Donna in guerra, uomo in crisi : familial roles and patriarchal legacies in Dacia Maraini and Natalia Ginzburg

In this study of Dacia Maraini and Natalia Ginzburg’s literature, which is the first to offer an in-depth comparative analysis of the two authors, I consider their views on patriarchal legacies such as rape, violence, and abortion and how they depict their characters fulfilling familial roles within Italian patriarchal society. In my Introduction, I outline briefly the major changes affecting women and the family in post-war Italy and present Maraini and Ginzburg’s reactions to such legal and social changes. I also consider the influence of Fascism and Catholicism on social expectations and behaviour. Then, in the first chapter, I look at the authors’ opinions on women’s position in Italian society, considering issues such as violence and rape, which are used by patriarchy to control women and their bodies. I then turn to examples of characters in the authors’ fiction who attempt to break the chain of patriarchal legacies and strive for personal independence, with varying success.

In the next four chapters, I examine in turn the presentation of husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers in Maraini and Ginzburg’s fiction, looking at socio-historical influences that affect characters in these familial roles and expanding on and adding to previous critical evaluation of their characters. I will judge how the pressures placed on individuals by social expectations shape the characters’ behaviour and how familial labels constrict the movement of men and women, as they struggle to find an identity that is independent of their familial duties. Throughout this study, I will consider differences and similarities in Maraini and Ginzburg’s writing, offering original readings of their characters and novels. I will focus in particular on how their different priorities regarding their literature results in diverse writing styles and choice of subject matter, which make a comparison of their work valid and compelling.