The aim of the present article is to analyze the relationship between the city and the protagonists of Giuseppe Culicchia’s texts. The methodological perspective is that of cultural anthropology, in particular the concept of mente locale, discussed by Franco La Cecla. Mente locale, as a relationship between space and human mind, is vital in the act of getting lost in space (perdersi), which leads to getting to know it (orientarsi) and finally initiating the profound relationship based on emotivity. Culicchia’s texts are set in Turin, and the study points out the different ways of perception of the city. The analyzed texts represents the gradual acquisition of knowledge about the city that corresponds to the theoretical thesis that is how the anthropology of space and place illustrates the conceptual and material dimensions of space which is central to the production of social life, bringing classics of cultural anthropology together with new theoretical approaches.
Body Image as the Way to Express Femminity Acciaio by Silvia Avallone The analyzed text puts a great emphasis on the human as physical beings in a physical world, in which body image is a meaningful and conscious way to express identity. The female identity includes concepts of self-esteem, self-perception, sexuality and social role and it can be challenging for a number of reasons. Body image can be a powerful way to fulfill the social expectations but it can also be very vulnerable because appearances change so much and cultural messages that fuel dissatisfaction can be very strong. Having a beautiful body can easily be linked to the concepts of success, sexuality, great expectations. Having ugly body can lead to emargination and struggling against the world that from the ancient times promotes the value of beauty in female. Key words: body-conscious, identity, evolution, postmodernism.
Tiziano Scarpa’s novel puts a great emphasis on the ritualistic expression in human life, which tends to be a meaningful and conscious way to expressing identity and personality. Music is a powerful means of expression for Cecilia, a young woman who considers herself as a weak creature. Deprived of any knowledge about her parents, she cannot find the way to fulfill social expectations and she is very vulnerable. Her talent to play the violin is linked to the concept of God, but then gives her the power to struggle against the world and all odds. In the music she plays, Cecilia can finally find her identity, and realizes that she is unique because of her music. Key words: rite, expression, music, identity
Giuseppe Culicchia’s novel is an example of a literary polemic between the society and the individual who is, at least to a certain extent, a rebel. On the one hand, in Culicchia’s story, this might denote a person who stands up for their own personal opinions regardless of what anyone else says. On the other hand, however, a rebel may actually stand up against what is right, and may lose himself in drug and alcohol abuse. All in all, the novel focuses on being an individual and refusing to follow the crowd that forces you to think the same way they do even if it means becoming an outcast to the society. The novel is also a polemic, and polemics are not only a vehicle for the exchange of opinions, cultures, knowledge and ideas, but they also are the most significant sign of our times. Key words: Literary polemics, society vs. individual, rebel, culture.
The analyzed texts are definitely challenging borders and limits, including those of immigration, that means the exploration of the marginalized aspects of life and marginalized elements of society. They put a great emphasis on the human as physical beings in a physical world, the human that try to live their lives in the meaningful and conscious way. They struggle against a world in which they are emarginated. The stories of the immigrants could be seen as the reconceptualization of the Italian society, its history that in this case refers to postcolonial consequences and the cultural constructs. The immigrants in Italy should no longer look for a pattern of life, they’d rather celebrate its specificity and try to be moral creatures, replacing stereotypes with their genuine experiences. Key words: Challenging borders, limits, immigration, conscious life.
Alessandro Militi, by means of his protagonist, who plays the videogame called Fuffa, presents his vision of the society overwhelmed by technological progress, and in consequences deprived of real moral values. The author presents the existing sociocultural phenomena in a very realistic-mimetic and reliable way, expressing his reluctance towards the objects suppressing human sensitivity and the need to communicate with other people not only by means of internet and mobile phone. Economic development, improving of the conditions of living, bigger selection of goods entail negative aspects. A man distances himself from spiritual values and becomes a handicapped and indifferent creature. The coexistance of the elements of virtual and real is plain and clear; a man being between these opposing poles cannot fully free himself from the artificial. The only way out from this situation appears when the game is over. Key words: Videogame, virtual, real, mimesis.
The analyzed text puts a great emphasis on the concept of an island perceived not only as a geographical autonomic zone, but also as a cultural and personal continuum. Culicchia’s novel focuses on the emotional and generational voyage preceded by the images that are alive in the mind of a child who now becomes an adult. Sicily is an example of the concept of mente locale which defines the relationship between space and human being for whom it is essential and primordial. Key words: Giuseppe Culicchia, island, voyage, identity, mente locale
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