Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
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This thesis argues that the literary relevance of The Private Memoirs is its examination of the sometimes problematic desire for belonging and self-realisation. The novel, seen as a satirical...Show moreThis thesis argues that the literary relevance of The Private Memoirs is its examination of the sometimes problematic desire for belonging and self-realisation. The novel, seen as a satirical Bildungsroman, shows that Robert Wringhim’s failure both to reach maturity and assimilate into society is the result of his inability to change. One needs to constantly (re)negotiate between self and other to safely integrate into society – this is a form of Bildung, as understood in Herder’s conceptualisation of the term. However, Robert fails to integrate, because he refuses to change his early identity, which, in turn, leads to the creation of a doppelgänger. Also, his parents teach Robert that he is preordained to live in heaven which causes him to feel that above all he belongs to this future state. Ultimately, with no self-realisation and a strong desire to go to where he feels he belongs, Robert’s short life can only end in his premature death. Finally, The Private Memoirs is not merely a critique of bad parenting or religious excess. Rather, Robert and his family become a metonymy for something larger and more prevalent: liberalism and civil society, where freedom becomes freedom to have property, rather than freedom of thought. In the end, liberalism is portrayed as a system of exclusion rather than inclusion of differences.Show less
Until this moment the presence of female friendship, in contrast to male friendship, in Italian literature has been very rare. That is why in this thesis the topic of female friendship in Italian...Show moreUntil this moment the presence of female friendship, in contrast to male friendship, in Italian literature has been very rare. That is why in this thesis the topic of female friendship in Italian literature will be examined, focusing on one novel in particular, “L’amica geniale”, which lends itself perfectly to analyse this phenomenon. In the first chapter of the thesis the authoress Elena Ferrante and her writings will be introduced. This is necessary because her novels have been published very recently. The second chapter is dedicated to the narratological analysis of the novel, which is necessary to get a complete overview. The analysis of “L’amica geniale” will be able to show how female friendship is related to the process of personal identity and how this is expressed in Italian literature. This is why in the third chapter the focus will be on the Bildungsroman, which is characteristic for exposing the personal development of an individual. Comparing the novel to the narrative model of the Bildungsroman will make it possible to examine which aspects and elements of the Bildungsroman are presented in “L’amica geniale”. This will give the opportunity to discuss how female friendship influences the personal development of an individual and to examine how this is exposed in the novel and in Italian literature in general. In the fourth chapter the aspects of female friendship in the novel will be examined. In the conclusion all the statements and arguments will be put into perspective.Show less
