1934 (Masterplots II: World Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Alberto Moravia
- First Published: 1982
- Type of Work: Philosophical realism
- Time of Work: 1934
- Setting: Capri, Italy
- Principal Characters: Lucio, Beate, Trude Muller, Alois Muller, Paula, Shapiro, Sonia
- Genres: Long fiction, Philosophical realism
- Subjects: Acting or actors, Love or romance, Suicide, Mistaken or secret identity, 1930’s, Italy or Italians, Jokes
- Locales: Italy, Capri, Italy
The Novel
As the book opens, Lucio is sailing toward Capri from Naples. On the island he intends to complete a translation of Heinrich von Kleist’s novella Michael Kohlaas (1810) and work on a story of his own in which the hero, like Kleist, commits suicide. By disposing of his character in this way, Lucio hopes to “stabilize” his own despair and so avoid killing himself. Among his fellow passengers on the boat is a German couple. The woman captures his interest, for in her eyes he reads a mood similar to his own. Without exchanging a word, they seem to...
[The entire page is 1957 words long]
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