Self and self-compromise in the narratives of Pirandello and Moravia
By: M. John Stella.
Series: Studies in Italian culture--Literature in history ;; vol. 27
Publisher: P. Lang
Published: 1999
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 252
Subjects: Pirandello, Luigi, 1867-1936 -- Criticism and interpretation.; Moravia, Alberto, 1907- -- Criticism and interpretation.; Self in literature.
Description: "This study presents a distinctly new interpretation of key works by Luigi Pirandello and Alberto Moravia that dramatizes the identity crisis of the individual, a theme that figures so prominently in twentieth-century literature. Previous criticism considered these narratives solely within a European context and assumed that the protagonists failed to resolve their dilemmas.

As the present study reveals, however, an alternative approach is warranted by evidence that Pirandello and Moravia were familiar with fundamental tenets of Buddhism, the first philosophy to advocate the deconstruction of personal identity. Combining a lucid explanation of Buddhist doctrine with Western sources, Dr.

Stella demonstrates that by "losing their identity," characters such as Mattia Pascal end not in defeat, as is commonly supposed, but in victory over existential suffering and discontent."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [240]-246) and index.