Pirandello and his muse : the plays for Marta Abba / Daniela Bini. [electronic resource]

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bini, Daniela, 1945-

Series:

Crosscurrents (Gainesville, Fla.)

Crosscurrents

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pirandello, Luigi, 1867-1936--Criticism and interpretation.

Pirandello, Luigi.

Pirandello, Luigi, 1867-1936--Relations with women.

Abba, Marta.

Women in literature.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 230 p. )

Place of Publication:

Gainesville : University Press of Florida, c1998.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This study examines the later plays of Luigi Pirandello - those he wrote for his muse, actress Marta Abba - in light of the recent publication of their correspondence. It traces the Nobel Prize winner's entire creative process, revealing how his perception of women shaped his philosophy of art and life, and highlights the structurally necessary shift from the male protagonist of the early and more famous plays and novels to the female protagonist of the later plays.

With sensitive commentary on the letters, Daniela Bini reads the plays the old maestro wrote for the young actress as the sublimation of an erotic impulse he denied throughout his life. From Diana and Tuda to The Mountain Giants, Bini maintains, Pirandello makes love to Marta in the only way he could, the mystical union of the creator and his muse.

Contents:

Foreword / S.E. Gontarski

Introduction: The Burden of Tradition

1. Woman, the Platonic Ideal: Tuda and "Marta" Before Marta Abba, the Divine Eleonora Duse: The Second Mrs. Tanqueray and As Before, Better than Before. The Virgin Marta: Diana and Tuda and The Wives' Friend. Diana and Tuda: The Play. The Wives' Friend: The History. The Wives' Friend: The Play

2. Woman, the Earth Mother: La Spera and Sara. The New Colony: The History. The New Colony: The Play. Lazarus: The History. Lazarus: The Play

3. Woman's Refusal of Roles: L'Ignota. Come tu mi vuoi: The Story. As You Desire Me: The Play

4. Woman as Creator. Letters From Berlin and Paris: An Effort at Sublimation. Artistic Creation/Procreation: The Mountain Giants.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [215]-222) and index.

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

ISBN:

0-8130-1843-9