Pirandello and His Muse - The Plays for Marta AbbA

This study examines the later plays of Luigi Pirandello -- those he wrote for his actress and muse Marta Abba -- in light of the recent publication of their correspondence. It traces the Nobel Prize winner's entire creative process, revealing how his perception of women shaped his philosophy of art and life, and highlights the structurally necessary shift from the male protagonist of the early and more famous plays and novels to the female protagonist of the later plays.With sensitive commentary on the letters, Daniela Bini reads the plays the old maestro wrote for the young actress as the sublimation of an erotic impulse he denied throughout his life. From Diana and Tuda to The Mountain Giants, Bini maintains, Pirandello makes love to Marta in the only way he could, the mystical union of the creator and his muse.She points out a contrast between the man and the artist -- the traditional and conservative son, husband, and father who coexisted with the revolutionary writer who changed the course of 20th-century drama. Pirandello had called theater the art form closest to life, constantly changing and renewing itself on stage. Abba was the catalyst, Bini argues; together, the muse and the maestro gave life to immortal artistic creations.

Summary

This study examines the later plays of Luigi Pirandello - those he wrote for his actress and muse Marta Abba - in light of the publication of their correspondence. It traces his entire creative process, revealing how his perception of women shaped his philosophy of art and life.

Product details

• Authors: Daniela Bini
• Publisher: University Press Of Florida
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.02.1998
• EAN: 9780813015484
• ISBN: 978-0-8130-1548-4
• No. of pages: 248
• Dimensions: 161 mm x 236 mm x 29 mm
• Weight: 544 g
• Series: Crosscurrents; Crosscurrents: Comparative Studies in European Literature & Philosophy; Crosscurrents; Crosscurrents: Comparative Studies in European Literature & Philosophy
• Subjects: Fiction > Poetry, drama; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies