Academic literature on the topic 'Italian Historical Novel'

The article deals with the evolution of the Italian novel in different literary and historical periods, starting with the epic poem of Antiquity up to the historical novel (“The Betrothed” by Alessandro Manzoni) and the social novel (“The House by the Medlar-Tree” and “Mastro-don Gesualdo” by Giovanni Verga). Based on the works of Italian philologist Clorinda Di Fini, the article shows how the focus of narrative shifts from the fate of the upper classes to the lives of ordinary people in a larger historical context, as well as the author's position in the novel moves towards impersonality and objective reflection on social problems

The article deals with the evolution of the Italian novel in different literary and historical periods, starting with the epic poem of Antiquity up to the historical novel (“The Betrothed” by Alessandro Manzoni) and the social novel (“The House by the Medlar-Tree” and “Mastro-don Gesualdo” by Giovanni Verga). Based on the works of Italian philologist Clorinda Di Fini, the article shows how the focus of narrative shifts from the fate of the upper classes to the lives of ordinary people in a larger historical context, as well as the author's position in the novel moves towards impersonality and objective reflection on social problems.

In the early 19th century, the Italian literature did not have a mature novel, as is known today. The Italian novelist, Manzoni, and his masterpiece The Betrothed, set a solid basis for the contemporary Italian novel; thanks to its’ narrative characteristics that helped the novelist in achieving different reformative goals, woven stupendously with fictional, historical and realistic threads. The main purpose of this study is to apply an analytical and thematic approach on the structure and narrator of the novel. Furthermore, the research aims to distinguish the main artistic characteristics adopted from the European historical novel. The study then focuses on analyzing the function of the anonymous author’s fictional frame and how it created a diversity in the narrative levels. The research also highlights the importance of the omniscient narrator, the strong relations between the narrator and the narratee, the different narrative perspectives, and finally the polyphony: techniques that enhanced the realistic dimension of the novel.

In the interdisciplinary course entitled The Italian-American Experience, Pietro di Donato's Christ in Concrete is examined, explored, and analyzed within historical, socio-political, and literary contexts. The novel becomes a point of focus for the discussion of immigrant life and working-class people in a broader and contextualized understanding of Italian Americans. Students read Christ in Concrete in conjunction with essays documenting the history of workers' struggles in the United States. Read as cultural artifact, Christ in Concrete documents with historical clarity and brutal honesty the way in which the American Dream turned nightmare. Using language, religion, and social politics as focal points, the paper looks at Italian-Americans, their virtues and flaws, their struggles and triumphs, as it underscores the culture's unique contributions to the American mosaic not only in the lived lives of the novel's characters but also in the poetics of its discourse.

Le travail de recherche a été articulé autour de trois axes principaux : la lecture philologique et sémantique de l’œuvre de Ippolito Nievo étroitement associée à l’étude de la bibliographie critique ; lʼhypothèse raisonnée de l’existence fondamentale, dans la structure même de lʼœuvre, du principe humoristique et lʼétude systématique de sa problématisation théorique ; le repérage et lʼutilisation méthodique des instruments d’analyse les plus appropriés à une analyse de lʼœuvre articulée sur ces choix. Sʼagissant de la réflexion théorique sur la notion même dʼhumour, elle a démarré sur la base des trente premières années du XXe siècle avec les fameux travaux de Freud, de Bergson et de Pirandello. Par ailleurs, à travers les considérations de Francesco Orlando et de Tzvetan Todorov, l’approche freudienne a été reliée à la linguistique structurale et à la néo-rhétorique de Chaïm Perelman et de Lucie Olbrechts-Tyteca. Ainsi, l’analyse du premier chapitre des Confessioni a permis dʼétablir une fonction argumentative des phénomènes formels et fondamentaux reconductibles à la notion d’humour et de dégager avec netteté l’importance stratégique de cette partie fondamentale du roman à cause de la présence d’une sorte de koinè qui se manifeste ici presque sans solution de continuité, mais se retrouve cependant dans l’œuvre entière
This research articulates three main axes: a philological and semantic reading of Ippolito Nievo’s work, which is strictly associated with the study of the critical bibliography; the reasoned hypothesis of the fundamental existence of the humourous principle in the novel’s own structure and the systematic study of its theoretical problematisation; and, the location and methodical use of the most appropriate analytical instruments for an analysis of the novel based on these choices. Theoretical thought about the very notion of humor began during the first thirty years of the 20th century with Freud, Bergson and Pirandello’s renowned studies. What’s more, Francesco Orlando and Tzvetan Todorov’s arguments linked the Freudian perspective to structural linguistics as well as to Chaïm Perelman and Lucie Olbrechts-Tyteca’s neo-rhetorics. Thus, the analysis of the first chapter of Confessioni establishes an argumentative function of the notion of humor’s formal and fundamental phenomena. It also clearly reveals the strategic relevance of this fundamental section of the novel through the presence of a sort of koinè that becomes evidently manifest during the first chapter, but it also appears throughout the entire work

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ABSTRACT: This article presents an analysis of the trilogy The Mill on the Po (1957), by Riccardo Bacchelli, a piece of work that portrays the complex story of a family of millers, which is seen in three successive generations. The novels include events of a whole century of history: from the period of Napoleon s defeat in Russia (1812) until the First World War (1918), and it depicts the banditry and the first social conflicts that occurred in the context of the struggle for Resurgence and Unification of Italy. In the perspective of the comparative studies and based upon reflections of writers such as Coutinho and Carvalhal (1994), Georg Lukacs (2011), Celia Fernández Prieto (2003), among others, a confrontation between the three novels that form the Bacchellian trilogy is established to compare the discourse of fiction with the discourse of History. This is done to acknowledge how the History of Italy dialogues with the fiction presented in the novel. It is also the objective of this research,through the use of some specific fragments of the novel, to analyze the poetic literary discourse in the rereading of the story, making sure the way the first one fictionalizes the official story and toshow how the popular masses begin to realize that they are the engine history. About the history of Italy s constitution, the novel also portrays the search for a national identity in this context. We notice, therefore, how Bacchelli s writing poeticizes the History through the use of a polysemic and metaphorical language, emphasizing also the question of religious discourse, making the reader notice, beyond the historical episode, a religious vision in the narrative, originated from popular traditions and legends. After some analysis of the characters relationship through life adversities, it is possible to comprehend that the human beings in Bacchelli s vision are temporal and historical beings. They are subjects of the flow of History and its irresistible force, but at the same time, through the matter that the History offers them, they have to build up their lives and confront their eternal destiny, for what they are also responsible. There is, consequently, a representation of human life in Bacchelli s writing between the material events of the human existence and the direction that is set beyond History
RESUMO: Este trabalho apresenta uma leitura da trilogia Il mulino del Po (1957), de Riccardo Bacchelli, obra que retrata a complexa história de uma família de moleiros, vista em três gerações sucessivas, abrangendo um século de história: o período que vai desde a derrota de Napoleão na Rússia (1812) até a Primeira Guerra Mundial (1918). Retrata o banditismo e os primeiros conflitos sociais que se deram no contexto da luta pelo Ressurgimento e Unificação da Itália. Na perspectiva dos estudos comparados, a partir das reflexões de Coutinho e Carvalhal (1994), Georg Lukács (2011), Celia Fernández Prieto (2003), entre outros, estabelecese um confronto entre os três romances que compõem a trilogia bacchelliana, a fim de comparar o discurso da ficção com o discurso da história, para verificar como a história da Itália dialoga com a ficção no romance. É objetivo também dessa pesquisa, a partir de fragmentos do romance, analisar a poeticidade do discurso literário na releitura da história, verificando de que modo aquele ficcionaliza a história oficial e mostra como as massas populares começam a se dar conta de que elas são o motor da história. Ao tratar da história da constituição da Itália, a obra também retrata a busca por uma identidade nacional neste contexto. Percebese, portanto, que Bacchelli trata os eventos históricos a partir de uma linguagem polissêmica e metafórica, dando ênfase também à questão do discurso religioso, fazendo com que o leitor perceba, além do episódio histórico, uma visão religiosa na narrativa, originada de tradições e lendas populares. Após algumas análises sobre a relação das personagens com as adversidades da vida, percebese que os seres humanos, na visão de Bacchelli, como seres temporais e históricos, estão sujeitos ao fluxo da história e à sua força irresistível, mas ao mesmo tempo, por meio da matéria que a história lhes oferece, eles têm que construir suas vidas e confrontarse com seus destinos eternos, dos quais também são responsáveis. Temse, portanto, uma representação da vida humana entre os acontecimentos materiais da existência e o sentido que se coloca para além da história.

Il presente lavoro ha l’obiettivo di proporre la traduzione di alcuni capitoli del graphic novel Marc Márquez: la historia de un sueño; l’opera, pubblicata dalla casa editrice catalana Norma Editorial, racconta la vita e la carriera del pilota ed è scritta interamente in lingua spagnola. L’elaborato si articola in tre capitoli preceduti da un’introduzione, nella quale si illustrano i motivi che mi hanno condotto alla scelta di questo graphic novel come testo di partenza per la mia proposta di traduzione. Il primo capitolo è dedicato alla definizione del genere graphic novel e ad una panoramica sulle sue origini e sulle caratteristiche che lo distinguono, seguite da un’analisi del testo di partenza dove vengono presentate le caratteristiche testuali e grafiche. Il secondo capitolo è interamente incentrato sulla traduzione dallo spagnolo in italiano di tre capitoli, che presentano spunti traduttivi interessanti dal punto di vista lessicale e di registro. Il terzo e ultimo capitolo, infine, lascia spazio al commento alla traduzione, e pone l’accento sulle difficoltà traduttive e i relativi metodi di risoluzione, riguardanti i tecnicismi legati all’ambito del motociclismo e i colloquialismi derivanti dalla riproduzione dell’oralità nello scritto, un tratto tipico del linguaggio dei fumetti e dei graphic novel.

In Italia il genere “giallo”, definibile anche “poliziesco”, “thriller”, e ultimamente “noir”, fra il ventennio conclusivo del Novecento e il primo decennio del Duemila mostra interessanti linee evolutive, che si collegano con i flussi della storia recente e le paure di fine millennio. Da un lato si assiste all’affermarsi del “giallo metropolitano”, cioè al proliferare di scrittori che si legano alla propria città, d’origine o di elezione, in particolare con Milano, che conquista la palma di città più “nera” d’Italia; dall’altro al consolidarsi del legame fra autori e territori più vasti, tanto da poter parlare di un nuovo regionalismo “giallo”. Ma la novità più interessante consiste nell’entrata in scena di nuovi aspetti: la fusione con elementi propri della fantascienza, o addirittura fantastici, che colorano il giallo di una sfumatura soprannaturale, tra commissari che sentono i pensieri delle vittime di omicidio, o hanno visioni mistiche, e assassini guidati dal sussurro del diavolo. Il giallo storico presenta a sua volta tutti questi aspetti, mostrando come l’ambientazione storica diventi spesso un pretesto per mettere in scena i problemi del presente.
In Italy the crime novel, that can be also defined “detective story”, “thriller”, or more recently “noir”, between the last twenty years of Twentieth century and the first decade of Two Thousand, shows an interesting evolution, that can handle with some recent historical events, or can be linked with the end of Millennium fears. On the one hand, we can see the rise of “metropolitan crime novel”, in which many writers set their novels always in the same city, their native one or the city in which they live; Milan is the most important in this list and wins the prize of “crime city” in Italy. On the other hand, many novelists establish a strong relationship with their own region, creating a new “crime” regionalism. The most interesting trend is that science fiction and supernatural events enter the crime novel, with policemen that can hear the thoughts of the victims, or have mystic visions, and killers that are guided by a whispering devil. All these aspects appear also in the historical crime novel, that shows how history is often a sort of pretext to stage some problems of the current society.

L’objet principal de notre recherche sont les romans collectifs du groupe d’écrivains connus auparavant avec le pseudonyme de Luther Blissett et ensuite avec celui de Wu Ming : ces ouvrages constituent un corpus compact tant en termes de caractéristiques formelles que de messages transmis par les intrigues. Les six œuvres, dans l’ensemble, fournissent au lecteur et au critique une vaste palette de références et d’occasions d’approfondissement : en observant leur morphologie, en évaluant leur potentiel expressif, on parvient à comprendre que les romans sont structurés comme un réseau de rapports entre les faits et les personnes. Les auteurs gèrent le matériel narratif avec habilité audacieuse, en expérimentant et innovant les modèles : le travail de recherche est organisé en évaluant aussi bien la persistance des ressemblances que l’évolution diachronique des différences du corpus. Le collectif a une haute conception du rôle social de la littérature ; l’opération culturelle qu’il mène vise ouvertement à revendiquer la valeur politique de la pratique littéraire. Nous explorons ainsi l’importance accordée à l’idée de communauté et à la transmission du savoir au sein de celle-ci. De plus, nous cherchons à vérifier la cohérence entre la substance des textes et les propositions de réflexion dont les auteurs voudraient se faire promoteurs auprès de la communauté de leurs lecteurs. Dans l’intention de saisir les tendances de l’écriture des Wu Ming, nous utilisons une méthodologie permettant de donner le jour à une étude confrontée à des facettes différentes des romans, afin d’en saisir la richesse. Ainsi nous conduisons notre étude à plusieurs niveaux. Elle est d’abord consacrée à la morphologie des textes, aux éléments de la structure narrative ; ensuite, elle est approfondie par l’analyse de correspondances significatives avec d’autres œuvres ; elle est enfin orientée à saisir la signification spécifique des romans en relation avec les exigences et les caractéristiques du milieu culturel où ils sont produits
This research focuses on collective novels by the group of writers known before as Luther Blissett and afterward as Wu Ming: these literary works constitute a compact corpus as regards both formal features and messages transmitted by the plots. The six novels, as a whole, are expressive of showing to the readers and the critics many references and stimulations of reflection: observing their morphology, considering their expressive potential, they can understand that the literary works are structured as a network of relationships between events and people. The authors handle such a narrative material with audacious ability, by experimenting and innovating models: this research is structured to consider both resemblances persistence and differences diachronic evolution. The Wu Ming’s idea of literature social role is substantial. The group cultural activity openly aims at claiming literature political value. Indeed, we investigate the importance in the novels of communities and of the knowledge spread within them. Furthermore, we would verify the coherence between texts substance and reflection sparks that the writers would come to let their audience share. Intending to gather Wu Ming’s writing tendencies, we employ a method which is a key of highlighting novels different facets, in order to understand their rich meaning. So this investigation is structured on many levels. At the beginning it is focused on texts morphology and narrative structure elements; then, it is enriched by the comparison with significant resemblances of other literary works; in conclusion, it is oriented to reach the novels specific meaning in relation to necessities and features of the cultural milieu they are produced in

Ma thèse propose une analyse attentive de la ré-écriture de l'histoire articulée dans trois romans du collectif d'écrivains italiens publiant sous le pseudonyme Wu Ming: "Q", "54" et "Manituana". Partant du pamphlet publié par les Wu Ming en 2008 sur leur conception du roman historique et de l’écriture romanesque en général, the New Italian Epic (NIE), je propose deux angles d’approche pour mettre en évidence la relecture de l’histoire se dessinant dans les romans cités ci-dessus: la notion du regard oblique (qui est mentionnée dans le NIE); et le concept de multitude. La technique du regard oblique implique une réflexivité de la narration, une mise en abîme du processus narratif qui est effectuéé par le biais d’un point de vue insolite. Ce dernier peut provenir d'un animal, d’un objet animé, ou même d’un objet mystérieux comme le flux immatériel. Cette technique a déjà des précédents littéraires dans l’oeuvre d’écrivains tels que Italo Calvino ou Thomas Pynchon, mais dans la nouvelle forme qu’elle acquiert dans les textes des Wu Ming, elle permet l’articulation d’une relecture transversale de l’histoire. Cette relecture transversale émergeant dans les romans des Wu Ming est analysée dans la première partie de la thèse. La conceptualisation du regard oblique que je développe dans cette partie se base sur la théorie de l'anamorphose de Jacques Lacan, ainsi que sur le concept de la "troisième personne" proposé récemment par le philosophe Roberto Esposito. La seconde partie de la thèse aborde la problématique de la confrontation de l'écriture des Wu Ming à la situation socio-politique internationale contemporaine, soit comment leur ré-écriture de l'histoire s'insère dans la situation biopolitique globale. Dans les romans des Wu Ming on voit surgir une interprétation de cette situation globale qui dépasse les notions classiques de l'État et du citoyen. Le concept du biopolitique se prête à diverses interprétations: dans ses écrits des années 1970, Michel Foucault, qui est un des théoriciens majeurs du biopouvoir et de la biopolitique, ne parvient pas à proposer une interprétation unique et précise de ce dernier concept. Plusieurs philosophes italiens ont repris ce discours en le développant chacun à sa manière. Certains, comme Paolo Virno et, un peu plus tard Toni Negri, voient dans la notion de la Multitude une possibilité pour équilibrer le rapport pouvoir/personne et par conséquent pour développer de nouvelles possibilités révolutionnaires pour la déconstruction du biopouvoir. Les Wu Ming semblent suivre la voie positive de la multitude, qui selon leur conception correspond plus à une interprétation néo-marxiste de l’histoire.
My thesis presents an attentive analysis of the rewriting of history, articulated in three novels of the group of Italian authors publishing under the pseudonym Wu Ming: "Q", "54" and "Manituana". Starting from the pamphlet published by the Wu Ming in 2008, on their conception of the historical novel and the romantic writing in general, the New Italian Epic (NIE), I propose two ways to put in evidence the review of History that emerges from the novels mentioned above: the notion of the oblique gaze (mentioned in the NIE); and the concept of the multitude. The technique of the oblique gaze implies a reflexion on the narration, a "mise en abyme" of the narrative process which is made by the way of an unusual point of view. This technique already has some litterary precedents in the works of writers such as Italo Calvino or Thomas Pynchon,*but in the new form that it aquires in the texts of the Wu MIng, it allows the articulation of a transversal review of history. This transversal review emerging from the novels of the Wu Ming is analysed in the first part of the thesis. The conceptualization of the oblique gaze that I develop in this section is based on the theory of the Anamorphosis of Jacques Lacan, in addition to the concept of the "Third person" suggested recently by the philosopher Roberto Esposito. The second part of the thesis focuses on Wu Ming’s analysis and interpretation of the contemporary socio-political situation, namely how their re-writing of history is inserted in the global biopolitical situation. In the novels of the Wu Ming we observe the emergence of an interpretation of this global situation which subverts the classical notions of the State and the citizen. The concept of biopolitics lends itself to different interpretations: in his writings of the 1970's, Michel Foucault, who is one of the major theorists of biopower and biopolitics, does not succeed in suggesting a unique and precise interpretation of this concept. Many Italian philosophers have worked on this notion, each one of them developping it in her own way. Some, such as Paolo Virno and, some time later Toni Negri, see in the concept of the multitude a possibility to balance the rapport power/people and therefore to develop new revolutionary possibilities for the deconstruction of the biopower. The Wu MIng seem to follow the positive reading of the multitude, which according to their conception, corresponds more to a neo-marxist interpretation of History.
Nella mia tesi esamino l’emergenza di una riscrittura della Storia proposta dai tre romanzi: Q, 54 e Manituana, del collettivo di scrittori italiani che pubblicano sotto lo pseudonimo Wu Ming, i quali, attraverso una nuova proposta di romanzo storico e lo sguardo della Moltitudine, rimettono in questione la struttura del biopotere. Da un’attenta analisi dei testi sopracitati fuoriescono le peculiarità di un nuovo modo di concepire il romanzo storico in cui, fra le varie caratteristiche emerge quella dello “sguardo obliquo”, tecnica basata nell’esporre al lettore la narrazione facendola provenire da un punto di vista che non è quello che solitamente ci si attende, ma piuttosto un punto di vista insolito che può provenire da animali, oggetti animati, o addirittura da oggetti misteriosi come flussi immateriali. Questa tecnica ha già visto alcuni illustri precedenti letterari nelle sperimentazioni di scrittori quali Italo Calvino o Thomas Pynchon, ma nella nuova forma che fuoriesce dalla scrittura dei Wu Ming acquista la particolare capacità di leggere la storia in un contesto che si accosta in modo accentuato alle problematiche del contemporaneo. L’analisi di questa lettura trasversale, che copre la prima parte della tesi, è stata effettuata con l’aiuto di alcune teorie come quelle dell’Anamorfosi di Jacques Lacan, ma è attraverso il concetto della “terza persona”, riproposto recentemente da Roberto Esposito, che ho inquadrato lo sguardo obliquo come essenza estranea al rapporto dialogico io/tu. Nella seconda parte della tesi affronto la problematica dell’allineamento della scrittura dei Wu Ming alla situazione socio-politica internazionale contemporanea; detta in altre parole cerco di far emergere come la loro riscrittura della storia si inserisca nella situazione biopolitica globale. Nei romanzi dei Wu Ming, infatti, si scorge un’interpretazione del contemporaneo che sorpassa le categorie classiche di Stato e cittadino in favore di un’idea di egemonia universale esercitante un bio-potere globale. Il concetto di biopolitica si apre a varie interpretazioni. Già dalle prime iniziative negli anni Settanta Michel Foucault si era trovato in una situazione di ambigua difficoltà nel poter dare un’interpretazione unica e precisa dei concetti da lui stesso proposti. Vari filosofi italiani hanno ripreso questo discorso incompiuto sviluppandogli intorno una parte importante del proprio pensiero, ognuno però scegliendo una propria strada. Alcuni di loro come Paolo Virno e, successivamente, Toni Negri vedono nella categoria della “Moltitudine” una possibile via per equilibrare il rapporto Potere/persona e quindi ottenere nuove possibilità rivoluzionarie per poter decostruire il biopotere. I Wu Ming sembrano seguire la strada positivista della moltitudine, la quale si allinea alla loro natura marxiana.

The essay focuses on the modalities adopted by Magris in his novel, Alla cieca, to merge literature and civil engagement through a fine narrative construction. By populating his writing with precise documentary research and taking advantage of the possibilities of invention, the author succeeds in giving voice to minimum destinies of History and save their high moral lesson. This can also be seen through a comparative reading of the pages of the novel dealing with Tito’s gulag, Goli Otok, and Scotti’s book, which is a historical reconstruction provided by witnesses of the events suffered by Italians who lived there.

The current contribution aims at describing some key-aspects of Rocchi and Demonte’s graphic novels “Primavere e Autunni” (2015) and “Chinamen” (2017), especially in relation to: 1) the historical reconstruction of Chinese migration to Italy; 2) the challenge of widespreading negative stereotypes against Chinese migrants, which still characterize dominant public discourse in Italian society. The first paragraph will highlight theoretical aspects of both works, in particular relation to the literature on migration and of migration, with Sinoitalian literature, as well as with macro- and micro-aspects of Chinese migration to Italy. After that, some common points of both works will be underlined, including structure and style, semiotic aspects, communicative functions and multimodality. The third paragraph will specifically focus on a series of key-figures described in the graphic novels, which contribute to draw the attention to specific aspects regarding Chinese historical presence in Milan and in Italy.

Chapter 4 examines Wharton’s first novel, the historical fiction The Valley of Decision, in the context of Wharton’s knowledge of and appreciation for Italy that began with her family’s European stays during Wharton’s childhood. In The Valley of Decision, Wharton engages Italian womanhood as a way of exploring womankind’s relationship to learning and culture. The chapter traces Wharton’s admiration for and literary indebtedness to her Victorian predecessor, George Eliot—a writer Wharton read from early on as her letters to Anna Bahlman indicate—and discusses how Wharton’s own female intellectual, Fulvia, is not a replication of but rather a response to Eliot’s Romola.

Discussing A Farewell to Arms, Schwetman argues that the protagonist Frederic Henry’s situation results from a larger cultural shift from local, place-based group affiliations to an ethos of cosmopolitanism that, like the confusion behind Frederic’s uniform, destabilizes the nationalist dichotomy that serves as the basis for World War I. The chapter describes the historical reality in Italy behind local identification becoming more nationalistic or cosmopolitan. By focusing on the boundaries in the novel, Schwetman takes a historical, military, and geographical history and transposes it into a thematic crux.

This study aims to show the great possibilities of graphic novel as a medium to represent historical instances, through fiction or direct records and witnesses, by focusing on the work of the Italian cartoonist Andrea Ferraris. Churubusco, set in 1847, during the Mexican-American War, tells the story of Saint Patrick’s Battalion deserting from the American army. Being invited to expose the original panels of his graphic novel at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Los Angeles for the 150th anniversary of the American invasion, the author recollects records from the border and publishes a second work, La cicatrice, blinking an eye to graphic reportage and journalism.

Abstract This chapter takes its start from the lecture “For or Against the Atomic Bomb” by Elsa Morante. In this piece, Morante frames in her own terms the Frankfurt School’s idea of the entangled relationship between rationality and barbarism. Morante denounces the bond between the cultural legacy of Italy and the most aberrant deviations of instrumental reasoning, calling out the nation as a fully responsible partner in the extermination camps and the atomic bomb. Sealed by a Zen koan, which keeps in check a now perverted rationality, Morante’s lecture serves as a declaration of poetics for her most powerful novel, History. In it, fiction is assigned the task of telling the truth about twentieth-century events that official history would likely represent in a distorted and partial way. The chapter probes an ethical ban that erects armor-plated fencing around the Hiroshima and Nagasaki events, making them incompatible with Morante’s historical novel and effectively intractable.

A major conservation and research project on The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon by Lavinia Fontana was completed at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin in 2021. The painting, a large-scale oil on canvas (256 x 325 cm), was one of a number of pictures restored in the late 1960s by a team of conservators from the Istituto Centrale del Restauro in Rome, who came to Dublin during the establishment of the first conservation studio at the Gallery. The visiting restorers brought novel ideas and materials with them from the Istituto that would shape the Irish approach to conservation for decades to come. The prevailing ethos at the time in Italy was based on a minimal intervention approach with the use of novel, synthetic materials that had not yet been introduced to the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland. The painting, after treatment by the Istituto team, recorded material evidence of a particular moment in the development of conservation in Italy and Ireland. Large areas of historic loss and damage across the surface of the painting had been reintegrated by the Italian restorers with the application of retouchings in the tratteggio style, also known as rigatino, using a Paraloid-based medium. In some cases, portraits and other significant details in the image were fully reconstructed by the retouchings. Underlying instability required the removal of some of these retouchings during the most recent treatment, but others could be retained if desired. With the help of archival images and documentation, a decision-making model was developed to evaluate the quality and historic value of these retouchings and to determine which to preserve, which to modify and which to remove. Reduction of retouchings often necessitates replacement, and the partial preservation of the historic retouchings brought further factors to bear on the decision-making model for the chromatic reintegration of the painting. A return to the tratteggio technique was chosen for the larger instances of loss compensation in the treatment, albeit with a finer hatching so that the newer reintegration remains distinguishable from the historic one. This was complemented with a pointillist technique over textured fillings for smaller and shallower losses. Furthermore, where blistering and heat damage in the paint layers resulted in uneven topography, a third auxiliary technique was used. The desired texture was found when testing Paraloid-based gels on a mock-up and applied to bring continuity the surface texture in these areas of the painting. With this approach we intend to meet the conservation needs of the object, restore the legibility of the image and retain the evidence of the historic intervention of this founding team of Italian restorers at the National Gallery of Ireland.

Taking advantage of computationally lightweight, but high-quality translators prompt consideration of new applications that address neglected languages. For projects with protected or personal data, translators for less popular or low-resource languages require specific compliance checks before posting to a public translation API. In these cases, locally run translators can render reasonable, cost-effective solutions if done with an army of offline, smallscale pair translators. Like handling a specialist’s dialect, this research illustrates translating two historically interesting, but obfuscated languages: 1) hacker-speak (“l33t”) and 2) reverse (or “mirror”) writing as practiced by Leonardo da Vinci. The work generalizes a deep learning architecture to translatable variants of hacker-speak with lite, medium, and hard vocabularies. The original contribution highlights a fluent translator of hacker-speak in under 50 megabytes and demonstrates a companion text generator for augmenting future datasets with greater than a million bilingual sentence pairs. A primary motivation stems from the need to understand and archive the evolution of the international computer community, one that continuously enhances their talent for speaking openly but in hidden contexts. This training of bilingual sentences supports deep learning models using a long short-term memory, recurrent neural network (LSTM-RNN). It extends previous work demonstrating an English-to-foreign translation service built from as little as 10,000 bilingual sentence pairs. This work further solves the equivalent translation problem in twenty-six additional (non-obfuscated) languages and rank orders those models and their proficiency quantitatively with Italian as the most successful and Mandarin Chinese as the most challenging. For neglected languages, the method prototypes novel services for smaller niche translations such as Kabyle (Algerian dialect) which covers between 5-7 million speakers but one which for most enterprise translators, has not yet reached development. One anticipates the extension of this approach to other important dialects, such as translating technical (medical or legal) jargon and processing health records or handling many of the dialects collected from specialized domains (mixed languages like “Spanglish”, acronym-laden Twitter feeds, or urban slang).