Sulla soglia: la narrativa di Maria Messina

• Published in: Altrelettere
• Main Author: Sapegno, Maria Serena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; German
• Published: Romanisches Seminar 01.03.2012
• Subjects: female identity; Maria Messina; patriarchy; status of women
• ISSN: 1664-6908; 1664-6908
• DOI: 10.5903/al_uzh-3

This article discusses all of Maria Messina's writings. It starts by positioning the author’s choices amidst the new potential subjects brought up by the rapid modernization process that took place in Italy at the beginning of the 20th century. Maria Messina seems to focus especially on the crisis of the patriarchal system and on the conflicting forms by which new emerging subjects, particularly women, express themselves. While she describes their painful movement towards an identity, and their scarcely successful paths that often end up in loneliness, Messina seems at the same time to endorse the idea that no step backward will be allowed, since the undisputed legitimization of the patriarchate was fissured and “the king is naked”. The definition of the subject’s identity are therefore the main object of this analysis, which reads Messina's works by focusing especially on recurring themes, such as family, emigration, representations of the patriarchate, father-daughter relationships, or the ways in which conscience and freedom relate to each other. One of the most important questions related to Messina's writing is if and to what degree this last idea – that is, that the acquisition of a conscience can possibly lead to an effective freedom – is articulated. This article discusses all of Maria Messina's writings. It starts by positioning the author’s choices amidst the new potential subjects brought up by the rapid modernization process that took place in Italy at the beginning of the 20th century. Maria Messina seems to focus especially on the crisis of the patriarchal system and on the conflicting forms by which new emerging subjects, particularly women, express themselves. While she describes their painful movement towards an identity, and their scarcely successful paths that often end up in loneliness, Messina seems at the same time to endorse the idea that no step backward will be allowed, since the undisputed legitimization of the patriarchate was fissured and “the king is naked”. The definition of the subject’s identity are therefore the main object of this analysis, which reads Messina's works by focusing especially on recurring themes, such as family, emigration, representations of the patriarchate, father-daughter relationships, or the ways in which conscience and freedom relate to each other. One of the most important questions related to Messina's writing is if and to what degree this last idea – that is, that the acquisition of a conscience can possibly lead to an effective freedom – is articulated. This article discusses all of Maria Messina's writings. It starts by positioning the author’s choices amidst the new potential subjects brought up by the rapid modernization process that took place in Italy at the beginning of the 20th century. Maria Messina seems to focus especially on the crisis of the patriarchal system and on the conflicting forms by which new emerging subjects, particularly women, express themselves. While she describes their painful movement towards an identity, and their scarcely successful paths that often end up in loneliness, Messina seems at the same time to endorse the idea that no step backward will be allowed, since the undisputed legitimization of the patriarchate was fissured and “the king is naked”. The definition of the subject’s identity are therefore the main object of this analysis, which reads Messina's works by focusing especially on recurring themes, such as family, emigration, representations of the patriarchate, father-daughter relationships, or the ways in which conscience and freedom relate to each other. One of the most important questions related to Messina's writing is if and to what degree this last idea – that is, that the acquisition of a conscience can possibly lead to an effective freedom – is articulated. L’articolo propone un attraversamento della narrativa di Maria Messina a partire dalla sua collocazione nel processo di quella rapida modernizzazione della società italiana che agli inizi del Novecento porta sulla scena nuovi soggetti potenziali. L’attenzione della scrittrice sembra essere focalizzata proprio sulla crisi del sistema patriarcale e sul contraddittorio venire a coscienza di diversi soggetti, in modo particolare di quello femminile. Un percorso doloroso e raramente coronato da successo, alla fine del quale c’è spesso soltanto la solitudine. La scrittrice sembra però anche dire e ribadire che indietro in ogni caso non si torna, dal momento che la legittimazione indiscussa del patriarcato si è incrinata e accade ormai che il re sia nudo. I modi e le vicende della costituzione della soggettività sono pertanto il filtro principale con cui si è condotta la lettura. L’analisi ripercorre diversi testi della scrittrice concentrandosi in particolare su alcuni nuclei tematici costanti nella narrativa messiniana, come quello della famiglia, dell’emigrazione, delle diverse rappresentazioni del patriarcato, dei rapporti padre-figlia e infine del rapporto tra coscienza e libertà. Infatti, una delle domande più importanti che si pongono è se e in quale misura venga rappresentata la possibilità reale che l’acquisizione di una coscienza porti ad una effettiva libertà.