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The Treasure Chest and the Talisman: Writing between Reality and Myth in Maria Giacobbe

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Writing and Performing Female Identity in Italian Culture

Part of the book series: Italian and Italian American Studies ((IIAS))

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Abstract

In “The Treasure Chest and the Talisman: Writing between Reality and Myth in Maria Giacobbe,” Angela Guiso investigates the novels Maschere e angeli nudi. Ritratto di un’infanzia and Euridice. The first novel traces the author’s evolution against the historical backdrop of Fascism and within a sociocultural context defined by the family (particularly women) and the geography and traditions of the author’s native Sardinia. The second novel rewrites the famous myth and represents acts of resistance and legitimation through the author’s own Euridice, as it foregrounds the heroine’s experience in war and places her survival firmly in her strength as a woman. Guiso concludes that in both texts Giacobbe showcases an alternative order that authenticates women’s capacity for generating life and their intellectual rereading of public and personal history.

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Guiso, A. (2017). The Treasure Chest and the Talisman: Writing between Reality and Myth in Maria Giacobbe. In: Picchietti, V., Salsini, L. (eds) Writing and Performing Female Identity in Italian Culture . Italian and Italian American Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40835-4_11

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