The atmosphere of intimacy i n La penumbra que hemos atravesado of Lalla Romano

Abstract

We begin the analysis of the novelLa penombra che abbiamo attraversato by raising a general question (how the original geographical-cultural space can be decisive in an author’s literary expression) and highlighting an authorial methodology (how Lalla Romano converts memory mechanisms in literary procedures, thus contributing to the construction of a collective memory).In a second stage/instance, we develop the central hypothesis: we argue that the novel is specifically based on an atmosphere of intimacy. Appealing to Genette ́s categories, we formulate a possible division between two overlapping levels of intimacy: that of textuality and that of transtextuality. Regarding the first level, we argue that the author creates the atmosphere of intrinsic intimacy of the novel, relying on the use of three resources: metaphor, image and reticence. Regarding the second one, we assume that Romano builds an atmosphere of intimacy with the reader through use of the allusion technique, inducing the discovery of various concomitances with other texts and authors exogenous to the Italian space, and thus suggesting possible relocations of the work in the field of universal literature