Giallo, Nero, and some Rosa: The Colorful Life of Mystery Fiction in Italy



This class analyzes the development of Italian detective and mystery fiction through the second half of 19th century until the post-WWII years, with a particular attention to the way Italian authors attempted to create a national style that could withstand the comparison with the great models of the French feuilleton, the classic English mystery and the American hard boiled. After the unification of Italy and during the Fascist period in particular many writers found themselves in the difficult position of both wanting to emulate foreign narrative formulas and refusing some of their premises in order to innovate them in a specific Italian way. What this "Italian way" was perceived to be, and how a genre mainly meant for entertainment became part of a discussion about national identity and pride, will be some of the key concepts discussed in the course. Students will have the opportunity to examine works by such authors as Emilio De Marchi, Carolina Invernizio, Jarro, Augusto De Angelis, Ezio D'Errico, Tito Spagnol, Vasco Mariotti and Giorgio Scerbanenco, and will investigate how the stylistic choices of each author interacted with the cultural landscape of their time and contributed to shape it. Due to the nature of the material, frequent comparisons with foreign literature and other media such as film and theater will be drawn. The course will also analyze the traditional and modern standpoints that Italian criticism has taken on mystery and detective fiction, as well as on the so-called "high" and "low/popular" fiction in general.



Required Texts: Augusto De Angelis, Il mistero di Cinecittà/, Palermo, Sellerio, 2003 Padovani-Verdirame (eds.), /L'almanacco del delitto, Palermo, Sellerio, 1996

Ezio D'Errico, Il trapezio d'argento, Alessandria, Libreria Dell'Orso, 2007

Giorgio Scerbanenco, Venere privata, Milano, Garzanti, 2001

Edoardo Scarfoglio, Il processo di Frine, Palermo, Sellerio, 1995.