Combining close textual readings with a broad theoretical perspective, Gender, Narrative, and Dissonance in the Modern Italian Novel is a study of the ways in which gender shapes the principal characters and narratives of seven important Italian novels of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from Alessandro Manzoni's I promessi sposi (1827) to Elsa Morante's Aracoeli (1982).

Silvia Valisa's innovative approach focuses on the tensions between the characters and the gender ideologies that surround them, and the ways in which this dissonance exposes the ideological and epistemological structures of the modern novel. A provocative account of the intersection between gender, narrative, and epistemology that draws on the work of Georg Lukacs, Barbara Spackman, and Teresa de Lauretis, this volume offers an intriguing new approach to investigating the nature of fiction.

"Gender, Narrative, and Dissonance in the Modern Italian Novel is a study of the dynamic ways in which gender shapes the principal characters and narratives of several important Italian novels of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from Manzoni's I promessi sposi to Morante's Aracoeli. Silvia Valisa shows an impressive ability to embrace a range of novels that span over 150 years and to include male and female authors and characters in her discussions of gender and genre." -- Tommasina Gabriele, Department of Italian Studies, Wheaton College "Valisa's elucidation of the relationships between character, gender, ideology, and epistemology represents an original and significant contribution to contemporary scholarship on the modern Italian novel." -- Allison A. Cooper, Department of Romance Languages, Bowdoin College

About the Author
Silvia Valisa is an assistant professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics at Florida State University.

Reviews

'This is a thought-provoking book... Faculties and graduate students focusing on post-feminist theory and the burgeoning field of affect studies will undoubtedly find food for thought.'

-- Andrea Sartori * Annali d'Italianistica Vol 33:2015 *

'A rich and ambitious study... Valisa's book offers a brilliant reading of the modern Italian novel, and it would be fascinating to see a similar approach applied in a comparatist frame.'

-- Ann Hallamore Caesar * Journal of Modern Italian Studies vol 21:01:2015 *



Book Information
ISBN 9781442649224
Author Silvia Valisa
Format Hardback
Page Count 248
Imprint University of Toronto Press
Publisher University of Toronto Press
Weight(grams) 520g
Dimensions(mm) 237mm * 160mm * 24mm