Overview

In Fantastic Echoes in Contemporary Italian Literature, Castagnino argues that contemporary Italian fiction often uses fantastic tropes to address realistic concerns. In doing so, he establishes a connection between the tradition of Gothic and fantastic fiction and societal concerns over topics such as ecocriticism, ecofeminism, artificial intelligence, transhumanism, and personal and collective memory. The study of, among others, Nicola Lagioia, Simona Vinci, Alessandro Perissinotto and Michele Mari delivers a powerful rendition of the practical applications that fantastic and Gothic tropes have for an understanding of today's Italian fiction.

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9781793638410

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Reviews

"""Angelo Castagnino takes us on an adventurous journey through fantastic fiction and its legacy within contemporary Italian literature. This volume provides its readers with exciting research that is deeply rooted in national and transnational fantastic production and backed up by the most up-to-date literary studies. In his thorough examination, Castagnino skillfully demonstrates how the tropes of the fantastic mode pervade the works of selected Italian novelists and become effective tools to voice concerns about contemporary Italian society. A landmark contribution to the fantastic mode and its echoes within the Italian context, Castagnino's compelling book will spur excitement among scholars engaged not only in the fantastic, but also in ecocriticism, transhumanism, post humanism and eco-feminism."" --Anna Chiafele, Auburn University ""Castagnino offers a penetrating, compelling study of contemporary Italian writers of fantastic stories. Among them are Michele Mari, Simona Vinci, Nicola Lagioia, and Pupi Avati. The fantastic mode has obvious roots in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Gothic fiction. Critics have generally neglected it, relegating it to the category of paraliterature, perhaps because of its popular appeal. In this incisive analysis, Castagnino vindicates the centrality of these works to critical and scholarly discussion, pointing out their relevance to such modern literary concerns as ecocriticism, ecofeminism, and transhumanism. A must read for anyone concerned with modern Italian literary trends."" --Ennio I. Rao"

""Angelo Castagnino takes us on an adventurous journey through fantastic fiction and its legacy within contemporary Italian literature. This volume provides its readers with exciting research that is deeply rooted in national and transnational fantastic production and backed up by the most up-to-date literary studies. In his thorough examination, Castagnino skillfully demonstrates how the tropes of the fantastic mode pervade the works of selected Italian novelists and become effective tools to voice concerns about contemporary Italian society. A landmark contribution to the fantastic mode and its echoes within the Italian context, Castagnino's compelling book will spur excitement among scholars engaged not only in the fantastic, but also in ecocriticism, transhumanism, post humanism and eco-feminism."" ""Castagnino offers a penetrating, compelling study of contemporary Italian writers of fantastic stories. Among them are Michele Mari, Simona Vinci, Nicola Lagioia, and Pupi Avati. The fantastic mode has obvious roots in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Gothic fiction. Critics have generally neglected it, relegating it to the category of paraliterature, perhaps because of its popular appeal. In this incisive analysis, Castagnino vindicates the centrality of these works to critical and scholarly discussion, pointing out their relevance to such modern literary concerns as ecocriticism, ecofeminism, and transhumanism. A must read for anyone concerned with modern Italian literary trends.""

Author Information

Angelo Castagnino is associate professor of Italian at the University of Denver.

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