Elena Ferrante Analysis
The work of the Neapolitan writer Elena Ferrante has received much attention in recent years, becoming the subject of countless articles, not only in the Italian press, but also in many of the world’s most prestigious publications. Paolo di Paolo, writing for La Stampa, provides us with a succinct description of the “caso Ferrante”: “Merita perciò di essere studiato il fenomeno-Ferrante: un’autrice di cui tuttora si ignora l’identità salutata qualche settimana fa dal New Yorker come una grande artista. Molly Fischer dice di aver cominciato a leggere il primo volume della trilogia L’amica geniale e di non essere riuscita più a fermarsi. Richiamandosi ad alcune serie tv che mettono in scena l’amicizia femminile, Fischer spiega come l’abilità
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In a literary world dominated by male authors and male protagonists, Ferrante chooses to present a uniquely feminine body of work, that provides many challenges to the traditional focus on masculinity in the Italian literary canon. I feel that the following quote from the French feminist author Luce Irigaray (whose influence on Ferrante will be touched upon briefly) provides an excellent explanation of the impetus present behind Ferrante’s work, and indeed it’s critical study: “Le monde se désigne le plus souvent, dans les discours des hommes, comme inanimés abstraits intégrés à l’univers du sujet. La realitè y apparait comme réalité déjà culturelle, lieé à l’histoire collective et individuelle du sujet masculine.” I would argue that Ferrante is attempting to shift this focus, and open up a “discours des femmes” which will prove vital for the literary world. The following extract from A History of Women’s Writing in Italy by Letizia Panizza and Sharon Wood provides a concise explanation of the context in which Ferrante’s work exists: “In the Western world, and in Italy in particular, women have led very different lives, have taken on very different roles and have not enjoyed the same levels of literacy and access to cultural and intellectual circles that men have. Furthermore, women have not been granted full citizenship in
In a literary world dominated by male authors and male protagonists, Ferrante chooses to present a uniquely feminine body of work, that provides many challenges to the traditional focus on masculinity in the Italian literary canon. I feel that the following quote from the French feminist author Luce Irigaray (whose influence on Ferrante will be touched upon briefly) provides an excellent explanation of the impetus present behind Ferrante’s work, and indeed it’s critical study: “Le monde se désigne le plus souvent, dans les discours des hommes, comme inanimés abstraits intégrés à l’univers du sujet. La realitè y apparait comme réalité déjà culturelle, lieé à l’histoire collective et individuelle du sujet masculine.” I would argue that Ferrante is attempting to shift this focus, and open up a “discours des femmes” which will prove vital for the literary world. The following extract from A History of Women’s Writing in Italy by Letizia Panizza and Sharon Wood provides a concise explanation of the context in which Ferrante’s work exists: “In the Western world, and in Italy in particular, women have led very different lives, have taken on very different roles and have not enjoyed the same levels of literacy and access to cultural and intellectual circles that men have. Furthermore, women have not been granted full citizenship in