Arturo’s Island (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Elsa Morante
- First Published: 1957
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: 1922-1939
- Setting: The island of Procida, near Naples
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Memory, Sex or sexuality, Sin or Original sin, 1920’s, 1930’s, Islands, Imagination, Italy or Italians, Stepfamily
- Locales: Islands, Naples, Italy
Characters Discussed
Arturo Gerace (ahr-TEWR-oh geh-RAH-chay), the narrator of the tale, who tells the story of his life up to the age of seventeen. He was born and reared on the island of Procida, in the Bay of Naples. His father, Wilhelm Gerace, was illegitimate, the product of an affair between an immigrant Italian and a German schoolteacher. Arturo seeks affection from this moody and distant man, who is often away. Arturo’s mother died shortly after his birth. When his father returns one day with a new wife, Nunziata, Arturo is dismayed. The new wife is young, barely...
[The entire page is 578 words long]
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