italian culture. The most discussed reciprocal exchange between Roth and Italian culture is the momentous encounter between him and Primo Levi in 1986. Fittingly, 6DPDULQL¶V book features a cover photo of Roth and Levi in the ODWWHU¶V Turin apartment. Even before they met, Roth remarked in an interview with Gaia Servadio that Levi²³XQD nuova VFRSHUWD´ for the American novelist²was a writer worthy of the Nobel Prize on account of the ³GROFH]]D forza e bellezza nelle sue SDJLQH´ (127). As Samarini reminds us, Levi took notice of Lamento di Portnoy fifteen years earlier²though he did not read anything else by Roth before 1986. ³1HO SDUFR´ included in LeYL¶V 1971 collection Vizio di forma (Torino: Einaudi, 1971), is a story populated with well-known literary characters, along with a brief mention of a certain ³3RUWQR\ lamentoso e FUDVVR´ (173). This reference testifies yet again to the pervasive and rapidly spreading influence of 706 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) 5RWK¶V novel, which had only been published two years before Levi wrote his story. The conversation Roth conducted in English with Levi, both in person and in writing, resulted in 5RWK¶V New York Times interview, which Samarini rightly calls ³XQ testo fondamentale per O¶LQWHUSUHWD]LRQH GHOO¶RSHUD di /HYL´ (129). Furthermore, the attention Roth paid to Levi helped to elevate the Italian from a significant Holocaust writer to one of broader importance in the United States and in world literature. Of particular interest to Levi scholars is 6DPDULQL¶V discussion of the various versions of the interview, including those republished in 5RWK¶V essay collections and the version in Italian in newspaper La Stampa (129-30). Less commented on, at least among those writing in Italian, is the lasting presence of Levi in 5RWK¶V thought and works, a topic to which Samarini dedicates several illuminating pages (134-46). In the second half of his book, Samarini discusses the translation and Italian reception of later works like Pastorale americana (American Pastorale, 1987) (161-64) and Il complotto contro O¶$PHULFD (The Plot Against America, 2004) (257-61), as well as the place of Italy in 5RWK¶V works. He also offers a brief discussion of the constant presence of Italian Americans in 5RWK¶V writing, arguing that they often serve as secondary characters who underscore the ways in which Newark, New Jersey, the setting for most of 5RWK¶V novels, was a city of immigrants. This authoritative, thoroughly researched study is a must-read for scholars interested in the postwar influence of America on Italian culture. The book concludes with an appendix (289-326) containing dozens of letters written over twenty-five years between Roth and Bompiani publishing house, most of them never before published, and also a few unpublished letters exchanged with Levi. Jonathan Druker, Illinois State University FILM & MEDIA STUDIES Federica Capoferri, Carolina Ciampaglia, and Flaminio Di Biagi. Badlands. Il cinema GHOO¶XOWLPD Roma. Milano: Ledizioni, 2022. Pp. 310. È tra le pieghe GHOO¶XOWLPD cinematic Rome che si muove O¶DQDOLVL proposta da Capoferri, Ciampaglia e Di Biagi. Lungi GDOO¶HVVHUH un lavoro di tipo compilatorio, i sei saggi di Badlands sono un accurato studio sulle potenzialità del cinema italiano contemporaneo di rivelare e interpretare i ³JDQJOL del corrente paesaggio culturale di 5RPD´ (10). Dalle pioneristiche esperienze di Fregoli e Alberini di inizio Novecento alla recente rivisitazione in chiave multietnica della borgata capitolina proposta da Italian Bookshelf 707 Bangla (2019), nel primo capitolo ³,O secolo del cinema a 5RPD´ 15-28) Di Biagi rimarca in modo convincente O¶LQGLVFXVVR primato cinematografico che spetta a Roma nella storia del cinema del secolo scorso. Attraverso una ricognizione tra i momenti nodali del connubio estetico tra il cinema del XX secolo e la Capitale, O¶DXWRUH fornisce un necessario cappello introduttivo DOO¶DQDOLVL del cinema GHOO¶XOWLPD Roma offerta nel volume, sottolineando come nello spettatore contemporaneo gli spazi capitolini siano divenuti cardini tematico-visuali compiutamente consolidati (27). Nel secondo capitolo ³8VTXH ad sidera, usque ad LQIHURV´ 29-80) Capoferri si interroga sul valore metarappresentativo degli spazi filmici capitolini nei processi di rielaborazione della dimensione simbolica GHOO¶8UEH Nella modernità, secondo O¶DXWULFH la monumentale portata della memoria mitologica della capitale si rivela alquanto ingannevole. Difatti, forte della sua eccezionale capacità mitopoietica, il cinema si fa interprete oggettivo della contemporaneità, svelando quel paesaggio urbano reale che ³VL muove dietro e oltre il YLVLELOH´ (43). Affrancati dalla retorica della Roma ³set mundi´, i film esaminati divengono interpreti sintomatici GHOO¶8UEH del presente. In tal senso, Capoferri scorge argutamente il valore sintagmatico di Suburra (2015). Potente congegno di ³ULFRQILJXUD]LRQH GHOO¶LPPDJLQDULR contemporaneo su 5RPD´ (47), il film arriva ad intaccare la ³GLVWLQJXLELOLWj LFRQLFD´ GHOO¶8UEH (49). Le successive pellicole analizzate rivelano il modo in cui i macrofenomeni socioeconomici della moderna Roma si rovesciano sui soggetti più vulnerabili (71). Questi film proiettano lo spettatore negli ³DQWL-luoghi LQIHUL´ (78) che la Roma avvolta dalla spinta neoliberista dimentica o preferisce non vedere. In questi spazi liminari GHOO¶DEEDQGRQR i corpi cinematici dei protagonisti divengono²alla stregua GHOO¶(WWRUH di Mamma Roma²vittime sacrificali GHOO¶LQGLIIHUHQ]D Nel terzo capitolo ³5RPD tra cielo e WHUUD´ 81-130) Ciampaglia dimostra come alcuni recenti racconti cinematografici e televisivi²attraverso un processo di appropriazione, elaborazione e rigenerazione intermediale di miti, generi e modelli della cultura pop²siano in grado di raccontare gli spazi periferici romani di oggi. Nelle quattro opere esaminate O¶DXWULFH individua un comune processo di metamorfosi di senso della periferia. Interagendo tra presupposti di sintassi realistica ed elementi semantici propri di altri generi (87), questi film offrono linguaggi e percorsi narrativi rinnovati, frutto di un riuscito ibridismo intermediale che riposiziona lo sguardo cinematografico sui margini della città. Complessa e articolata è O¶LEULGDzione di generi e sottotesti che O¶DXWULFH evidenzia in Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (2015). La marcata identità culturale e geografica dei protagonisti distanzia il film da una sterile appartenenza al genere del superhero movie. Numerosi sono i prestiti e le contaminazioni dalla subcultura µFRDWWD¶ capitolina. Nel film, il quartiere Tor Bella Monaca è il ³FHQWUR propulsore della WUDPD´ (113), ed è in questo luogo emblematico del degrado urbano che il protagonista compie la propria metamorfosi, a testimonianza di come anche la 708 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) periferia possa generare una µHURLFD¶ trasformazione (123). Inoltre, nella serie animata Rebibbia Quarantine (2020), attraverso numerosi richiami e citazioni pop DOO¶LQWHUQR della rappresentazione degli spazi periferici romani cristallizzati dal lockdown pandemico, Ciampaglia intravede una ³ULFRQILJXUD]LRQH del rapporto fra reale e LPPDJLQDULR´ (128) che invita lo spettatore a una riflessione critica sulla realtà nella periferia capitolina (129). Il quarto capitolo ³6FKHUPL e scherni vaticDQL´ 131-54), firmato da Di Biagi, è una caustica e ottimamente argomentata analisi sulla rappresentazione degli spazi della Città del Vaticano nel cinema di fine XX/inizio XXI secolo. Se nelle note produzioni G¶ROWUHRFHDQR²tra action/thriller, scenari apocalittici e film ³HVRUFLVWLFL´ (138)²O¶LPSLHJR cinematografico della Santa Sede è quasi esclusivamente funzionale alla rappresentazione di XQ¶LVWLWX]LRQH impenetrabile, corrotta e malefica, anche nei film nostrani le vicende ad ambientazione vaticana ³VL tingono istantaneamente >«@ di minaccioso, di tenebroso e di RFFXOWR´ (143). Netta è la bocciatura di Suburra assieme alla discutibile funzionalità della presenza vaticana nella trama, al punto che il film, oltre ad una costante e straripante violenza, per Di Biagi non ha alcun messaggio, alcun fondo eticomorale da proporre (148). Pertanto, oltre DOO¶RJJHWWLYD funzionalità GHOO¶onlocation shooting, gli spazi vaticani del cinema contemporaneo si rivelano dei non-luoghi avulsi da qualsiasi connessione con il reale, privi di una forma identitaria e funzionali solo al confezionamento di prodotti di intrattenimento: luoghi inevitabilmente destoricizzati e sterilmente astratti (153). Negli ultimi due capitoli ³&DUWRJUDILH del WUDJLFR´ 155-94; ³7RSRJUDILH del cRPLFR´ 195-221) Capoferri e Ciampaglia scandagliano²rispettivamente sotto i parametri del tragico e del comico²le periferie della cinematic Rome GHOO¶XOWLPR decennio. Per Capoferri la forte coesione identitaria delle borgate pasoliniane² che ne connotava lotmanianamente il tessuto semiosferico²si sgretola nella contraddittorietà morfologica e culturale degli odierni spazi periferici. Le quattro pellicole esaminate, e i destini tragici dei loro personaggi, testimoniano il paradosso della moderna periferia: il costante conflitto tra una desolante anomia ed un ostinato desiderio di riappropriazione identitaria (159). Brillante è la riflessione VXOO¶LSHUUHDOLVPR della Roma immaginaria nel cinema; svincolata dai cardini GHOO¶RJJHWWLYLVPR del reale, essa si amplifica nelle molteplici potenzialità della sua resa filmica, divenendo ³DVVROXWD perché immaginata´ (193). Le periferie in cui transitano i personaggi delle quattro commedie esaminate da Ciampaglia sono spazi indicativi del dinamismo e GHOO¶HWHURJHQHLWj culturale nella Roma post-metropolitana. In questi film la volontà di assimilazione verso una società µDOWUD¶ sottende il desiderio di ³FRQTXLVWD di XQ¶LGHQWLWj´ (209) che la realtà suburbana ostacola notevolmente. Specularmente DOO¶LSHUUHDOLVPR delle periferie del tragico, anche gli spazi liminari del comico rivelano XQ¶LQWHUHVVDQWH modalità di rappresentazione immaginaria della città, sia essa espressa GDOO¶LQFRQVXHWR bianco e nero che ritrae il quartiere Tormarancia di Orecchie (2017), o ravvisabile Italian Bookshelf 709 nella semisconosciuta Bastogi di Come un gatto in tangenziale (2018), periferia tuttora ignota a molti dei romani. In conclusione, mediante approcci di studio dissimili ma efficacemente complementari, gli autori di Badlands delineano una città ancorata ai fasti del passato e proiettata nella desolazione del presente, una spazio urbano capace di amplificare nel cinema le multiformi problematicità della sua dimensione reale, una Roma ³HWHUQDPHQWH´ in bilico tra O¶LPSDOFDWXUD mitologica che la sorregge e gli scenari apocalittici di una palingenesi futura. Giampaolo Molisina, PhD candidate, University of Wisconsin-Madison Federica Colleoni, Chiara De Santi, eds. Passato e presente nel cinema italiano. Storia e società sul grande schermo. Manziana: Vecchiarelli Editore, 2022. Pp. 294. Il volume collettaneo curato da Federica Colleoni e Chiara De Santi si promette un solido strumento di studio per chi voglia indagare come O¶DQWLFR legame tra cinema e storia torni a essere vitale anche, e forse soprattutto, in tempi come i nostri orientati a forme brevi e simultanee di narrazione e a quella che nella Prefazione (7-10) Fabrizio Cilento chiama ³XQD forma di amnesia FROOHWWLYD´ (7). Per quanto incalzato da media di più diffuso impatto sociale e acciaccato nella sua vocazione di esperienza collettiva GDOO¶LPSRUVL di nuove modalità di distribuzione e consumo dei film, il cinema continua a porsi quale operoso referto di come una società allestisce la memoria del proprio passato. Il cinema italiano in particolare, da sempre contrassegnato da un intenso legame con i processi identitari del Paese, V¶RIIUH a variegate indagini sui modi in cui la narrazione filmica ha rappresentato non soltanto i più problematici passaggi della storia passata, ma anche i più minuti varchi GHOO¶DWWXDOLWj verso quella che si predispone a essere la futura storia GHOO¶RJJL Tempo, scrivono le curatrici, ³GL chiederci in che modo il cinema italiano ci ha raccontato e continua a raccontarci la storia e la società italiane; quali esempi di connubio tra cinema e storia o cinema e società sono particolarmente rilevanti, ma non hanno avuto un riscontro mediatico o di critica; quali film, invece, hanno riscosso successo e SHUFKp´ (12). Nella corposa Introduzione (11-29), Colleoni e De Santi (autrice, TXHVW¶XOWLPD anche del saggio conclusivo) ripercorrono le diverse accezioni in cui il rapporto tra cinema e storia è stato elaborato dalla critica nazionale e internazionale, con un occhio di riguardo alla critica anglosassone cresciuta DOO¶LQFURFLR tra Italian Studies, Cultural Studies e Film Studies. /¶LQWUHFFLR di cinema e storia è stato declinato lungo diverse traiettorie concettuali: a fianco della storicità tematica dei film ambientati nel passato, interpellabili non tanto per la loro autenticità documentale quanto per i modi in cui il passato viene ricreato dal cinema, si dispiega la storicità del contesto socio-culturale di produzione e ricezione dei film; a latere GHOO¶LQWULQVHFD storicità delle immagini 710 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) cinematografiche, ancorate al visibile coevo, si srotola la storicità del traliccio ideologico che sostiene le rappresentazioni, e più spesso le mancate rappresentazioni, dei soggetti tacitati dalla Storia. Della vastità di orizzonti operativi fanno in diverso modo tesoro i dieci capitoli del libro, articolati strutturalmente lungo un tracciato cronologico che attraversa campionariamente più di VHWWDQW¶DQQL di cinema italiano. Il capitolo di Guido Bartolini (31-51) si concentra sulle rappresentazioni della guerra GHOO¶$VVH nel cinema italiano del dopoguerra e VXOO¶HODERUD]LRQH cinematografica dello stereotipo degli Italiani brava gente, mentre Flora Derounian devia dalla consueta lettura frontale di Riso amaro (1949) di Giuseppe De Santis abbinandola a Risaia (1956) di Raffaello Matarazzo per riflettere sulla costruzione della figura della mondina e della donna lavoratrice come simboli della rinascita postbellica (53-91). $OO¶HYROX]LRQH del ruolo della donna nel secondo Novecento, guarda anche il saggio di Giulia Po DeLisle su Cosmonauta (2009) di Susanna Nicchiarelli, da cui la studiosa distilla l¶HIILFDFH critica ai modelli femminili più retrivi appoggiati dal PCI nel pieno del Miracolo Economico (93-110). Da un classico come Il caso Mattei (1972) di Francesco Rosi, Martino Lovato (estrae un sostanzioso discorso sulla assenza, o sparuta presenza, di personaggi subalterni del mondo arabo, documentando al dettaglio le difficoltà compositive del regista nel confrontarsi con O¶LQWULFDWD storia GHOO¶(1, negli anni 1950-1960 (111-34). Il saggio di Matteo Quinto rimpingua attorno a Buongiorno notte (2003) di Marco Bellocchio la chiave GHOO¶LPPDJLQD]LRQH intermediale forgiata da Pietro Montani per esplorare una delle più vigorose riletture postmoderne del rapimento di Aldo Moro e delle azioni Brigate Rosse (135-58); quello di Anna Chichi misura su un altro campione del nuovo cinema politico italiano, Il divo (2007) di Paolo Sorrentino, la cospicua intertestualità con O¶Intervista con la storia (1974) di Oriana Fallaci (159-77). I capitoli di Diego Barboni (179-203) e Raissa Baroni (205-28) dialogano a distanza attorno al cinema sui migranti e sulla migrazione principiato a cavallo del ventunesimo secolo, mentre gli ultimi due contributi si spostano rispettivamente sulle rappresentazioni odierne del precariato e della crisi del mondo del lavoro nel capitolo di Paolo Chirumbolo (229-47), alla vigorosa risposta approntata da Foccacia Blues (2009) di Niro Cirasola alla omogeneizzazione globale in quello di Chiara De Santi (249-90). Stimolante nei singoli risultati e prezioso nella ricchezza degli apparati bibliografici, il libro vacilla un poco nel rischiararci teoreticamente cosa distingua, o cosa approssimi, il cinema µGHO¶ e µVXO¶ passato dal cinema µGHO¶ e µVXO SUHVHQWH¶ Se il tempo filmico è sempre, come vuole Pierre Sorlin, il presente, il tempo della sua confezione materiale e culturale si screzia in innumerevoli configurazioni di prossimità o distanza dal periodo rappresentato, e il non tenerne conto offusca gli obiettivi G¶LQGDJLQH effettivamente condivisi dai vari contributi. La stessa scelta di attraversare ³LO nesso storia e LGHQWLWj´ non per stilare ³XQD sorta di lista di µDUJRPHQWL¶ o temi quasi dovessimo ricostruire un manuale di storia Italian Bookshelf 711 italiana per immagini, ma per capire perché il cinema abbia ritenuto che la storia costituisse motivo di interesse per il pubblico e come abbia deciso di raccontarla o includerla nelle sue QDUUD]LRQL´ (18), anche a prescindere dal discredito verso uno strumento che potrebbe invece rivelarsi vincente per nutrire la memoria delle nuove generazioni immerse nella visual culture, dilata forse un SR¶ troppo le griglie GHOO¶LPSLDQWR critico del libro, schiudendo a lacunosità e a carotaggi asistematici della materia. Ma ne sono consapevoli le curatrici: Presente e passato nel cinema italiano non è un congedo esaustivo GDOO¶DUJRPento, bensì un persuaso (e persuasivo) contributo a un tema ³FKH continua a suscitare dibattiti e riflessioni e che ci spinge a continuarne lo studio e la ricerca, applicando nuovi approcci di DQDOLVL´ (23). Federica Capoferri, John Cabot University Mauro Resmini. Italian Political Cinema: Figures of the Long ¶. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 2023. Pp. 302. How does political cinema grapple with the relationship between cinema and politics? Published amid rising scholarly interest for representations of ,WDO\¶V 1960s and 1970s, Mauro 5HVPLQL¶V Italian Political Cinema persuasively argues that there is no intrinsic relation between cinema and politics. According to the WH[W¶V figural interpretation of popular films, cinema G¶LPSHJQR, and art films from the mid-1960s to early 1980s, each film resolves the ³RULJLQDO non-UHODWLRQ´ between cinema and politics by creating figures, which Resmini defines as ³WKH material support of a dialectical interaction between one element and its RSSRVLWH´ (2) that links cinema and politics. Resmini first examines the figure of the worker before discussing the ZRUNHU¶V antithesis, the housewife; out of this dialectic emerges the figure of the youth. Resmini traces the role of the other five figures² saint, specter, tyrant, intriguer, and martyr²using the same dialectical process. Each figure presages the next, with subsequent figures surpassing the limits of their antecedents. The author effectively applies theoretical approaches rooted not only in Erich $XHUEDFK¶V theory of figura, but also in Jacques 'HUULGD¶V aporia, Jacques /DFDQ¶V object-cause of desire, Alain %DGLRX¶V logic of the subject, and Walter %HQMDPLQ¶V dislocation of sovereignty. A compelling text accessible even to non-academic audiences, Italian Political Cinema offers meticulously detailed readings of films as diverse as 3HWUL¶V Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion, $QWRQLRQL¶V Red Desert, 0RQLFHOOL¶V We Want the Colonels, 0RUHWWL¶V I Am Self-Sufficient, and 3DVROLQL¶V Salò. By addressing films not usually included in the canon of political cinema, 5HVPLQL¶V provocative but potent book calls for an expansion of the category of political cinema even across national boundaries. In fact, Resmini 712 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) intends to redefine political cinema as ³QHLWKHU comedy nor dUDPD´ and ³QRW political other than at the most distant OHYHOV´ (7). After introducing the ERRN¶V theoretical background and calling for a global analysis of political cinema in the first chapter, ³µ$ Dance of )LJXUHV¶ For a Figural Theory of Political CiQHPD´ (15-34), Resmini dedicates subsequent chapters to the eight figures. In Chapter 2, ³7KH Worker: Subjectivity within and against &DSLWDO´ (35-80), Resmini discusses the worker as protagonist of social protest and victim of crisis before turning in Chapter ³7KH Housewife: Figuring Reproductive /DERU´ (81-126), to the housewife, within whom Resmini locates new forms of protest and the cause of the end of radical subjectivity. Chapter 4, ³7KH Youth: the Dialectic of (QMR\PHQW´ (127-64), discusses the figure of the youth, who represents generalized antagonism growing out of individual desires. In Chapter 5, ³7KH Saint: An Ethics of $XWRQRP\´ (165-82), Resmini examines the saint, whose transformation of desire into ethics ends in self-destruction. Then, in the sixth chapter, ³7KH Specter: Totality as &RQMXUDWLRQ´ (183-222), Resmini investigates the specter, which represents both unresolved conspiracies and melancholic memory. In the final chapter, ³$SRFDO\SVH with Figures: The Tyrant, the Intriguer, the MarW\U´ (223-52), the author explores how three films² 3DVROLQL¶V Salò, 3HWUL¶V Todo Modo, and )HUUHUL¶V La Grande Bouffe conclude what Resmini calls the ³ILJXUDO arc of Italian political FLQHPD´ (223): these films reveal the crisis of the bourgeoisie and the establishment of a state of exception marked by the pathological figures of the tyrant, intriguer, and martyr. 5HVPLQL¶V book impressively renders an argument steeped in complex theory accessible even to those less familiar with Italian political cinema. 5HVPLQL¶V minutely detailed analyses lend insightful support to the ERRN¶V innovative and far-reaching argument. Theoretical concepts are explained succinctly and well contextualized from a historical perspective. For example, the fourth chapter provides a brief overview of how ³\RXWK´ became a social category. The book also effectively addresses the concepts discussed by theorists at the time the films were made and released, particularly in Chapter ¶V analysis of how Antonio Negri and Paolo Virno envisioned the ZRUNHU¶V role in society. A similar discussion on the saint, specter, tyrant, intriguer, and martyr could have further reinforced 5HVPLQL¶V argument. Italian Political Cinema addresses each figure in detail before identifying the subsequent figure in the dialectical limits of the preceding ones. This impressive structure allows Resmini to detect characteristics of these figures that might otherwise have gone unnoticed, particularly contradictory traits inherent to each of them. This application of dialectics is admirable: rather than adopting a Manichean structure, Resmini uses dialectics thoughtfully, attentive to nuance. Nonetheless, readers may be left wondering whether other figures exist in these films. For example, while Resmini does discuss the difference between the figure of the youth and figure of the child that was so central to Italian neorealism, the book does not directly address why the child has lost importance to the point Italian Bookshelf 713 that it is excluded from 5HVPLQL¶V list of figures. Closely related is the question of the ILJXUHV¶ origins: if each figure arises dialectically from the last, from which thesis and antithesis is the figure of the worker²5HVPLQL¶V first figure²born? Italian Political Cinema makes me wonder whether there is a sequential progression to the figures: Resmini proceeds dialectically from one to the next but does not clarify whether this is primarily instrumental in identifying the figures, or whether the figures themselves emerged historically from one another. Did the emergence of the worker, youth, and housewife as figures precede the emergence of the saint and the specter in later films? If so, did earlier figures lose importance as the next figures arose? Finally, is it significant that the worker, the youth, and the housewife existed in real life and are supported by a political identity theorized at the time, whereas the saint, specter, tyrant, intriguer, and martyr primarily claim existence in the social imaginary? Even a cogent book as encompassing and meticulously detailed as 5HVPLQL¶V cannot be all-inclusive. The book arguably succeeds in its provocative aim to inaugurate a new way of thinking about global cinema, as its greatest strength lies in its capacity to spark thought-provoking reflections. Resmini ends the book by asking readers to reflect on what figures exist in political cinema on a global scale, how have they shifted over time, and how they have influenced one another transnationally. To these, perhaps we could add: Is there a connection between collective memory of ,WDO\¶V 1960s-1970s and the figures of 1960s-1970s cinema? Might 5HVPLQL¶V theorization of a non-relation between cinema and politics also be applicable to other media? Judith Tauber, PhD student, Cornell University Massimo Riva. Shadow Plays. Virtual Realities in an Analog World. Stanford: Stanford UP, 2022. https://shadow-plays.supdigital.org/cover/index.html. Maybe the most amazing aspect of Massimo 5LYD¶V remarkable book is that it is so much more than just a book, precisely because it is not a book. It is in fact a multi-media experience, a combination of written text, still and moving images as well as, occasionally, spoken words. And it is, of course, clearly also an academic book, well-documented, well-researched and full of insightful discussions and reflections. The central topic of this freely accessible online publication are eighteenth- and nineteenth-century media providing virtual travel experiences. Not all of them are Italian in origin, but all are connected to Italy, namely Venice, in one way or another. Thanks to the possibilities offered by the digital medium, Riva guides the user²reader would be too limited a term here²on a virtual voyage into some fascinating manifestations of that SHULRG¶V media landscape. The written text is subdivided in a preface and six chapters, each of which has several subsections. Moreover, one can explore ³)XUWKHU ,QVLJKWV´ pages with additional information, reflections, or connections to other media forms. All 714 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) chapters are dedicated to one, sometimes more media objects and discuss them in relation to other cultural expressions of that time. Each section is richly illustrated, which makes this publication also visually very attractive. A particularly noteworthy feature are the ³VLPXODWLRQV´ interactive digital models of the optical devices discussed in the various chapters. Riva is aware of what he calls an ³LQWHUSUHWDWLYH dilemma: how to understand and reconstruct, as faithfully as possible, analog experiences in a digital ZD\"´ ³3UHIDFH´  His objective here is to ³HQWLFH readers to peer into the past and trigger their curiosity about these artifacts from a historical (OVHZKHUH´ by making productive the dilemma, and therefore he considers the simulations to be ³LQWHJUDO to the enhanced cognitive experience that a digital monograph can RIIHU´ ³3UHIDFH´  The virtual trip across the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century media landscape begins with a type of peepshow spectacle sometimes called ³FRVPRUDPD´ Il Mondo Nuovo, and its representation in a 1791 Venetian painting by Giandomenico Tiepolo. By closely analyzing the painting, the author explores the FRVPRUDPD¶V capacities to provide a virtual travel experience while at the same time inviting audiences to watch others watch, as a form of, as he calls it, ³VRFLDO YR\HXULVP´ The second chapter is set again in Venice, slightly earlier, with Domenico 6HOYD¶V camera obscura. Here, Riva discusses the effects of this device, in its various forms, on the practices of contemporary painters, particularly Canaletto, in representing landscapes and cityscapes. Two Venetians become the focus of chapter 3: Carlo Goldoni and Giacomo Casanova. Both authors wrote plays in which optical devices feature prominently. In *ROGRQL¶V Il Mondo della Luna (1750), an imposter-astrologist uses a fake telescope to show his victim a view of life on the moon. Casanova completed his play in 1791 while he was confined in the castle of Dux, Bohemia. The play centers around the polemoscope, a military device invented in the mid-eighteenth century that functions as a kind of periscope, allowing soldiers to observe the enemy without being detected. In a miniaturized form, it became a medium for social surveillance. Riva reads both plays in the context of social voyeurism: in *ROGRQL¶V case as a reflection on the double-edged nature of optical devices that² just as Il Mondo Nuovo discussed in chapter 1²transport the viewers to distant worlds, but also offer them a critical gaze on their own social environment. In CasanovD¶V play, the mechanism of the polemoscope, both discrete and intrusive, is uncovered and neutralized thanks to geometrical knowledge and rational calculation. The fourth chapter takes the user from Italy to early nineteenth-century London. It retraces the career of Giovanni Belzoni, who started out as a colporteur, then played exotic figures on the stage, performed as a strongman, conjurer, and as a showman presenting optical illusions, before reinventing himself as an adventurer, archeologist, and pioneer Egyptologist. In 1821, Belzoni opened his exhibition ³7KH 7RPE´ at the London Egyptian Hall, presenting a replica of the tomb of Seti I that he had discovered. Riva considers this facsimile a ³5HDO Italian Bookshelf 715 3KDQWDVPDJRULD´ in reference to Étienne Gaspard RobertsoQ¶V spectacle presented in Paris two decades earlier. Belzoni aimed to evoke the ³DXUD´ of the past by taking the visitors on a virtual trio across both space and time. In 1860, Giuseppe *DULEDOGL¶V Expedition of the Thousand became international news. A showman grasped the opportunity to exhibit a moving panorama in Derby by the end of that year, representing the life and exploits of the Italian national hero. In the fifth chapter, Riva discusses this moving panorama as a form of infotainment combining images with a captivating narrative. He sees it as one element of ³WUDQVPHGLD History-WHOOLQJ´ that comprised in addition various books and illustrated newspaper reports on Garibaldi that circulated across Europe. The final chapter is dedicated to the 1897 Underwood & Underwood stereoscopic kit Italy through the Stereoscope that provided an armchair travel experience combining stereo views, maps, and a guidebook. The set allowed to experience a ³*UDQG 7RXU´ without leaving RQH¶V room, starting in Rome, going south to Naples, and ending in Venice, including all the stereotypes of a touristic gaze on Italy. In the closing section, which also functions as a conclusion to the book, Riva pays particular attention to a stereograph showing plaster casts of bodies at the Pompei Museum. Just like all the other media devices discussed in this work, the stereograph gives a promise of presence while the object of the gaze remains unattainable. Massimo 5LYD¶V Shadow Plays is a highly original, rich, and profound study in media archaeology, demonstrating that eighteenth- and nineteenth-century culture was rife with optical devices allowing to experience virtual realities long before the digital era. The fact that he presents his study as an Open Access web publication, made possible by digital technology, is just another twist in the complex yet immensely instructive story that Riva tells. Frank Kessler, Utrecht University Monica Seger. Toxic Matters. Narrating ,WDO\¶V Dioxin. Charlottesville: U of Virginia P, 2022. Pp. 228. In her monograph Toxic Matters. Narrating ,WDO\¶V Dioxin, Monica Seger continues her investigation into the entanglements of the human and the nonhuman initiated in Landscapes in Between. Environmental Change in Modern Italian Literature and Film (London, Buffalo and Toronto: U of Toronto P, 2015). She focuses on two environmental crises: the first is the 1976 Seveso disaster² an explosion at the ICMESA chemical factory near Milan that resulted in one of the greatest immediate releases of dioxin in the atmosphere, while the second refers to the hazardous emissions of Ilva, (XURSH¶V largest steelworks opened in 1964 in the Apulian city of Taranto. For the scholar, Seveso and Taranto²where local populations and landscapes were exposed to high levels of dioxin pollution²are the cases to 716 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) examine material and discursive aspects of toxicity and toxic embodiment strictly tied to social inequalities. Seger coins the term ³HFR-corporeal FULVLV´ (6), echoing Stacy $ODLPR¶V ³WUDQVFRUSRUHDOLW\´ (Bodily Natures: Science, Environment, and the Material Self. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2010, 2)²the notion of permeable human bodies intermeshed with material agents, including invisible ³WR[LF PDWWHUV´ In line with the ³PDWHULDO WXUQ´ in the Italian environmental humanities, she draws upon feminist new materialisms and material ecocriticism: dioxin is a ³YLEUDQW PDWWHU´ (Jane Bennett. Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things. Durham: Duke UP, 2009) that ³FRQQHFWV industry, environment, and living EHLQJV´ (6), as well as a ³VWoried PDWWHU´ that tells its own stories (Serenella Iovino and Serpil Oppermann, eds. Material Ecocriticism. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2014, 1) . The novelty of 6HJHU¶V approach is in her engagement with econarratology (Erin James. The Storyworld Accord: Econarratology and Postcolonial Narratives. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 2015) which combines an ecocritical mode of reading and a narratological analysis. She is interested in the potential of creative works to build immersive ³VWRU\ZRUOGV´ (David Herman. Story Logic: Problems and Possibilities of Narrative. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 2002) through which audiences can gain knowledge and affective understanding of shifting environmental realities²especially when they have to do with such a dangerous and imperceptible matter like dioxin. Stories are also tools of resistance in the struggles for environmental justice: referencing Marco $UPLHUR¶V stance that ³WR narrate means to counter-QDUUDWH´ (Teresa e le altre. Storie di donne nella terra dei fuochi. Milan: Jaca, 2014, 16), the study underlines how writers, artists, and residents challenge the official narratives of state, industries, and mainstream media. As the author explains in the introduction (5), she dedicates more attention to Taranto because the Ilva case was reflected in a larger number of cultural works, and so that the distribution of the material in the monograph does not seem disproportionate. Chapters 1 ³6HYHVR Making 6HQVH´ 21-32) and 3 ³7DUDQWR Past, Present, )XWXUH´ 63-73) provide a critical overview of the Seveso disaster and the relationships between the city of Taranto and the steelworks, while chapters 2, 4, and 5 explore literary and cinematic narratives about the ³HFRcorporeal FULVHV´ in Seveso and Taranto. To highlight the importance of a multitude of voices, Seger includes in the book six alternating sections titled ³)LUVW 3HUVRQ´²excerpts from her conversations with artists and activists in both cities²that amplify the stories examined in the chapters. Seger analyzes an impressive number of texts across different media: newspaper articles, archival documents, oral testimonies, coming-of-age novels, autobiographical narratives, reportages, movies, and documentaries. Some are already well-known to ecocritical scholars, like Laura ConWL¶V novel Una lepre con la faccia di bambina (1978) about Seveso which anticipates insights of econarratology, as Seger compellingly demonstrates in her interpretation of the Italian Bookshelf 717 text and Gianni 6HUUD¶V television adaptation (1988) in chapter 2 ³6HYHVR Stories, or The Importance of Laura &RQWL´ 37-62). Through ³LQGLUHFW PLFURQDUUDWLRQ´ (44)²visual storytelling, speculative projections, and role-play²teenage protagonists ³PDNH senVH´ of dioxin contamination, contrasting the sense of uncertainty in their community (because of the absence of clear information about exposure). The monograph mostly focuses on previously unexamined works, unfolding an extensive corpus of Taranto-based ³WR[LF WDOHV´ (77). Contemporary writers Flavia Piccinni, Cristina Zagaria, Cosimo Argentina, and Giuliano Foschini map urban geographies and represent plurivocality of the Tarantine community. Their texts reflect the porosity of human and nonhuman bodies, like $UJHQWLQD¶V Vicolo GHOO¶DFFLDLR (2010) in which, as Seger notes, the steelworks and the city possess ³DQLPDF\´ (Mel Chen. Animacies: Biopolitics, Racial Mattering, and Queer Affect. Durham: Duke UP, 2012), described as both animal creatures and human subjects (chapter 4, ³7R[LF Tales: Mapping Plurivocality, Mostly on 3DJH´ 77101). The filmic chapter 5 ³2Q-screen Engagements: Mapping Plurivocality (and 1RW ´ 105-37) brings together documentaries by Mariangela Barbanente, Cecilia Mangini and Paolo Pisanelli and a more experimental docufilm Non perdono (2016) by Roberto Marsella and Grace Zanotto which all use different ³QDUUDWLYH FRQFHLWV´ (112) to expose Tarantine environmental wounds. Given the encyclopedic overview of Ilva-related texts, it is slightly surprising that in the book there is no mention of the prominent Taranto-born author and intellectual Alessandro Leogrande (1977-2017) who wrote about his native city and the steelworks in Fumo sulla città (2013) and Dalle macerie. Cronache sul fronte meridionale (2018). His play ³3DQH DOO¶DFTXDVDOH´ (2017)²with monologues of the trade union leader Giuseppe Di Vittorio, an Ilva worker, and a Polish bracciante²would have resonated with 6HJHU¶V reflections on storytelling and plurivocality. The last chapter, ³5HDGLQJ Landscapes: Back to the Land in Seveso and 7DUDQWR´ (141-74), is also the most intriguing because the scholar extends her analysis beyond literary and visual texts. She ³UHDGV´ the memorial Seveso Oak Forest, community actions (the Fornaro IDPLO\¶V hemp farm), artistic works (The Ammostro Collective) and performances (Noel Gazzano) in Taranto as collaborative practices that can bring regeneration to contaminated lands and foster relationality and awareness. More than other chapters, it features 6HJHU¶V personal narratives and situatedness since her interpretations stem from her encounters with people and walking in landscapes. While these accounts provide information and immersive experience that cannot be obtained through ³WUDGLWLRQDO´ academic research, parts about the park in Seveso seem to be more descriptive than analytical, although this approach also reflects Franco &DVVDQR¶V notion of ³JRLQJ VORZ´ that informs 6HJHU¶V work (Franco Cassano, Norma 718 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Bouchard, and Valerio Ferme, eds. Southern Thought and Other Essays on the Mediterranean. New York: Fordham UP, 2011, 9). Toxic Matters will certainly become an important part of the canon of Italian ecocritical scholarship. Acknowledging significant differences between the two cases, Seger traces convincing connections between Seveso and Taranto and their stories. Not only does the book draw attention to ecological issues in the Italian context, but it also emphasizes transnational aspects of toxicity and fights for environmental justice. Most importantly, this research is in conversation with the works of other scholars in the Italian environmental humanities. Like Serenella Iovino, Elena Past, and Enrico Cesaretti, Seger is interested in ³WKH power of narrative and the agency of PDWWHU´ (16) and declaredly takes inspiration from their methodologies (like 3DVW¶V use of first-person interviews and walking as a methodological approach). This collaborative nature accentuates the originality of 6HJHU¶V study and her remarkable ability to intertwine detailed information, theoretical underpinnings and the refined analysis of different texts. Daria Kozhanova, PhD Candidate, Duke University Tomaso Subini. La via italiana alla pornografia. Cattolicesimo, sessualità e cinema (1948-1986). Firenze: Le Monnier, 2021. Pp. 306. La tardiva, quanto maldestra istituzionalizzazione del cinema pornografico in Italia, trova nei tre concetti chiave di ³FRQWUROOR´ ³FRQIOLWWR´ e ³FDGXWD´ i presupposti più ideali per XQ¶DQDOLVL dei discorsi e dei processi culturali che ne hanno consentito il suo concretizzarsi. /¶LQWXL]LRQH alla base di una solida struttura interpretativa, è da attribuire DOO¶DXWRUH del volume in oggetto. Investendo i tre rispettivi concetti di un significato parimenti temporale, Tomaso Subini identifica e dispone in un quadro cronologico compreso tra il 1948, anno del trionfo democristiano alle elezioni politiche, e il 1986, anno della legittimazione dei film ³D luce URVVH´ per i soli adulti consenzienti, i discontinui sintomi DOO¶RULJLQH di ciò che ben definisce essere la via italiana alla pornografia. La sua tesi, in estrema sintesi, poggia VXOO¶DUJRPHQWDWD percezione secondo la quale un simile percorso è stato possibile in Italia poiché incentivato, soprattutto, dal collimare di due contraltari che fanno del caso nazionale un esempio del tutto peculiare. Subini, infatti, riconosce nella forte influenza culturale, sociale e istituzionale del clericalismo generalizzato, e nei processi di sessualizzazione del cinema mainstream, i due fattori determinanti per il germogliare del fenomeno e per il suo conseguente fiorire. Ad avallare questa ipotesi è il ventaglio di fonti chiamate in causa allo scopo di restituire le norme giuridiche e di costume di quel tempo, puntualmente interrogate GDOO¶DXWRUH in una prospettiva teorico-metodologica perlopiù pertinente alla storiografia del cinema italiano e agli studi culturali tout court. Se, da un lato, i contributi alla storia istituzionale del cinema italiano si Italian Bookshelf 719 distribuiscono nel volume quasi a formare il confine entro il quale gli è consentito agire, GDOO¶DOWUR sono piuttosto le lezioni di Michel Foucault (Histoire de la sexualité, 1, La volonté de savoir. Paris: Gallimard, 1976) e Peppino Ortoleva (Il secolo dei media. Riti, abitudini, mitologie. Milano: il Saggiatore, 2008) a fornirgli i modelli interpretativi di più congeniale riferimento. Sulla scorta di questi fondamenti, il testo si organizza cronologicamente in tre dense sezioni scandite ognuna dai tre concetti menzionati in apertura. Il primo capitolo, ³&RQWUROOR (1948- ´ (12-94), offre XQ¶HVDXVWLYD visione di insieme sulle origini e gli effetti catalizzati dai due principali processi trasformativi QHOO¶,WDOLD del secondo dopoguerra: O¶DPHULFDQL]]D]LRQH e il suo inoculare, anche tramite Hollywood, gli stilemi del modello American Way, e la già accennata, quanto massiccia, clericalizzazione. Due polarità, queste, DOO¶HSRFD contrapposte soprattutto dalla ³PRGD del VHVVR´ (12) e dalla disputa sulla sua diffusione nel contesto italiano. 1HOO¶DQDOLVL proposta, il cinema occupa in tal senso un ruolo di punta per le sorti di questa diatriba istituzionale e discorsiva controbilanciata, seppur illusoriamente, dalle forze politiche della Democrazia Cristiana. È proprio TXHVW¶XOWLPD una volta insediatasi, a voler tentare la strada della moderazione suggerendo parimenti una politica che salvaguardasse O¶LQWHUHVVH morale dei cattolici senza inibire aspramente O¶LQGXVWULD cinematografica. Subini riconosce in particolare in Giulio Andreotti, sottosegretario alla presidenza del governo De Gasperi dal 1947 al 1953, e in Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, chiamato a sostituire il primo nel neo-governo più rigorista di Scelba, i due principali player politici di questo primo segmento temporale. Forti dei rispettivi incarichi, i due alfieri delle politiche democristiane per lo spettacolo si trovano pertanto nella tortuosa situazione ³GL dover gestire XQ¶LQVDQDELOH contraddizione di fondo tra O¶DIIHUPD]LRQH di un orizzonte valoriale cattolico e O¶DFFHWWD]LRQH in nome della libera circolazione dei beni di consumo, di prodotti contrari a quello stesso orizzonte YDORULDOH´ (20). Come però dimostra O¶DXWRUH questo compito apparentemente discordante determina un inasprimento nelle politiche cinematografiche dello Stato, ora supportate dalla magistratura e dalla censura QHOO¶HULJHUH una diga amministrativa che, tuttavia, provoca nel pubblico una reazione inversa a quanto auspicato. Sulla scia di questa fallacea coercizione, il secondo capitolo, dal titolo eloquente ³&RQIOLWWR (1958- ´ (95-174), pone in luce le ragioni GHOO¶LQVXFFHVVR annunciato del progetto cattolico sulla gestione del medium. A riassumerne i tratti sono soprattutto gli effetti di XQ¶DQQDWD cruciale, il 1958, ascritta da Subini come una svolta irreversibile per il processo di sessualizzazione del cinema italiano. Tre le principali ragioni. Con O¶HPDQD]LRQH della legge Merlin, il pubblico italiano trova il modo di saziare il proprio appetito sessuale nei cinema e nella visione di film scollacciati; con la nomina a sottosegretario ottenuta dal socialdemocratico Egidio Ariosto, i democristiani perdono il controllo decennale esercitato sul cinema, con conseguente allargamento delle 720 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) maglie censorie; con O¶DSSURGR al soglio pontificio di Giovanni XXIII, ³JLXQJH finalmente a pieno compimento quel processo di progressiva separazione tra affari sacri e affari SURIDQL´ (102) in capo alla Chiesa. Due anni più tardi, O¶XVFLWD nelle sale italiane de La dolce vita (Fellini, 1960) complica ulteriormente lo scenario socioculturale del paese, aggravando il dibattito sulla presenza del sesso nel cinema istituzionale, e suscitando, WXWW¶DO più, scandali, malumori e divisioni interne alla compagine cattolica. Il complesso di questi fenomeni, come evidenzia O¶DXWRUH nel terzo capitolo, ³&DGXWD (1968- ´ (175-255), ³DQWLFLSD e prepara O¶HPHUVLRQH della pornografia hard-FRUH´ (194) a un livello transmediale, passando dalle riviste per adulti, ai canali delle televisioni private, sino a raggiungere, nel 1979, gli schermi delle sale cosiddette ³D luci URVVH´ Il diffondersi di questa a un livello capillare sollecita conseguentemente la Chiesa a prenderne pubblicamente atto soltanto nel decennio successivo, in risposta alla sentenza della Corte di Cassazione del 30 settembre 1986, data nella quale viene di fatto riconosciuta la succitata ³OHJDOLWj della sala a µOXFL URVVH¶´ (250). Se da un lato il trionfo del fenomeno pornografico trova quindi nel cinema, e nella sua progressiva sessualizzazione, il canale prediletto per una diffusione nel contesto italiano, GDOO¶DOWUR come dimostrato dalla tesi di Subini, la débâcle totale che ha condotto alla sua tardiva regolamentazione trova altresì le sue ragioni proprio in quella fallimentare politica della sorveglianza, GHOO¶RSSRVL]LRQH e GHOO¶LQLEL]LRQH perseguita per anni dalla Chiesa. Consegnandoci un testo decisivo nel suo riuscire a inquadrare O¶HYROYHUVL dei processi sessuali nella sfera mediale italiana, O¶DXWRUH offre dunque un ulteriore contributo agli studi politico-culturali della storia istituzionale del nostro cinema, aprendosi al contempo alla curiosità dei lettori non addetti ai lavori. Steven Stergar, PhD Candidate, Università degli Studi di Udine PEDAGOGY & TEXTBOOKS Paolo E. Balboni. Storia italiana per stranieri. 'DOO¶DQWLFD Roma ai giorni nostri. Roma: Edilingua, 2019. Pp. 151. By providing a concise yet thorough and complete rendering of major moments and periods in Italian history, %DOERQL¶V volume traces a connecting thread among various events, drawing in and engaging readers. Such a text would be useful as a historical framework for teaching literature, art, music and folklore, essentially complementing any upper-division Italian cultural studies course. Since it is written in Italian, it requires an intermediate to advanced knowledge of the language by L2 students. There are no comprehension exercises, thus it is Italian Bookshelf 721 intended for those who already possess a higher level of comprehension and wish to gain a fuller picture of the FRXQWU\¶V history. The book is also portable and convenient for instructors and may be used by them as a substructure even when teaching Italian history or literature courses in English. The editorial design is visually appealing with compelling and appropriate vivid images on nearly every page. Contents are laid out clearly and each chapter is easy to consult. Useful timelines are provided on the left-hand side while explications are laid out on the corresponding pages. Maps are frequently interspersed throughout the chapters to illustrate the domination of the Italian territory by local and foreign rulers. Smoothly traversing centuries of Roman civilization to the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque period and 1DSROHRQ¶V rule, the reader is guided to the Resurgence and consequent independence and unification of Italy. The transition between Middle Ages and Renaissance is particularly well described in its unique explanation of the development of municipalities (comuni), medieval states (signorie), and the four maritime republics (repubbliche marinare). The relationship between the Vatican state and Franco-German emperors (Sacro Romano Impero) and eventually the political interaction between the Church and Italian principalities and kingdoms is also well analyzed. Because of its internal divisions over the centuries, Italy underwent several foreign invasions; for long periods, parts of the country were ruled by Spain, France, Austria, and others. Despite the complexity of these affairs, Balboni succeeds in conveying a general picture of the events in these early sections of the book, associating them with cultural, artistic, and economic happenings in the peninsula (i.e., Chapters 2-3). One of the significant interdisciplinary connections made occurs in Chapter 5, in the section entitled ³/¶,WDOLD QDSROHRQLFD´ (74-75), where the author discusses the enthusiasm of Italian intellectuals²Monti, Manzoni, Foscolo and others²regarding the promise of 1DSROHRQ¶V rule. They saw in him, who became king of Italy, a path to fulfill the dream of a united fatherland in the name of democracy, equality, modernization, and progress. Balboni goes so far as to assert that these intellectuals ³VRQR µLQQDPRUDWL¶ [are in ORYH@´ with Napoleon. It is, however, omitted from the HPSHURU¶V countless accomplishments listed that he instituted cemeteries for everyone, whereas burials previously occurred inside churches for the wealthy and anywhere else for the poor; secondly, he implemented and enforced the concept of personal and public hygiene, particularly through the development of sewer systems. Mentioning societal and lifestyle changes such as this would be worthwhile so as to render history relevant to WRGD\¶V society and to show students the origins of key developments that we take for granted today. Modern Italian history from the Unification to present day is most likely to pique VWXGHQWV¶ interest as it sets the stage for contemporary socio-political and cultural matters. Balboni goes in-depth concerning the commercial development of Italy, which divided the country between the industrial, wealthy North and the 722 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) agricultural, impoverished South. The status of the proletariat and the development of unions and political parties, both left- and right-wing, is discussed alongside Giovanni *LROLWWL¶V strict liberal point of view. Significant developments of the aforementioned prime minister, such as suffrage for most male citizens, inspections of workplaces and creation of infrastructures, are presented accurately. One salient point the text fails to treat when covering the fascist era is the Lateran Treaty of 1929 between Mussolini and the Cardinal Secretary, which established a coexistence that had been lacking since the breach of Porta Pia in 1870. This is significant because Mussolini went from being anticlerical in his youth to being considered the man of providence by the Catholic Church. He thus gained an endorsement from an influential spiritual institution in Italy, generating a capillary diffusion of fascist ideology and power within Italian society, which has historically been religious. Each municipality, even the smallest ones in the most remote areas of the country, was overseen by three main figures: the podestà (replacing mayor with a 1926 law; appointed directly by the government and not elected by citizens), the carabiniere (local representative of both the army and the police), and the parroco (parish priest). These institutional figures were paramount for erecting the power structure of 0XVVROLQL¶V regime; the addition of this notion under ³,O ventennio IDVFLVWD´ (114-15), would better illustrate the widespread approval of fascism by the Italian population at the time. Furthermore, the volume does not mention the prominent figure of Enrico Mattei, former member of the Chamber of Deputies and manager of the ENI oil company. Mattei succeeded in amplifying the search for petroleum and gas in Italy and making key agreements with oil-producing countries in Africa and the Middle East, which would have presumably made Italy energy-independent from the Seven Sisters in the late 1950s. Unfortunately, he was unable to bring his project to fruition for he died in an obscure helicopter accident, which has since been a topic of contention as portrayed in several films and theorized as an act of sabotage. This figure and his death are worthy of mention as it played a role in halting ,WDO\¶V prospects of energy independence as well as slowing down its economic boom. It would have been appropriate to make mention of this, for instance, in the section entitled ³/D fine del miracolo [The end of the PLUDFOH@´ (130-1). As a satisfied reader and likely user of this volume for future upper-division Italian history and literature courses, I am confident that there is much to be gained for intermediate to advanced L2 students who read and study this text. By the same token, the book offers the advantages of brevity, clarity and portability for instructors who choose to assign its readings in their courses or even to use the text as a substructure for Italian history, literature or film classes taught in English. It also carries the potential for regular revisions and additions as the Italian political and cultural sphere continues to evolve. The full series, containing Italian Bookshelf 723 volumes on Italian literature, geography, music, art, cuisine and cinema, looks equally appealing. Alessia J. Mingrone, SUNY New Paltz Clelia Caraccia, and Andrea Mantelli. Italiani: personaggi che il mondo ci invidia. Arte. Roma: Edilingua, 2022. Pp. 80. Arte è il primo volume della collana di Edilingua Italiani: personaggi che il mondo ci invidia. Il progetto della casa editrice è di pubblicare complessivamente cinque testi²Arte, Dante, Letteratura, Cinema e Moda e Design. Oltre a Arte, è uscito anche il secondo dei cinque volumi in programma per la collana, Dante, che è anche O¶XQLFR volume dedicato a un autore, mentre gli altri quattro²Arte, Letteratura, Cinema e Moda e Design²presentano ognuno quattro personaggi illustri nelle discipline umanistiche. La collana è rivolta a studenti di livello B1-B2 e può essere usata sia dagli studenti L2 che da quelli LS. Presentati in Arte sono Leonardo Da vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo Merisi (detto Caravaggio) e Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Sono quattro personaggi illustri che hanno lasciato segni indelebili nella storia e sono stati selezionati per i loro meriti che li hanno resi famosi nel panorama artistico italiano e mondiale. Tutte e quattro le biografie iniziano con il ritratto GHOO¶DUWLVWD il nome e una citazione che evidenza le loro peculiarità artistiche o personali. Si comincia con Leonardo da Vinci (6), la sua immagine, il suo nome e O¶HSLWHWR ³,O genio del 5LQDVFLPHQWR´. Segue Michelangelo Buonarroti, ³/D forza e la SDVVLRQH´ Caravaggio ³,O maestro della luce´ e si conclude con Gian Lorenzo Bernini ³/D grande bellezza´ Secondo me, gli autori potevano inserire anche una figura femminile come Artemisia Gentileschi, considerata per molti meglio di Caravaggio, ma hanno ritenuto opportuno selezionare solo figure maschili. La struttura descrittiva delle vite degli artisti comprende una biografia schematizzata nella quale sono anche riportati alcuni avvenimenti storici grazie ai quali i lettori possono comprendere il contesto storico vissuto dai personaggi. Segue la descrizione delle caratteristiche artistiche suddivise in sezioni. Per esempio, le sezioni di Michelangelo sono: ³5DJLRQH e Sentimento (24), ³6FXOWRUH´ (25-26), ³3LWWRUH´ (27-28) e ³3RHVLH Composizioni e 'LVHJQL´ (28). La lettura delle singole sezioni si presenta come un percorso nel quale sono descritte le opere dei protagonisti le cui descrizioni forniscono una narrazione anche della loro storia personale. Uomini che vivono il loro tempo intrecciandosi con la vita di altri personaggi illustri. Per esempio, si racconta che Papa Clemente VII (Giulio dei Medici) commissiona a Michelangelo O¶DIIUHVFR della Cappella 724 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) Sistina e il passionale artista si oppone al soggetto scelto dal papa, imponendo il Giudizio universale (27). Al termine della descrizione di ogni personaggio si trova un fumetto che riporta un episodio particolare della vita GHOO¶DUWLVWD o un episodio curioso di una delle sue opere. Gli studenti potranno arricchire la loro conoscenza con una diversa modalità di apprendimento, che unisce testo a immagini e dialoghi. Tali fumetti²³,O furto della *LRFRQGD´ (13-20), ³,O naso del 'DYLG´ (29-36), ³,O segreto di &DUDYDJJLR´ (45-52), ³3DVVLRQH e WUDGLPHQWR´ (61-68)²rendono il testo gradevole alla vista grazie a una grafica di alta qualità. I fumetti sono stati realizzati da disegnatori professionisti quindi i disegni e i colori sono eccellenti. Il testo è stato scritto con un linguaggio semplice e con O¶XVR di tempi verbali, come il passato prossimo, comprensibili sia per gli studenti di L2, ma anche e soprattutto per gli studenti di LS. È infatti necessario tener sempre in mente che nei corsi di lingua DOO¶HVWHUR non sempre si studia il passato remoto. Il volume si conclude con XQ¶XOWLPD parte chiamata ³$WWLYLWj´ In essa sono presenti una varietà di esercizi come: ³Completa le frasi con O¶RS]LRQH FRUUHWWD´ (70), ³&RPSOHWD il FUXFLYHUED´ (75), ³Sottolinea O¶DOWHUQDWLYD´ (80), che permettono agli studenti di consolidare sia tutti i concetti appresi nel testo che la lingua italiana. /¶XOWLPD pagina contiene anche le risposte di ogni attività così da incoraggiare O¶XVR indipendente del testo. Tale scelta di inserire le attività alla fine volume potrebbe far risultare il libro poco maneggevole, per esempio nel caso in cui gli studenti volessero rivedere delle nozioni mentre svolgono gli esercizi, che potevano essere inseriti al termine di ogni singola biografia per motivi pratici. E tuttavia Arte presenta molti punti di forza. Può essere adottato in un corso di lingua (B1/B2) come testo integrativo allo scopo di presentare agli studenti alcuni dei grandi artisti italiani. Può essere usato in un corso G¶DUWH o di letteratura per stranieri. Potrebbe anche essere scelto da uno studente autodidatta che abbia interesse per O¶DUWH Il modo in cui sono presentati i quattro artisti renderebbe una lezione divertente e interessante, specialmente la lettura dei fumetti, perché è un modo originale per umanizzare i grandi del passato. Per concludere, non è un testo noioso e incuriosisce molto il lettore tanto da voler terminare velocemente la lettura del volume. Per i testi futuri, la speranza è che gli autori includano anche figure femminile. Mena Marino, Elon University Andrea Mantelli, and Paola Tosi. Dante. Vita e opere, Brevi graphic novel, Attività. Roma: Edilingua, 2023. Pp. 76. Dante. Vita e opere, Brevi graphic novel, Attività di Andrea Mantelli e Paola Tosi è una pubblicazione di Edilingua Edizioni, casa editrice leader nel campo delle edizioni per O¶LQVHJQDPHQWR GHOO¶LWDOLDQR come lingua seconda e straniera, che produce sia manuali che libri supplementari ed è presente in più di 80 paesi del Italian Bookshelf 725 mondo. La presente pubblicazione fa parte della serie intitolata ³,WDOLDQL Personaggi che il mondo ci LQYLGLD´ che mira a introdurre gli studenti nel mondo della cultura italiana con titoli quali Arte, Letteratura, Cinema, Moda e design. Ognuno di questi presenta quattro personaggi distinti del loro settore, mentre il volume in questione, il secondo della collana, è interamente dedicato al Sommo Poeta. Il libro è consigliato per studenti di livello B1-B2 del Quadro Comune Europeo ed è stato progettato insieme alla Smack di Milano XQ¶D]LHQGD che, oltre DOO¶DSSUHQGLPHQWR linguistico, con O¶DLXWR di Edilingua ha realizzato sei volumi del progetto ³,PSDUDUH O¶LWDOLDQR con i IXPHWWL´ e la serie di cui fa parte anche questo volume) e in collaborazione con O¶8QLYHUVLWj per Stranieri di Siena. Gli autori scrivono che ³QRQRVWDQWH siano trascorsi 700 anni dalla sua morte, avvenuta a Ravenna, suo luogo G¶HVLOLR la sua attualità è LPSUHVVLRQDQWH´ (3), affermazione in linea con il pensiero diffusosi nel settecentenario della morte di Dante Alighieri e che ha prodotto XQ¶RQGD di opere nuove dedicate a Dante dal 2021 in poi. Il volume contiene sessanta pagine di lettura e quattordici di attività varie, legate ai singoli capitoli del libro. I capitoli sono i seguenti: ³,O poeta in YLDJJLR´ (6-22), ³/D poetica di Dante e le donne nella sua YLWD´ (24-32), ³/H donne nella Divina Commedia´ (34-44), ³'DQWH e Ulisse: YHQW¶DQQL di lontananzD´ (46-54), ³/D città FHOHVWH´ (56-60). Alla fine del libro, si trovano anche attività (62-75) relative alle letture e, infine, le chiavi, per cui potrebbe essere usato anche QHOO¶DXWRDSSUHQGLPHQWR Il volumetto riporta anche i ritratti più famosi di Dante e pitture famose legate a Dante, in modo che gli studenti possano familiarizzarsi con i tratti caratteristici di Dante e numerosi dettagli della cultura italiana (per esempio Domenico di Michelino, Dante e il suo poema, affresco, Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Firenze, 1465; Sandro Botticelli, Ritratto di Dante, tempera, collezione privata, 1495). Purtroppo il dettaglio di una pittura con la descrizione ³/D montagna del Purgatorio con il Paradiso 7HUUHVWUH´ (49) non raffigura affatto questo episodio biblico, ma un altro: si tratta della pittura celeberrima di Bruegel il Vecchio intitolata La Torre di Babele (olio su tavola, 1563, conservato al Kunsthistorisches Museum di Vienna). Nei singoli capitoli sono presenti anche le illustrazioni più famose della Divina commedia realizzate da Gustave Doré, William Blake o Joseph Anton Koch, Philip Veit e O¶DUWLVWD contemporaneo Amos Nattini, il quale era stato incaricato GDOO¶,VWLWXWR nazionale dantesco di Milano di realizzare una nuova edizione illustrata della Divina commedia per il seicentenario della morte del poeta. Il libro è XQ¶DOWHUQDQ]D di brevi graphic novel e parti con brevi spiegazioni riferite alla situazione storica e alla vita e opera di Dante. Il primo capitolo introduce alla situazione geopolitica GHOO¶HSRFD alla storia della Commedia e alla sua simbologia (per esempio lonza, leone, lupa, selva). La cronologia riporta non solo i momenti più decisivi della vita di Dante ma anche gli avvenimenti contemporanei più importanti come la partenza di Marco Polo per la Cina (1271), 726 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) la nascita di Giovanni Boccaccio (1313) o lo spostamento della sede pontificia da Roma ad Avignone (1309) da parte di papa Clemente V. La prima graphic novel, intitolata ³,QWHUYLVWD a 'DQWH´ racconta la storia immaginaria di come Guido Novello da Polenta, signore della città di Ravenna e ospite di Dante in esilio, abbia chiesto al poeta di intrattenere i suoi ospiti molto interessati alla Commedia. Dante, dopo aver raccontato la storia GHOO¶,QIHUQR risponde alle domande poste dal pubblico e spiega concetti base come il contrappasso, educando così non solo il pubblico immaginario ma anche quello reale, vale a dire gli studenti. La storia finisce con Dante che parte per Venezia come ambasciatore di Guido II e con la morte del poeta. Le graphic novel contengono citazioni dalla Commedia in lingua originale, ma sono tradotte in italiano contemporaneo, quindi gli studenti possono incontrare la lingua letteraria famosa di Dante e confrontarla con la lingua di oggi. Le figure femminili presentate brevemente sono la madre, la matrigna e le sorelle di Dante, mentre quelle più dettagliate sono Gemma Donati e Beatrice. Il capitolo ³/D donna reale nel tempo di 'DQWH´ introduce, inoltre, al pensiero medievale riguardante la donna: nella poetica veniva considerata un essere angelico, il cui amore permetteva DOO¶XRPR di trovare la felicità e la salvezza eterna, ma nella realtà quotidiana risultava un essere inferiore DOO¶XRPR che doveva obbedirgli. A questo capitolo segue ³,O saluto QHJDWR´ la storia del famoso saluto mancato tra Dante e Beatrice, alla fine della quale, in maniera romantica, una Beatrice morente chiede a Monna Vanna di restituire a Dante il saluto. Nel capitolo seguente si parla di alcune delle donne della Commedia: Francesca da Rimini, Pia GH¶ Tolomei e Piccarda Donati. Nella rispettiva graphic novel vengono presentati Paolo e Francesca: Dante sviene rimanendo un personaggio secondario, mentre i lettori assistono alla storia di Gianciotto, spiegata dal loro punto di vista. La penultima parte è dedicata alle somiglianze tra i destini di Dante e Ulisse, al ³IROOH YROR´ e DOO¶HVLOLR tanto penoso per Dante. Come nella Commedia, il volume finisce con la città celeste e la visione di Dio, che Dante non riesce né a descrivere né a spiegare. Le attività legate ai capitoli sono varie, GDOO¶DEELQDUH il significato alle parole, al mettere in ordine le scene di una storia, al verso-falso, fino al cruciverba. Il vantaggio del volume è decisamente il fatto che non presenta la storia della Commedia in modo usuale, andando di canto in canto e riassumendo la storia di ognuno. Ciononostante fornisce tutti gli elementi necessari per capire sia la Commedia, sia il Sommo Poeta e il suo tempo. Tratta gli episodi più famosi della Commedia, quali Paolo e Francesca e Ulisse, ma presenta i dati in una maniera ³GLJHVWLELOH´ per un pubblico che sta ancora imparando la lingua italiana. Il libro si può usare anche solo in parte, prendendo soltanto XQ¶XQLWj e spiegando un concetto/fenomeno, per esempio la condizione delle donne nel Medioevo (attraverso la quale si potrebbero introdurre anche alcuni pensieri dei gender studies). Credo però che O¶DLXWR di un(a) docente sia necessario per capire in fondo Italian Bookshelf 727 i concetti e le storie e che il libro sia più adatto a studenti avanzati, di livello almeno B2, oppure ad apprendenti adulti che siano già in possesso delle conoscenze di base necessarie. Dora Bodrogai, PhD Candidate, Pázmány Péter Catholic University BRIEF NOTICES Marco Bardini. Boccaccio pop. Usi, riusi e abusi de Decameron nella contemporaneità. Pisa: ETS, 2020. Pp. 501. Lo studio di Marco Bardini ha il grande merito di essere il primo contributo che indaga con una certa sistematicità la presenza assai consistente di Boccaccio nella cultura popolare. Il volume consta di due parti, la prima contenente 300 schede che coprono il periodo 1849-2021, e che sono presentate in ordine cronologico, la seconda che consta di 35 studi di una tematica, un genere, un linguaggio, una modalità di ripresa più specifica. Nel dettaglio, gli studi vertono sui seguenti DUJRPHQWL  )RUPH GL ³WHDWUDOL]]D]LRQH´   GHO Decameron nella pittura ottocentesca e primo-QRYHFHQWHVFD  /D ³OLFHQ]LRVD GRQJLRYDQQL]]D]LRQH´   GL %RFFDFFLR VXOOD VFHQD HXURSHD H SUHVVR JOL ³VFULWWRUL-saggistL´  /D fortuna di Suppé; 4: La fortuna della storia di Giletta di Narbona da $OO¶V:HOO That Ends Well DOFLQHPD/¶DQQRVDTXHVWLRQHGHOOHIRQWLGHODecameron; 6. Usi rematici e tematici della parola Decameron in titoli; 7. Gli albori del cinema e il Decameron; 8. Il poema Boccaccino di Riccardo Balsamo Crivelli (1920); 9. Due biografie romanzate, una americana e una spagnola, pubblicate tra il 1930 e LO  FRQVLGHUDWH LQ TXDQWR ³PDQLSROD]LRQL´   GHOOD PDWHULD ELRJUDILFD boccacciana; 10. Il romanzo storico Boccaccio auf Schloß Tirol di Heinrich von 6FKXOOHUQ   DOWUD ³PDQLSROD]LRQH´  %RFFDFFLR ULOHWWR GDOOD FXOWXUD fascista; 12. Il film Decameron Nights (1953); 13. Il cinema degli anni Sessanta;  /¶HYROX]LRQH GHOOD UDSSUHVHQWD]LRQH GHOOD ³EULJDWD´ LQ SDUWLFRODUH XQD disamina di Maraviglioso Boccaccio dei fratelli Taviani; 15. Il Decameron come libro-oggetto, i falsi e le novelle apocrife (tra cui quella di Andrea Camilleri); 16. 0HGLHYDOLVPR DO FLQHPD ³GHFDPHURWLFL´ ³PHGLHYDORLGL´ H ILOP GHO JHQHUH sexploitation; 17. Il Decameron di Pasolini (1971); 18. Medievalismi cinematografici italiani della prima metà degli anni Settanta ispirati al Decameron di Pasolini e più in generale alla Trilogia della vita; 19. Epigoni del Decameron di Pasolini, con particolare attenzione a Sergio Citti, Storie scellerate (1973); 20. ,³GHFDPHURQLGL´FLQHPDWRJrafici che restano più vicini al Decameron di Pasolini a livello di ripresa boccacciana e di trame; 21. Film i cui titoli in traduzione italiana sono ascritti apocrifamente al Decameron a fini commerciali; 22. Il genere FLQHPDWRJUDILFRGHO³GHFDPHURWLFR´,³ERFFDFFHLGL´3UHVHGLSRVL]LRQH 728 ANNALI D¶ITALIANISTICA 41 (2023) GL 3DVROLQL VXO ³GHFDPHURWLFR´  )XPHWWL H IRWRURPDQ]L D SDUWLUH GDJOL DQQL 4XDUDQWDGHO1RYHFHQWR,³FRQWURSDVROLQLDQL´HJOL³DQWLSDVROLQLVWL´IUDFXL il Boccaccio & C. di Grytzko Mascioni; 27. Riprese distopiche boccacciane nella fantascienza e nel fantasy; 28. Diverse biografie, romanzi biografici e adattamenti pubblicati a partire dagli anni Settanta del Novecento (fra cui Ugolini, Santagata, Fo-Rame); 29. Su alcune traduzione intralinguistiche novecentesche (fra cui in particolare Piero Chiara e Aldo Busi); 30. La musica pop; 31. Tre film di coproduzione RAI del periodo 1981-1986; 32. Riviste e film soft-core e hardcore; 33. Il trash decameroniano; 34. Produzioni e prodotti che celebrano caratteri di italianità attraverso Boccaccio; 35. Uno scorcio globale sul XXI secolo. Segue una serie di preziosi ed accurati indici. Filippo Fonio, UMR Litt&Arts, Université Grenoble Alpes, France Konrad Eisenbichler, and Pasquale Sabbatino, eds. A Garland of Gifts: Essays in Honour of Olga Zorzi Pugliese. 2 vols. Welland, Ontario: Soleil, 2021. Pp. 714. This festschrift in honour of Olga Zorzi Pugliese brings together thirty-three articles on Italian and Italian-Canadian literature, as well as on the teaching of Italian as a foreign language, that attest to the enormous impact Olga Zorzi Pugliese has had on Italian studies in general and on the lives and work of so many colleagues in North America and Europe. The rich array of articles, the stimulating diversity of topics covered, the exceptional temporal range of the authors studied, and the international roster of contributors all attest not only to vitality of the field but also to Olga¶s special place in it as a scholar, teacher, colleague, and friend. Olga has not only influenced generations of students and colleagues who admire her to no end, but also worked tirelessly for the advancement of scholarship in general and Italian culture in particular. A fitting tribute to her eclectic interests, this volume is a signpost for past and future directions in Italian studies that will mark the way for generations to come. Konrad Eisenbichler, University of Toronto Ernesto Livorni, ed. Da una distanza stellare. Scritti in onore di Giovanni Sinicropi. Firenze: Le Lettere, 2021. Pp. 263. The present collection of essays intends to be an homage to Giovanni Sinicropi, a critic and a literary scholar who has crossed the twentieth century and has touched upon the twenty-first, while leaving as his heritage the friendship and solidarity of colleagues and the harvest of pupils. The nine contributions to the volume wish to testify, in their variety of topics, the attention and dedication given to the work of the departed philologist and literary critic, who was active in the fields of semiotics and structuralism, narratology and folkore. Italian Bookshelf 729 Besides an introduction by Ernesto Livorni, Da una distanza stellare is broken up into nine essays by Antonio Illiano, Stefano Ugo Baldassarri, Marco Paoli, Marza Pieri, Dario del Puppo, Gianfelice Peron, Marino Alberto Balducci, Ernesto Livorni. These are followed by twelve testimonials by Marino Balducci, Dario del Puppo, Elisa Galli, Plinio Galli, Ari Korpivaara, Antonio Lanza, Erna Mugnani, Marzia Pieri, Tom Riggio, Rodolfo and Maria Rivas, Wallace Sillanpoa. Jinelle Gonzalez, undergraduate student assistant, Elon University