Book Manuscript

The Ideology of Character: An Introduction

Silvia Valisa, University of California

Abstract

I discuss here the theoretical and critical concerns that shape my analyses of Alessandro Manzoni's "I promessi sposi", Neera's "ciclo della donna giovane", Paola Masino's "Nascita e morte della massaia" and Elsa Morante's "Aracoeli". Characters are conceived as the privileged point of entry to the epistemological and narrative organization of texts, that is as ideological units perfectly balanced between structure and reference.