“Il visconte gotico” Una lettura critica de Il visconte dimezzato di Italo Calvino attraverso una lente gotica

Abstract

The aim of this research paper is to analyse and explore Italo Calvino’s Il visconte dimezzato from a Gothic literary perspective and to contextualise the novel within the realm of the Italian gothic. In doing so, this research expands on the increasing body of academic work which has begun to explore Italian literature through a gothic perspective, a field of research which has largely been neglected by Italian academia. Through a critical reading, the report shows that the novel can indeed be considered a work of gothic fiction, and furthermore that several key themes and topics of the novel, such as the cold war, are emphasised and enhanced through a gothic reading. Additionally, the report demonstrates that through the application of gothic themes and concepts, we are better able to understand Calvino’s social commentary and criticism of Italian society found within the novel, and further understand how social norms and structures are discussed and subversed through the use of gothic imagery and themes, such as the gothic monster, the gothic heroine, and the newly emerging concept of the ecogothic, specifically within the context of Italian society and culture. The report also highlights the growing importance of the gothic modality in the realm of Italian literature, and argues that the Italian gothic is a genre distinct from its northern european/english counterpart.