This article aims to reanalyze the genesis of Elsa Morante's novel, History, in light of an assumption: the principal model which inspired the writer is not the Manzonian style of historical novel, but rather the Homeric epic one. The re-emergence in Morante's work of epic dimension is supported by an intense discourse on the ideas of Simone Weil, which involves both the interpretation of the Iliad (La source grecque) and the radical Weilian political and social theory (Réflexions sur les causes de la liberté et de l'oppression sociale, Note sur la suppression générale des partis politiques). The comparison of the writings from the 1960s - Pro e contro la bomba atomica, The World Saved by Children, the Piccolo Manifesto dei Comunisti (senza classe e senza partito) - and the readings, documented also by notes in the margins of her books, allows to demonstrate that History is not only the result of vigorous creative genius, but is also a complex critical reflection on literature and reality, which expresses itself through the multiple modulations of the narrative voice

L’intento di questo articolo è di ripensare la gestazione del romanzo di Elsa Morante La Storia alla luce di un assunto: il principale modello a cui la scrittrice si ispira non è il romanzo storico di stampo manzoniano, bensì l’epos omerico. La rivisitazione morantiana della dimensione epica trae alimento da un intenso dialogo con il pensiero di Simone Weil, che investe sia l’interpretazione dell’Iliade (La source grecque), sia le radicali tesi weiliane sulla società e la politica (Réflexions sur les causes de la liberté et de l’oppression sociale, Note sur la suppression générale des partis politiques). Il confronto tra gli scritti degli anni ’60 – Pro e contro la bomba atomica, Il mondo salvato dai ragazzini, il Piccolo Manifesto dei Comunisti (senza classe e senza partito) – e le letture, documentabili anche dalle glosse a margine dei libri posseduti, consente ad Angela Borghesi di dimostrare che La Storia non è frutto soltanto di un vigoroso genio creativo, ma anche di una complessa riflessione critica sulla letteratura e sulla realtà, che nellaStoria si esprime e si risolve nelle plurime modulazioni della voce narrante. This article aims to reanalyze the genesis of Elsa Morante’s novel, History, in light of an assumption: the principal model which inspired the writer is not the Manzonian style of historical novel, but rather the Homeric epic one. The re-emergence in Morante’s work of epic dimension is supported by an intense discourse on the ideas of Simone Weil, which involves both the interpretation of the Iliad (La source grecque) and the radical Weilian political and social theory (Réflexions sur les causes de la liberté et de l’oppression sociale, Note sur la suppression générale des partis politiques). The comparison of the writings from the '60s – Pro e contro la bomba atomica, The World Saved by Children, the Piccolo Manifesto dei Comunisti (senza classe e senza partito) – and the readings, documented also by notes in the margins of her books, allowed Angela Borghesi to demonstrate that Historyis not only the result of vigorous creative genius, but is also a complex critical reflection on literature and reality, which expresses itself through the multiple modulations of the narrative voice

Borghesi, A. (2014). Tra Epos e epicedio. Paragrafi sulla "Storia" di Elsa Morante e Simone Weil [Between epics and elegies. Paragraphs on the "History" by Elsa Morante and Simone Weil]. ITALIANISTICA, 43(3), 91-113.

Tra Epos e epicedio. Paragrafi sulla "Storia" di Elsa Morante e Simone Weil [Between epics and elegies. Paragraphs on the "History" by Elsa Morante and Simone Weil]

Borghesi, A
2014

Abstract

This article aims to reanalyze the genesis of Elsa Morante's novel, History, in light of an assumption: the principal model which inspired the writer is not the Manzonian style of historical novel, but rather the Homeric epic one. The re-emergence in Morante's work of epic dimension is supported by an intense discourse on the ideas of Simone Weil, which involves both the interpretation of the Iliad (La source grecque) and the radical Weilian political and social theory (Réflexions sur les causes de la liberté et de l'oppression sociale, Note sur la suppression générale des partis politiques). The comparison of the writings from the 1960s - Pro e contro la bomba atomica, The World Saved by Children, the Piccolo Manifesto dei Comunisti (senza classe e senza partito) - and the readings, documented also by notes in the margins of her books, allows to demonstrate that History is not only the result of vigorous creative genius, but is also a complex critical reflection on literature and reality, which expresses itself through the multiple modulations of the narrative voice
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Morante Elsa, Weil Simone, Iliade, Romanzo, Epica
Italian
2014
43
3
91
113
reserved
Borghesi, A. (2014). Tra Epos e epicedio. Paragrafi sulla "Storia" di Elsa Morante e Simone Weil [Between epics and elegies. Paragraphs on the "History" by Elsa Morante and Simone Weil]. ITALIANISTICA, 43(3), 91-113.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/81037
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