Mary Shelley loved Italy, the country where she resided for more than five years (from 30 March 1818 to 25 July 1823), after having fled England with her husband, who left unpaid debts behind him. Tuscany is where the couple lived longest, and the region figures prominently in Mary’s fiction. Referring, occasionally, to the author’s letters and journals, and Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poetry and letters, my article intends to explore the various forms such a presence assumes in a selection of works, namely, the novel Valperga (1823), the narrative essay “Recollections of Italy” (1824) and the story “A tale of the Passions” (1823). From this survey, it will emerge how Tuscany is present with its landscapes, its topography, its climate, its language, its literary tradition, its customs, its folklore and the daily life of the common people.
'Blossoms and flowers, in laughing plenty': La Toscana nella narrativa di Mary Shelley
Nicoletta Caputo
2024-01-01
Abstract
Mary Shelley loved Italy, the country where she resided for more than five years (from 30 March 1818 to 25 July 1823), after having fled England with her husband, who left unpaid debts behind him. Tuscany is where the couple lived longest, and the region figures prominently in Mary’s fiction. Referring, occasionally, to the author’s letters and journals, and Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poetry and letters, my article intends to explore the various forms such a presence assumes in a selection of works, namely, the novel Valperga (1823), the narrative essay “Recollections of Italy” (1824) and the story “A tale of the Passions” (1823). From this survey, it will emerge how Tuscany is present with its landscapes, its topography, its climate, its language, its literary tradition, its customs, its folklore and the daily life of the common people.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
