Sensory and physical perceptions of the Roman round-up of 16-18 October 1943 in Elsa Morante’s La Storia: a cultural memory perspective

This article looks at the literary re-elaboration of the round-up occurred in Rome between 16 and 18 October 1943 in La Storia by Elsa Morante. It considers Morante’s Jewish origins and impegno in writing of World War II and re-reads her description of this event in the light of cultural memories st...

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Main Author: Mara Josi
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: École Normale Supérieure de Lyon Editions 2020-06-01
Series:Laboratoire Italien
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/laboratoireitalien/4926
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author Mara Josi
author_facet Mara Josi
author_sort Mara Josi
collection DOAJ
description This article looks at the literary re-elaboration of the round-up occurred in Rome between 16 and 18 October 1943 in La Storia by Elsa Morante. It considers Morante’s Jewish origins and impegno in writing of World War II and re-reads her description of this event in the light of cultural memories studies. It summarises key events of her life, as they related to World War II and to the German occupation of Rome, and examines her commitment to interrogate the past through literature. Literature is, indeed, a bearer of historical knowledge and a medium of memory; literary texts are not only an outcome of remembrance, but also an active ingredient in the ongoing process of cultural memory. Morante’s literary representation of the events of 16 and 18 October 1943 is also read through the lens of her depiction of the sensory perceptions of the main characters, Ida e Useppe. This analysis shows how and to what extent the author fosters what Alison Landsberg calls “prosthetic memory”.
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institution Kabale University
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language fra
publishDate 2020-06-01
publisher École Normale Supérieure de Lyon Editions
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series Laboratoire Italien
spelling doaj-art-7173a89433dd40beb944e6d31820a22a2025-01-10T13:00:58ZfraÉcole Normale Supérieure de Lyon EditionsLaboratoire Italien1627-92042117-49702020-06-012410.4000/laboratoireitalien.4926Sensory and physical perceptions of the Roman round-up of 16-18 October 1943 in Elsa Morante’s La Storia: a cultural memory perspectiveMara JosiThis article looks at the literary re-elaboration of the round-up occurred in Rome between 16 and 18 October 1943 in La Storia by Elsa Morante. It considers Morante’s Jewish origins and impegno in writing of World War II and re-reads her description of this event in the light of cultural memories studies. It summarises key events of her life, as they related to World War II and to the German occupation of Rome, and examines her commitment to interrogate the past through literature. Literature is, indeed, a bearer of historical knowledge and a medium of memory; literary texts are not only an outcome of remembrance, but also an active ingredient in the ongoing process of cultural memory. Morante’s literary representation of the events of 16 and 18 October 1943 is also read through the lens of her depiction of the sensory perceptions of the main characters, Ida e Useppe. This analysis shows how and to what extent the author fosters what Alison Landsberg calls “prosthetic memory”.https://journals.openedition.org/laboratoireitalien/4926HolocaustMorante (Elsa)cultural memory studiesprosthetic memorytheory of the novel
spellingShingle Mara Josi
Sensory and physical perceptions of the Roman round-up of 16-18 October 1943 in Elsa Morante’s La Storia: a cultural memory perspective
Laboratoire Italien
Holocaust
Morante (Elsa)
cultural memory studies
prosthetic memory
theory of the novel
title Sensory and physical perceptions of the Roman round-up of 16-18 October 1943 in Elsa Morante’s La Storia: a cultural memory perspective
title_full Sensory and physical perceptions of the Roman round-up of 16-18 October 1943 in Elsa Morante’s La Storia: a cultural memory perspective
title_fullStr Sensory and physical perceptions of the Roman round-up of 16-18 October 1943 in Elsa Morante’s La Storia: a cultural memory perspective
title_full_unstemmed Sensory and physical perceptions of the Roman round-up of 16-18 October 1943 in Elsa Morante’s La Storia: a cultural memory perspective
title_short Sensory and physical perceptions of the Roman round-up of 16-18 October 1943 in Elsa Morante’s La Storia: a cultural memory perspective
title_sort sensory and physical perceptions of the roman round up of 16 18 october 1943 in elsa morante s la storia a cultural memory perspective
topic Holocaust
Morante (Elsa)
cultural memory studies
prosthetic memory
theory of the novel
url https://journals.openedition.org/laboratoireitalien/4926
work_keys_str_mv AT marajosi sensoryandphysicalperceptionsoftheromanroundupof1618october1943inelsamoranteslastoriaaculturalmemoryperspective