1st Edition
Nineteenth-Century Italian Women Writers and the Woman Question The Case of Neera
Introduction
Separate Spheres in Fin-de-Siècle Italy
Women Writers and Male Critics
Chapter I Growing up Female in Fin-De-Siècle Italy
Writing Personal Experiences and Vocation
Women Writers and Pseudonyms: Between Private and Public Spheres…..
Fin-de-Siècle Italian Women Writers and Their Literary Mothers, Daughters and Sisters
Neera’s "Two Faces"
Chapter II From Daughter to Mother in Neera’s Work
Neera’s Daughters: Addio!, Il castigo, Il marito dell’amica, La Regaldina, Teresa, Lydia and L’indomani
Motherhood and the Maternal in Neera’s Theoretical Production
Neera’s Mothers: L’amuleto, La vecchia casa, Il romanzo della fortuna and Duello d’anime
Chapter III Neera the Verist Woman Writer
Naturalism and Verismo
Neera and the Veristi: Public and Private Exchanges on Verismo
Teresa, a Verist Novel
Neera’s Post-Verismo Production: Symbolism and Benedetto Croce
Chapter IV Letter Writing: A Tool of the Trade for Italian Women Writers
Letter Writing: A Communicative Tool in Fin-de-Siècle Italy
Exchanges with Literary Father Figures
Defending Poetic Ideals
The Maternal in Neera’s Epistolary Exchanges
Understanding and Solidarity between Women Writers
Conclusion
Biography
Catherine Ramsey-Portolano is Associate Professor and Director of Italian Studies and Modern Languages at The American University of Rome in Rome, Italy, where she teaches courses on Italian language, culture, literature and film. She has completed a BA (The University of Tennessee-Knoxville), MA (The University of Wisconsin-Madison), Laurea (LUMSA University-Rome) and PhD (University of Chicago), all in Italian Literature. Her books include Performing Bodies: Female Illness in Italian Literature and Cinema (1860-1920), The Future of Italian Teaching: Media, New Technologies and Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives and Rethinking Neera.
