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Maternal Desire: Natalia Ginzburg's Mothers, Daughters and Sisters by Teresa Picarazzi (review)

2004; Modern Humanities Research Association; Volume: 99; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/mlr.2004.a827667

2222-4319

Gillian Ania,

Comparative Literary Analysis and Criticism

MLRy 99.2, 2004 511 it concerns the conceptual set-up touching on personal existential situations of the main characters. The 'revisiting' of Alfieri ends with a subtle presentation by John Lindon. Starting from a 1957 article by E. R. Vincent, what at firstmight appear to be a footnote to the notorious love intrigue between Alfieri and Penelope Pitt becomes a convincingly valid analysis of the narrative strategy of the Vita. Lindon does this by interfacing the firststesura of Alfieri's autobiography of 1790 with the final version, as well as through a painstaking reading of letters and court documents covering the divorce of Viscount Ligonier from his wife Penelope. All in all, this slender volume, given the variety of the subjects treated and the calibre of the participants, leaves the reader with the impression of having absorbed a larger quantity of refreshing and enlightening scholarship on Alfieri than the number of pages would suggest. One can only look forward to a repeat of a similar event organized by the italianisti of Britain. University of California, Los Angeles Franco Betti Maternal Desire: Natalia Ginzburg's Mothers, Daughters and Sisters. By Teresa Picarazzi. Madison: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press; London: Associated University Presses. 2002. 234 pp. ?34- ISBN 0-8386-3904-6. Teresa Picarazzi's study focuses closely on Ginzburg's female characters, their grad? ually evolving experiences, perspectives, and natures from the 1930s to the 1980s. Although the introduction is useful in outlining the scope of the book, it would have benefited from a comment that the 'specialist' discourse used by her in relation to feminist criticism would be contextualized in subsequent chapters. Indeed, while Picarazzi's aims and intentions are valid and interesting, they often seem to be stated later than might be helpful. The background informationprovided in Chapter 1, how? ever, the perceptive connections made, the references to Ginzburg's own comments on her work, the wealth of relevant quotations from feminist critics and theorists, and the excellent references provided make a far more valuable introduction. Chapter 2 discusses Ginzburg's problematic search fora style, involving writing 'like a man', be? ing the subject (not object) of her writing, understanding the seeming incompatibility of creation and procreation, and achieving 'genderless' writing. Particular attention is then given to the early stories 'Casa al mare' and 'Un'assenza', with reference also to Ginzburg's essays. An absorbing Chapter 3 examines Ginzburg's production of the 1940s, where her perspective shifts to that ofthe 'narrating daughter' as a passive member of the patriarchal society. Romantic fantasies, thwarted relationships, and consequent delusions are discussed in relation to La strada che va in citta, E stato cosi, and 'Mio marito'. A confusing final sentence, however, makes for a weak ending here. Chapter 4 resumes discussion of Ginzburg's 'narrating daughters', moving on to her novels of the 1950s which see the daughters beginning to display intelligence and independence, relating the stories of their more passive mothers and sisters. Discus? sion here centres on four 'family romances', including Le voci della sera and Lessico famigliare. Chapter 5 discusses the 'maternal' in Ginzburg's plays of the 1960s, in? cluding Ti ho sposato per allegria, La segretaria, and Paese di mare. What we begin to see here is the multiple narrating T or 'contrasting autobiographical voices', the important but oppressive presence of the mother, obsessive neuroses, and overt matrophobic fear. Chapter 6 focuses on the 'multiple auto/biographical perspectives' of the epistolary novels, the spotlight now on the narrating mothers. Fascinating par? allels are drawn (e.g. with Myrrha and Jocasta), but the end of this section (p. 191) reads more like a general concluding paragraph, and the following (decidedly bleak) 512 Reviews section 'Ginzburg: the writer,the mother' would perhaps have functioned better as a short, final chapter on its own. The bibliography of secondary sources is surprisingly short (less than a quarter the length of the list produced a decade earlier by Alan Bullock, Human Relationships in a Changing World (Oxford: Berg, 1991)). While undoubtedly helpful for follow? ing through specific themes such as Italian feminism, it is less so if one wishes to look up authors alphabetically. The list of primary sources is...