Papers from the 24 th AIA Conference

Papers from the 24th AIA Conference Challenges for the 21st Century: Dilemmas, Ambiguities, Directions VOLUME I Literary Studies Edited by ROSY COLOMBO, LILLA MARIA CRISAFULLI, FRANCA RUGGIERI Cultural Studies Edited by RICHARD AMBROSINI, ALESSANDRA CONTENTI, DANIELA CORONA Challenges for the 21st Century: Dilemmas, Ambiguities, Directions. Papers from the 24th AIA conference. Volume I. Literary Studies (edited by R. Colombo, L.M. Crisafulli, F. Ruggieri); Cultural Studies (edited by R. Ambrosini, A. Contenti, D. Corona). © Dipartimento di Letterature Comparate, Università degli Studi Roma Tre. !"#$%&&'()"*(+,-#.(#/%-01+#2+'%3-#4#01"1"#5,",*("1"#."'#6-11+7"1+#-#."(#.($"71(3-,1(# di Letterature Comparate, Linguistica e Studi Internazionali della Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Roma. Edizioni Q - Roma [email protected] I edizione: ottobre 2011. ISBN: 978-88-903969-8-4 Revisione: Ilenia Cassetta, Andrea Ciccioli, Alessandro Di Menno di Bucchianico, Paola Vinesi. 8'"&+7"*(+,-#97"5)"#.-'':(33"9(,-#(,#)+$-71(,";#<"7(+#=7+0"7"> Impaginazione e stampa: ?7"5)@-#AB#07'#C#=(11D#.(#="01-''+#EF?G 97"5)@-2.H93"('>)+3 Front cover image from: Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, 1761; Penguin 2003, vol.VI, Chapter Forty, p. 454. By which it appears, that except at the curve, marked A, where I took a trip to Navarre, – and the indented curve B, which is the short airing when I was there with the Lady Baussiere and her page, - I have not taken 1@-#'-"01#I7(0J#+I#"#.(97-00(+,K#1(''#L+@,#.-#'"#="00-:0#.-2('0#'-.#3-#1@-# round you see marked D – for as for C C C C C they are nothing but parentheses, and the common ins and outs incident to the lives of the greatest ministers of state; and when compared with what men have done , – or with my own transgressions at the letters A B D – they vanish into nothing. Contents Foreword ........................................................................................................................ Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................... L Introduction 13 15 Part 1 I T E R A RY S TUDIES .................................................................................................................. 21 Plenary Lecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 JOHN SIMPSON.!"#$%&'()*!%'+!,$-.!/0!12!0-!3(-+&%()*!%'+!4-$56&78!! Literature, Language, and Culture in the 21st Century 1. Origin and Identity ELISA ARMELLINO. One Life, Many Languages, Multilingualism in Hugo 9$:(;%0)<.!The Speckled People!=>??@A!$)B!,'$-;0%%+!#(;;($:.<.!Sugar and Slate (2002) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ELISA BOLCHI. Look into My I. Narrating Subjects, Identity and Gender in C+$)+%%+!#()%+-.0)<.!D(&%(0)!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LISANNA CALVI. C$)+!1$-E+-<.!Exilius as Jacobite Fiction in Exile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARIA MICAELA COPPOLA. "3+$B!F2+G!3+$B!H8I!4+;;()*!J%0-(+.!$%!%'+!F)B! ()!K;(!J:(%'<.!Hotel World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 49 55 63 8 Contents LAURA GIOVANNELLI. !"#"$%&'()''*+ Diary of a Bad Year and the Risky Challenge of Cultivating Strong Opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FABIO LIBERTO. “,&&-$./+01+234$5&-6+7&-(8$016$(8'$9.:1;<'=+>$:1$(8'$ 5:6'$50+('3$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PIERPAOLO MARTINO. The Importance of Being Oscar: Performance, Performativity and Identity in Wilde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRANCESCO MINETTI. White Negroes and Irish Brigades in Joseph ?*%&11&-*+$Redemption Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STEFANIA PORCELLI.$9%0-'<'++$@0<A$%&+(+$B:C'+34$50-$,-&D0;0160$016$ 50-(:E'$F:G(:&1$:1$H<:)0I'(8$J&7'1*+$The Heat of the Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAOLA DANIELA SMECCA. @8'$K&<'$&L$#'E&-M$:1$N01$#GH701*+$Atonement . . ANNA ENRICHETTA SOCCIO. A Portrait of a Poet as an Exile: the Case of Philip Larkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STEFANIA STERLECCHINI. 58'1$#'E&-M$016$HO:<'$N1('-(7:1'"$J-:01$F-:'<*+$ Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARIA VACCARELLA. “P$Q:16$&L$#'6:G0<$%80/G'-34$@'+(:E&1MR$ .(&-M('<<:1;$016$%0-';:C:1;$:1$N01$#GH701*+$Atonement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MASSIMO VERZELLA. @8'$,0-06&O:G0<$S:+:&14$.0E/'<$J/(<'-*+$T+'$&L$ Ambiguity in Erewhon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 81 91 99 107 115 123 131 139 147 2. The Languages of Literature GIOIELLA BRUNI ROCCIA. “Writing, When Properly Managed, Is But a U:LL'-'1($V0E'$L&-$%&1C'-+0(:&134$Tristram Shandy and the Ethics of Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SONIA BUTTINELLI. The Art-Work of the Future: from Wagner to Joyce . . . . . . . . . . . RICCARDO CAPOFERRO. Apparition Narratives and the Style of the Fantastic . IVANA DIPIETRO. J&6:'+$:1$%801;'4$B'7:+$%0--&<<*+$Alice in Wonderland 016$.0<E01$K/+86:'*+$The Firebird’s Nest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CARLOTTA FARESE. T1<:A'$HEE0"$#0-M$H<:)0I'(8$J-066&1*+$K'+D&1+'$(&$ Bovarism in The Doctor’s Wife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. MARIA LAUDANDO. @8'$!&:1($S'1(/-'$&L$@:E$%-&/G8*+$,'-L&-E01G'$ Between Visual Art, Theatre and Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FABIO LUPPI. !&81$Q'0(+*+$F:-+($,&'E+$PGG&-6:1;$(&$W0+(&1$J0G8'<0-6*+$ Poetics of Space (A Modern Reading for an Old Theme) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARIA DOMENICA MANGIALAVORI. Music, Painting and Memory in Virginia 5&&<L*+$To the Lighthouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARIA GRAZIA NICOLOSI. K'XE'EI'-:1;$(8'$,0+($:1$P60E$@8&-D'*+$50-$ Novels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 165 173 181 191 199 207 215 223 Contents 9 3. Literature and the Media ROBERTA BORGNA. Is Life in the 21st!"#$%&'(!)*!+,$-!./(!0,1$23! 45#6/%78!/$9!+7$-&7:%78!;::&#:!<',6!=$#!,<!>78?!@,'$A(B:!+/%#:%! Novels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 ILARIA ODDENINO. C'$!D/EE#(F!",$%#6G,'/'(!H#':G#8%7I#:!,$!*&:%'/E7/B:! Bogus Bard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 4. Past and New Directions MARIJA BERGAM. J,A7$:,$!"'&:,#B:!K#/L"5/$-#F!"/'7AA#/$! Transformations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VALENTINA CASTAGNA. Reading The Book of Margery Kempe in the 21st Century: Gender, Authorship and Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRANCA DELLAROSA. “",$$#8%7$-!*8',::!"#$%&'7#:2F!D#6,'(M! 07:GE/8#6#$%M!/$9!CN7E#!7$!"/'(E!H57EE7G:B!K%/-#!HE/(:! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAOLA D’ERCOLE. A Migration of Dreams and Ideas: from Books to Bricks and Mortar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARIA LUISA DE RINALDIS. ./E%#'!H/%#'B:!O#$&:!/$9!H'#L87$#6/%,-'/G578! Reproduction of the Human Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SAURO FABI. “How!7:!H,#%'(!P,7$-32F!Q,%%E#$#8?:!/$9!>#1!H/%5:!<,'!/! Seemingly Marginal Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GIAN PIETRO LEONARDI. P/(!/$9!*<%#'F!>,%#:!4,1/'9:!/!0#R$7%7,$!,<!%5#! Post-Gay Novel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VALENTINA PONTOLILLO D’ELIA. “*!D/96/$!K5/?#:!/!0#/9!P#'/$7&62F! 4SKS!CE7,%!TG9/%#9!<,'!=&'!476#:3! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARIANNA PUGLIESE. *$%7-,$#!7$!+7U!+,855#/9B:!Thebans: the Structure, the Character and the Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ANNAMARIA SPORTELLI. “I Am Often Asked Whether There Can Be a +,$-!;6/-7:%!,'!O,'%787:%!H,#62F!CI,E&%7,$!,'!;$I,E&%7,$!,<!CG78!7$! Modernist Poetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 259 267 275 285 293 301 307 313 321 10 Contents C Part 2 U LT U R A L S TUDIES Introduction 1. Cultural Translation: New Theories and Practices DIANA BIANCHI. !"#$%&'(%')$**+,'-$..'-/00,*1'*2,'345(**$65"*$(%7'(0'8+"..$5' 9%&+$.2'82$+:;,%7.')$*,;"*/;,' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ALESSANDRA RIZZO. Cultural Translation and Migration: the Literary Cases of Jhumpa Lahiri and Leila Aboulela . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IVONNE DEFANT. Translating Selfhood: Being Emily by Anne Donovan . . . . . . . . . . ROWENA COLES. How Does a Child Become a Bambino<'8;,"*$%&'82$+:' Constructions in Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339 347 355 365 2. Community and Nation: Hybrid Identities, Reinvented Traditions (I) CARLA LOCATELLI. “9%&+$.2'$%'=$+$>>$%('?"%:.@1')"%&/"&,A')$*,;"*/;,A' Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ELISABETTA ZURRU. !2,'-(;$5B2C>$'-".."5;,1'Re-constructing Silenced Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRANCESCA DI BLASIO. “D,'E,,*FG,*H,,%'*2,'0/;%"5,'"%:'*2,'IJ$%&FK%' *2,'E(/*2'(0'5(2"L$*"*$(%@1'M/.*;"+$"%'K%:$&,%(/.'8/+*/;,'$%'*2,' 21st Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KATHERINE E. RUSSO. ND2,%'D".'-(:,;%$.E<@1'!(H";:.'"%'K%*,;.*$*$"+' 8";*(&;">2J'(0'M/.*;"+$"7.'-(:,;%$*J' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 387 395 405 3. Community and Nation: Hybrid Identities, Reinvented Traditions (II) MARINA DE CHIARA. Postcolonial Journeys for Tristram: Pier Paolo O".(+$%$7.'Petrolio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NICOLETTA BRAZZELLI. Departures and Desertions in Abdulrazak Gurnah . . . . SABINA D’ALESSANDRO. N!2,'G"**+,'(0'KE"&,.@'$%'M2:"0'4(/,$07.' Mezzaterra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TANIA ZULLI. P,./;;,5*$%&'MJ,.2"7.'Q2(.*1'*2,'R,H'82"++,%&,.'(0'P$:,;' ?"&&";:7.'=$5*$(%' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415 423 431 439 Contents 11 4. Travelling Concepts, Transforming Bodies FRANCESCA GUIDOTTI. !"#"$#%&'()*+$A Meeting with Medusa: the Cyborg Challenge to This World and the Next . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IOLANDA PLESCIA. Body Language: Early Modern Medicine and the Female Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447 455 5. Postcolonial London ADRIANO ELIA. #&,-./01$23$4/,.$,.)$5)4$6/%%)00/278$9&0/:$;2')/+./*+$ Something to Tell You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465 ENZA MARIA ESTER GENDUSA. Deconstruction and Re-writing of Englishness &0<$,.)$=2'>3)&0$#2%,2'&%$?<)0,/,@$/0$A)'0&'</0)$=B&'/+,>*+$5&''&,/B)$ . . . 473 SIMONA CORSO. CD.)$E>'%<$F2<<)0%@$G))%+$A/3>%&'H8$6&',/0$!7/+$&:,)'$ 9/11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481 6. Representations of Antinormative Sexual Identities SILVIA ANTOSA. Queer Sexualities, Queer Spaces: Gender and Performance /0$F&'&.$E&,)'+*$Tipping the Velvet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491 NADIA SANTORO. Herland and/or Queerland: Some Suggestions for I)&</01$J/'1/0/&$E>>%:*+$Orlando . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499 FRANCESCA MAIOLI. Nomadic Subjects on Canvas: From Essentialism to 9@K'/</,@$/0$L)00@$F&B/%%)*+$M&/0,/01+$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507 7. New Challenges for Drama Studies and Cultural Theory MAURIZIO CALBI. Performing in the Desert: Spectrality in Kristian N)B'/01*+$The King Is Alive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARIACONCETTA COSTANTINI. From Scottish Thane to Metal Revenant: Cross-Media Transpositions of Macbeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARIANNA MAIORANI. The Stage as a Multimodal Text: a Proposal for a New Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARIANNA MARMO. !$I>>7$>:$O0)*+$O408$O3.)%/&*+$P&'('>>7$/0$ !%7)')@<&*+$Hamlet 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519 529 537 547 8. Visual and Media Studies SERENA GUARRACINO. E/%%/&7$;)0,'/<1)*+$O3)'&$F,&1/01+8$D'&0+Q-></01$ the Western Musical Canon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557 MARIA CRISTINA CONSIGLIO. “E/+)12@+$P>0*,$E>'($>0$6>,.)'*+$P&@H8$ Italian-Americans on the Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565 IRENE RANZATO. Manipulating the Classics: Film Dubbing as an Extreme Form of Rewriting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573 EMANUELE MONEGATO. Photographing 7/7 Dilemmas: The Day After by Johannes Hepp and People’s Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583 C. BRUNA MANCINI. Internet in a Cup, or a Cup of Internet: the Coffeehouse Goes Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591 ANNA ENRICHETTA SOCCIO Università Gabriele d’Annunzio, Chieti-Pescara A Portrait of a Poet as an Exile: the Case of Philip Larkin !"#$%&'"()%'"'$"*$")+$,%#"-+.'.%#/%*"'$"0."1.2 Philip Larkin, Required Writings (1983) 1." 3)*.+" '$" #.4%." '5." %.(" +.6)'/$%75/-7" )1$%*7'" 6/'.+)',+.8" +.)#.+7" )%#" criticism, the poet Laura Riding Jackson bravely discussed the state of twentiethcentury poetry in an article that appeared in PN Review in 1987. She argued that, /%" $,+" 9$%'.1-$+)+:" ($+6#8" 6/'.+)+:" '5/%;/%*" +.<,/+.7" %.(" #.4%/'/$%7" $=" '5." /#.)7"$=">-$.'+:?")%#">-$.'?"7/%9."6/'.+)',+."/'7.6="%$"6$%*.+"0.6$%*7"'$"'5.")+.)" of human understanding. Rather, it has been reduced to “a historical backdrop against which to set up the special case of the immediate twentieth-century 5,1)%"0./%*?"@A/#/%*"B)9;7$%"CDEF8"FCG2"H7")"9$%7.<,.%9.8 the poet no longer represents, in his intensities of care in word-choice, a common impulsion to a high degree of achievement in truth of utterance. He represents the individual human being as desiring to give forceful expression to the individual sense he makes of existence in his heightened consciousness of himself as a modern human being: the sense he makes of existence is the sense he makes of his existence (Riding Jackson 1987, 71). Despite its being almost entirely based on the different idea of human person '5)'"()7"$+/*/%)'.#"0:"/%'.66.9',)6"1$#.+%/718"A/#/%*"B)9;7$%&7")%)6:7/7"<,/'." interestingly describes the transformation of human identity “as collectively /#.%'/4.#"/%"1.%?"/%'$">9$%9+.'."/%#/I/#,)6/':"$="1.%?"@A/#/%*"B)9;7$%"CDEF8" 76). That is to say, the poet would speak only of and for himself, and poetry would be a mythology of private personality. J%" )" 4+7'" +.)#/%*" K5/6/-" L)+;/%&7" -$.'+:" 9)%" 0." ');.%" =$+" '5." ')%*/06.8" unambiguous manifestation of an eccentric, even paranoid existence of a desperately cynical, nihilistic, and half-frustrated middle-class librarian. His most =)1$,7" I.+7." M" >N5.:" =,9;" :$," ,-" :$,+" 1$1" )%#" #)#?" @>N5/7" 0." '5." O.+7.?G8" >P5.%"!"7..")"9$,-6."$=";/#7QH%#"*,.77"5.&7"=,9;/%*"5.+"R222S?"@>T/*5"P/%#$(7?G8" 124 ANNA ENRICHETTA SOCCIO >U$$;7" )+." )" 6$)#" $=" 9+)-?" @>H" V',#:" $=" A.)#/%*" T)0/'7?G" M" )+." )79+/0.#" '$" 5/7" notion that life is something essentially elusive, dull and unsatisfactory. For this +.)7$%8"L)+;/%&7"-$.'+:"5)7"$='.%"0..%"+.*)+#.#")7")"1)''.+"$=">-+/I)'."-.+7$%)6/':?2" !%#..#8"/="$%"'5."$%."5)%#"/'"7$1.5$("1/++$+7"'5."-$.'&7"6/=.8"$%"'5."$'5.+"5)%#" the many comments scattered throughout his non-poetical writings often enhance the sensation that literary product and real experience are perversely intertwined. Still, a closer analysis reveals that autobiography and authorial opinions ought not to be taken into too great a consideration when looking at the poetic text itself. This approach will open a completely different world in which hermeneutic complexity and technical virtuosity emerge as more than mere aesthetic )+'/49.72" W5)+)9'.+/7'/9)66:8"/%7'.)#8"'5.7.")+'/49.7"6$$1"/%"L)+;/%&7"1)9+$'.X'")7"#/7'/%9'/I." features that allow the poet to be constructed on the artistic plane. Yet, along with 9+)='71)%75/-"6/.7"L)+;/%&7"%$'$+/$,7"1/%/1)6/71"M"0$'5"=$+1)6")%#"/1)*/%)'/I.2" !%")"CDFD"/%'.+I/.(8"5."'.+7.6:"7)/#Y">R222S"'5.+."/7"%$'"1,95"'$"say about my work. P5.%" :$,&I." +.)#" )" -$.18" '5)'&7" /'8" /'&7" )66" <,/'." 96.)+" (5)'" /'" 1.)%7?" @L)+;/%" 1983, 53-54, emphasis in the text). Although his main concern is to write about everyday human experience in the simplest and most straightforward words, one cannot escape the feeling that Larkin is not writing about himself (the man and/ or the poet) but about the condition of being a Poet. After publishing The North Ship in 1945, his intensely subjective and Yeats/%7-/+.#" 4+7'" 9$66.9'/$%8" L)+;/%" ()7" /%" 7.)+95" $=" )" 1$+." #/7'/%9'/I." I$/9.2" !%" CDEZ" 5." 9$%=.77.#Y" >H='.+" 4%/75/%*" 1:" 4+7'" 0$$;78" 7):" 0:" CD[\8" !" '5$,*5'" !" 5)#"9$1."'$")%".%#2"R222S"]:"-.+7$%)6"6/=."()7"+)'5.+"5)+)77/%*2"N5.%"/%"CD\^"!" (.%'"'$"U.6=)7'8")%#"'5/%*7"+.)($;."7$1.5$(?"@L)+;/%"CDE_8"`EG2"!%'.+.7'/%*6:" .%$,*58" '5." -+$9.77" $=" 4%#/%*" 5/7" $(%" ():" /1-6/.#" /7$6)'/$%" )%#" 6$%.6/%.77" that he experienced in a voluntary exile to Northern Ireland where, between CD\^")%#"CD\\8"5."5.6#"'5."-$7'"$="7,0a6/0+)+/)%")'"b,..%&7"c%/I.+7/':8"U.6=)7'2" Despite the uncomfortable sense of separateness from home, those years (.+." I.+:" -+$6/49" )%#" #.4%/'.6:" 7-..#.#" '5)'" -+$9.77" @L)+;/%" CDE_8" \EG2" N5." Northern Irish adventure originated some memorable poems in the typical Larkinian manner. In this phase, the semantic nuclei of his poetics are already fully disclosed: failure, death, boredom, the fragility of ordinary humanity, and '5." ,%/I.+7)6/':" $=" 5,1)%" 1/7.+:" 4%#" ).7'5.'/9" 1.)%/%*" /%" '5." =+)1.($+;" of conventional poetic structures. Most revealing of all is “The Importance of 367.(5.+.?8" (+/''.%" '5+.."1$%'57" )='.+" 5/7"+.',+%/%*" '$" 3%*6)%#2" !'" /7")" -$.1" (5/95"*/I.7"'5."-$.'&7")99$,%'"$="(5)'".X/6."1.)%'"=$+"5/1Y >N5."!1-$+')%9."$="367.(5.+.? Lonely in Ireland, since it was not home, Strangeness made sense. The salt rebuff of speech, Insisting so on difference, made me welcome: Once that was recognised, we were in touch. A Portrait of a Poet as an Exile: the Case of Philip Larkin 125 Their draughty streets, end-on to hills, the faint Archaic smell of dockland, like a stable, N5."5.++/%*a5)(;.+&7"9+:8"#(/%#6/%*8"(.%' To prove me separate, not unworkable. Living in England has no such excuse: These are my customs and establishments It would be much more serious to refuse. Here no elsewhere underwrites my existence (Larkin 1988, rev. edn 2003, 105). As can be noticed, the traditional three-stanza structure appears perfectly =,%9'/$%)6"'$"9$%I.:"'5."-$.'&7"7.%7."$="6$%.6/%.77")%#"7'+)%*.%.77"/%")"=$+./*%" country – in order to emphasise its foreignness, Belfast synecdochically stands =$+" !+.6)%#8" )%#" .<,)66:" !+.6)%#8" 0./%*" >%$'" 5$1.?8" 7')%#7" =$+" >.67.(5.+.?2" Although with a note of nostalgia (Swarbrick 1995, 94), the poem explores the feelings of an exile who seeks to grasp the essence of his sense of belongingness. Sound patterning, and in particular the alternation of perfect and imperfect rhymes (home/welcome, speech/touch, faint/went), sound repetition, and symmetry in phrasing – provide the necessary rhythm '$"9$%4*,+."'5."-$.'" who is seen in the attempt to describe his relationship with the place in which 5."/7"6/I/%*2"U,'8"5$(.I.+"7'+)%*.")%#",%=)1/6/)+"'5)'">.67.(5.+.?"9)%")--.)+8" loneliness is not regarded as a negative condition. Surprisingly, it is a preexistent condition that allows the speaker to be aware of his own identity. As B$5%"d$$#0:")-'6:"%$'.78">R222S"/'"/7"=..6/%*"e6$%.6:&"'5.+."(5/95"1);.7"e7.%7.&" $="'5."-$.'&7"=.6'"e7'+)%*.%.77&8")"9$%#/'/$%"(5/95"5."/1-6/.7".X/7'.#"0.=$+."5/7" 1$I.?"@Goodby 1989, 133)2"L/%."Z"/7"7.6=a.I/#.%'Y">V'+)%*.%.77"1)#."7.%7.?8" that is to say, only exile can reveal the secrets of our inner selves. Therefore, >N5."!1-$+')%9."$="367.(5.+.?"/7"%$'")"-$.1"$%"'5."!+/75Q3%*6/75")%'/'5.7/78" rather it paints a transnational landscape where familiar and unfamiliar, home )%#" .X/6." 0.9$1." $+/*/%)6" 9$%9.-'7" (5$7." +.7-.9'/I." #.4%/'/$%7" )+." 6)+*.6:" mixed and confused. N5)'" >-6)9." /7" 9$%'/%*.%'?" @Booth 2005, 138)" /7" =,+'5.+" 9$%4+1.#" /%" '5." last stanza which is, from the viewpoint of the formal composition, quite the +.I.+7)6"$="'5."4+7'"7')%f)8")7")"7.+/.7"$="0/%)+:"$--$7/'/$%7"1);.7"96.)+Y Lonely in Ireland vs. Strangeness vs. 2 welcome vs. 3 1 Living in England my customs and establishments 10 refuse 11 9 These pairings emphasise the antithesis here/there, but the poet recognizes (/'5"9$%'.1-'"'5)'">5.+.?8"%)1.6:">5$1.a3%*6)%#?8"1):".<,)66:"0."+.*)+#.#" )7" )%" >.67.(5.+.?" '5)'" 9)%%$'" >,%#.+(+/'." R5/7S" .X/7'.%9.?2" N5.+." /7" %./'5.+" difference nor point of intersection between the opposites, since exile can be 126 ANNA ENRICHETTA SOCCIO experienced at home as well as elsewhere. In the last line, which sounds almost like a verdict on and from the speaker, loneliness becomes the most suitable condition for the poet who, no matter the place or time, feels the collision between the self and the others. From a sort of exilic island, the poet builds his own world, so admirable in its being marginalized yet pluralistic since it combines two kinds of experience, '($"#/7'/%9'"9,6',+.72"!%"'5/7"7.%7.8"L)+;/%&7"#,)6/71"/7"$%'$6$*/9)66:"+.1)+;)06." 0.9),7."/'".%')/67")"7.%7."$="'5."7.6=")%#"$="5,1)%/':")7"1)#."$=">#/==.+.%9.?2"!'" suggests, moreover, that (spiritual) isolation is a privileged condition to which the Poet has to aspire if he/she wants to be endowed with space enough for the full expression of his/her individuality. Whatever place the Poet chooses, then, the acceptance of differences allows him/her to grasp the ungraspable, in moments of visions that generate art: “The sense of exclusion is turned into the +.()+#"$=")+'?"@Bayley 1988, 205). 2. That Larkin, in the form of his characters who are recurrently outsiders, 5)7" 0..%" .X-6$+/%*" '5." 9$%g/9'7" 0.'(..%" -.+7$%)6" /#.%'/':" )%#" 9$11,%/':" /7" .I.%" 1$+." .X-6/9/'6:" #+)1)'/f.#" /%" >K6)9.78" L$I.#" J%.7?8" (+/''.%" $%." :.)+" .)+6/.+" /%" U.6=)7'2" N5/7" /7" )%$'5.+" -$.1" '5)'" ')9;6.7" '5." -$.'&7" 7.%7." $=" )%" >.67.(5.+.?Y >K6)9.78"L$I.#"J%.7? No, I never found The place where I could say This is my proper ground, Here I shall stay; Nor met that special one Who has an instant claim On everything I own Down to my name; N$"4%#"7,95"7..17"'$"-+$I. You want no choice in where To build, or whom to love; You ask them to bear You off irrevocably, V$"'5)'"/'&7"%$'":$,+"=),6' Should the town turn dreary, The girl a dolt. h.'8"5)I/%*"1/77.#"'5.18":$,&+. Bound, none the less, to act As if what you settled for Mashed you, in fact; And wiser to keep away From thinking you still might trace A Portrait of a Poet as an Exile: the Case of Philip Larkin 127 Uncalled-for to this day Your person, your place (Larkin 1988, rev. edn 2003, 46) c%#.+6:/%*"'5."7-.);.+&7"I$6,%')+:"6$%.6/%.77"/7"'5."/#.)"'5)'"=+.."(/66"/7" '5."$%6:"():"'$()+#7"7.6=a#.4%/'/$%2"i$'"$%6:"#$.7"/'"-.+1/'"'5."/%#/I/#,)6" to protect himself from hostile, indifferent society, but it also minimizes the #)%*.+" $=" #.9.-'/$%" )%#" 7,==.+/%*2" !%" L)+;/%&7" Weltanschauung, this sense $=" ),'$%$1:" )%#" 7.6=5$$#" 9)%" 0." .X-+.77.#8" )7" L$6.''." j,0:&7" )7','.6:" 7,**.7'78">$%6:")7")"%.*)'/I.?"@Kuby 1974, 61). Indeed, the prevailing isotopy of negation – we cannot help noticing the recurrence of negative lexemes (1 No, 1 never, 5 Nor, 7 no, 11 not, 14 none) – conveys the notion that the choice of loneliness and, therefore, detachment from the ordinary habits of society is a #/+.9'" 9$%7.<,.%9." $=" $%.&7" =+..#$1" $=" )9'/$%2" k,+'5.+8" '5." -$.1&7" '+/-)+'/'." structure draws our attention to different stages of the dilemma (Osborne 2008, 109): STANZA 1" l" '5." 7-.);.+" 5)7" =$,%#" %./'5.+" )" -6)9." '$" -,'" #$(%" +$$'7" %$+" )" person with whom to share his life STANZA 2"l"'5."7-.);.+"+.m.9'7")%:"+.7-$%7/0/6/':"/%"9)7."$="=)/6,+."(5.%.I.+" the choice is made STANZA 3"l"'5."7-.);.+"+.)6/f.7"'5)'"6/=.8")7"/+$%/9"/%'.+'(/%/%*"$="'5."9$1/9" and the tragic, imposes its rules, whatever the individual may desire or do. This is Larkin at his best. Just as Thomas Hardy combines the two views of humanity as both responsible for its fortune and victim of blind fate, so Larkin #.-/9'7"5/7"95)+)9'.+7")7"'+)--.#"/%"'5."9$%g/9'"0.'(..%"'5."/#.)6")%#"'5."+.)68" what they would like to be and what they really are. For this reason, choosing '$"6/I."=$+.I.+"/%")%">.67.(5.+.?"@'5)'"/78"/%"$'5.+"($+#78")">%$a(5.+.?G")--.)+7" a comfortable, yet vulnerable condition for the poet who, poised in a spiritual limbo, can more easily distance himself from the emotional implications of the reality he observes around him. The extreme self-consciousness gained from '5."+.g.9'/$%"$%"'5."($+6#"=+$1"'5.")%*6."$=")%"$,'7/#.+")66$(7"0$'5"-$.'")%#" reader to overcome the limits of disappointment and frustration. On the other 5)%#8"'5/7">#.=.%7/I.?"7'+)'.*:".%')/67"*+)7-/%*"=+)*1.%'7"$="+.)6/':"$%6:"(/'5" an ample load of irony as well as empathy. !%" 7,95" )" -+/I/6.*.#" /%'.+7.9'/$%" 0.'(..%" >5.+.?" )%#" >'5.+.?8" $%9." '5." #/==.+.%9."0.'(..%">!?")%#">'5.:?"/7"+.9$*%/f.#8".-/-5)%/9"I/7/$%7"=$66$(2"N5/7" happens, for example, in one of the most anthologized yet remarkable poems (+/''.%"0:"L)+;/%8">T.+.?2"!'"/7"'5."+.9$+#"$=")"'+)/%"m$,+%.:"=+$1"'5."7$,'5"'$" the north of England where country landscape, cityscape and seascape assume a life of their own becoming, thus, highly symbolic in their simple reality. After twenty-four descriptive lines, the traveller arrives at a place 128 ANNA ENRICHETTA SOCCIO " " " """"""""R222S"(5.+."+.1$I.#"6/I.7 L$%.6/%.77"96)+/4.72"T.+."7/6.%9."7')%#7 Like heat. Here leaves unnoticed thicken, T/##.%"(..#7"g$(.+8"%.*6.9'.#"()'.+7"<,/9;.%8 Luminously-peopled air ascends; And past the poppies bluish neutral distance Ends the land suddenly beyond a beach Of shapes and shingle. Here is unfenced existence: Facing the sun, untalkative, out of reach (Larkin 1988, rev. edn 2003, 79-80) H6'5$,*5"/'"/7"'.1-'/%*"'$"/#.%'/=:"'5."-$.1&7">5.+.?"(/'5"'5."%$+'5a(.7'" coast of England1 as the real destination and end of the journey, we realize that this ultimate end is not real at all. Here" >7/6.%9." 7')%#7" Q" L/;." 5.)'?n" here /7" >06,/75" %.,'+)6" #/7')%9.?n" here" /7" >,%=.%9.#" .X/7'.%9.?n" )%#" 4%)66:8" here /7" >,%')6;)'/I.8" $,'" $=" +.)95?2" N$" -,'" /'" /%" $'5.+" ($+#78" '5." -6)9." 9)%%$'" 0." #.79+/0.#" %$+" 7-.9/4.#" 0:" 96.)+" )%#" ,%)10/*,$,7" )9'7" $=" 7-..95" 7/%9." /'" /7" )" place of the imagination and a symbolic destination which transcends reality. In order to understand and enjoy moments of vision like this, utter isolation plays a fundamental role. By adopting a metonymic strategy, the poet is trying '$"1);."7/6.%9."7-.);8"'$"#.4%."'5."/%#.4%/'.8"'$"+.)95"(5)'"/7"0.:$%#"5,1)%" $07.+I)'/$%" )%#" ,%#.+7')%#/%*2" !%" '5/7" +.7-.9'8" '5." >.67.(5.+.?" '$" (5/95" '5." poet aspires appears as a positive non-human dimension that, paradoxically once more, can be described only by negatives (25loneliness, 25silence, 26unnoticed, neglected, 31unfenced, 32untalkative, 32out of reach). Replying to Neil Powell who 27 )7;.#"5/1"(5:"5/7"4+7'"9$66.9'/$%">7..1R.#S"'$"0.")"0$$;"(/'5")"6$'"$="%.*)'/I.7" /%"/'?8"L)+;/%"7)/#Y R222S" K.$-6." 7):" !&1" I.+:" %.*)'/I.8" )%#" !" 7,--$7." !" )18" 0,'" '5." /1-,67." =$+" producing a poem is never negative; the most negative poem in the world is a very positive thing to have done. The fact that a poem makes a reader want to lie down and die rather than get up and sock somebody is irrelevant. K.+5)-7"1:"%.*)'/$%"/7"1:"7,0m.9'a1)''.+Y"/'"#$.7%&'"7..1"6/;."%.*)'/$%"'$" me, but like daffodils to Wordsworth (Larkin 2001, 31). N5."+.=.+.%9."'$"P$+#7($+'5&7"#)==$#/67"/7"/1-$+')%'")%#"1,7'"0."+.)#")7" )"7:%.9#$95/9")66,7/$%"'$"L)+;/%&7"=,66"-)+'/9/-)'/$%"/%"'5."*+.)'"'+)#/'/$%"$="'5." British poetry.2 1 L)+;/%" 5/17.6=" )#1/''.#" >'5." -$.1" /7" )0$,'" '5." -)+'" $=" 3%*6)%#" !" 6/I." /%?" /%" '5." comment on the poem in his recording of the entire collection (Larkin 1965). 2 See Barker (2005, 228-229). A Portrait of a Poet as an Exile: the Case of Philip Larkin 129 References Barker J. 2005. Wordsworth. A Life. New York and London: Harper. U):6.:" B2" CDEE2" >N$$" d$$#" =$+" N5/7" P$+6#?2" !%" T)+'6.:" d2" @.#2G" Philip Larkin, 1922-1985: A Tribute. Hull: The Marvell Press, 198-212. Booth J. 2005. Philip Larkin: the Poet’s Plight. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. d$$#0:"B2"CDED2">eN5."!1-$+')%9."$="U./%*"367.(5.+.&8"$+"ei$"])%"/7")%"!+.6)%#&Y" V.6=8"V.6I.7")%#"V$9/)6"W$%7.%7,7"/%"'5."K$.'+:"$="K5/6/-"L)+;/%?2"!%"Critical Survey, vol. 1, n. 2, 131-138. Kuby L. 1974. An Uncommon Poet for the Common Man. A Study of Philip Larkin’s Poetry. The Hague, Paris: Mouton. Larkin P. 1965. Philip Larkin reads “The Whitsun Weddings”. Listen cassettes. Hessle: The Marvell Press. Larkin P. 1983. Required Writing. Miscellaneous Pieces 1955-1982. London: Faber. Larkin P. 1988, revised edition 2003. Collected Poems. Thwaite A. (ed.) Victoria (Australia): The Marvell Press; London: Faber. Larkin P. 2001. Further Requirements. Interviews, Broadcasts, Statements, and Book Reviews 1952-1985. Thwaite A. (ed.) London: Faber. Osborne J. 2008. Larkin, Ideology and Critical Violence. A Case of Wrongful Conviction. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Riding Jackson L. 1987. “Twentieth-Century Change in the Idea of Poetry, and $="'5."K$.'8")%#"$="'5."T,1)%"U./%*?2"!%"PN Review, 14 suppl. 1, 71-88. Swarbrick A. 1995. Out of Reach. The Poetry of Philip Larkin. Basingstoke and London: Macmillan.