1st Edition

Laughter from Realism to Modernism Misfits and Humorists in Pirandello, Svevo, Palazzeschi, and Gadda

By Alberto Godioli Copyright 2015
    160 Pages
    by Routledge

    160 Pages
    by Routledge

    This book investigates the clash between social uniformity and personal anomalies as a key to understanding the functions of laughter in four major Italian authors from the early twentieth century, highlighting some essential differences between traditional realism and modernism.

    Introduction: Laughter, Modernism, and Originality 1. Laughter and Originality: From Sterne to Pirandello 2. Umorismo and Madness: Pirandello's Originals 3. Violence, Bad Faith, and Hypocrisy: Truth and Deception in Svevo's Laughter 4. Celebrations of Diversity: Palazzeschi's Buffi and the Nineteenth-Century Tradition 5. The Stupidity of the World': Satire and Common Nonsense in Gadda's Fiction 6. Conclusion: Italian Modernism and the Fear of Uniformity

    Biography

    Alberto Godioli