City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2-2015 The Labyrinths of Venice: Environment and Identity in Anna Pavignano's Novel "Venezia, un sogno" and Other Works in Literature and Film Viviana Torrero Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/631 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] The Labyrinths of Venice: Environment and Identity in Anna Pavignano’s Novel Venezia, un sogno and Other Works in Literature and Film by Viviana Torrero A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Comparative Literature in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2015 ii © 2015 VIVIANA TORRERO All Rights Reserved iii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Comparative Literature in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Dr. Giancarlo Lombardi 12/16/2014 _________________________________ Chair of Examining Committee Dr. Giancarlo Lombardi 12/16/2014 _________________________________ Executive Officer Dr. Monica Calabritto Dr. Peter Carravetta Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iv Abstract The Labyrinths of Venice: Environment and Identity in Anna Pavignano’s Novel Venezia, un sogno and Other Works in Literature and Film by Viviana Torrero Dissertation Advisor: Professor Giancarlo Lombardi This dissertation consists of the translation of Anna Pavignano’s novel Venezia, un sogno and of an essay presenting a comment and critical analysis of the work. The essay itself is divided into the following sections: --An introduction to my translation of Venezia, un sogno and a reflection on my choice of Venice as a setting and background for my dissertation work. --An introduction to the author and a description of her previous works. --A discussion on the theory of translation and its challenges. --A comparison between Venezia, un sogno and other literary and cinematic works set in Venice with a focus on the way the city of Venice lends itself to affecting, or in some cases, even transforming the identity of the main characters of related novels and films. --An exploration of the cinematographic aspects of Anna Pavignano’s novel and my challenges in translating its unusual colloquial style while maintaining fidelity to the original. --An afterthought and comment on the book’s general reception and the significance of its focus on environmental issues. v Venezia, un sogno, Anna Pavignano’s third novel, was written after she had worked mostly as a screenwriter for Massimo Troisi’s films and was nominated for an Oscar for “Il postino”. The essay discusses the concept of identity in individuals removed from their hometown either by choice (as in the case of Pavignano’s main character Thomas) or by necessity (as in the case of individuals forced by financial, social, or military reasons). The city of Venice plays a major role in affecting this identity. The essay calls especial attention to the significance of environmental and social issues. An essential component to the development of part of the dissertation is the repeated reference to films and other works of literature connected to the novel. The themes of love, betrayal, and death are present in all these works and are used as points of comparison between Venezia, un sogno and other literary references. These include works that are represented as both novels and films such as Ian McEwan’s novel and Paul Schrader’s film The Comfort of Strangers, Daphne du Maurier’s novel and Nicholas Roeg’s film Don’t Look Now, Camillo Boito’s novella and Luchino Visconti’s film “Senso”, as well as Gabriele D’Annunzio’s novel Il fuoco. Particular attention is given to Thomas Mann’s novella “Death in Venice” and Luchino Visconti’s film of the same title, as well as Giuseppe Berto’s novel and Enrico Maria Salerno’s film Anonimo veneziano. The latter two play a major role in my essay. Finally, two further elements of this section of my dissertation concentrate firstly on the authors’s use of a colloquial style, including the regular use of idiomatic expressions and dialect which made the translation more challenging, and secondly, on the book’s potential for being reproduced as a film. vi Acknowledgements The completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without the help and support of several people in my life. To my advisor, mentor, and friend Professor Giancarlo Lombardi, I would like to express my deepest gratitude. Thank you for your consistent patience, dedication, and wonderful care. You encouraged me in every step of the way and inspired me with your knowledge about film and literature and with your valuable insight. Working with you has been an unforgettable learning and growing experience. Thank you to Professor Monica Calabritto and to Professor Peter Carravetta, for being a part of the committee, for your enlightening comments, and for supporting me in the last, perhaps most challenging, but wonderfully exciting, months of this process. To my friend and mentor Professor Giuseppe Di Scipio: you were there when I first started my studies at Hunter College and you inspired my love for literature, for Dante, as well as my passion for teaching. I know that somewhere, somehow, you are sharing this beautiful moment with me. To my close friends in NYC and in Torino, for your precious friendship, and for putting up with me throughout the “writing years”, and making sure that I never give up. To my mother: for being an admirable example with your endless strength and determination. Thank you for believing in me and for being such a fierce supporter throughout the many years of my studies. From you I learned that through persistence any goal can be achieved. Thank you also to my sister and to my immediate family for your encouragement and care. To my husband: for the many years of unconditional support, love and devotion. For always being there for me and for inspiring me to begin something I did not believe I would ever complete. Thank you for working with me and for helping me get through this day after day. I would not be where I am now without you. To the mountains, lakes, and rivers of Val d’Aosta and Switzerland: to those magnificent valleys, delightful flowers, trees, and gardens, for adding such unforgettable beauty to this project. And to Venice, for providing a most enchanting setting, as well as the inspiration for Anna Pavignano’s novel Venezia, un sogno and for my dissertation. Finally, to “my beautiful hills of Torino”, which after many years I’ve had the immense joy of rediscovering. You have been my inspiration since my childhood years and to you I owe my passion for nature and for the arts. I will be forever grateful to you for sharing this project with me and for transforming what began as a frustrating never-ending struggle, into a fun, inspiring, exciting, and unforgettable adventure. To you, I dedicate this dissertation. Thank you for bringing such joy to my work and to my life, still. vii Table of Contents Abstract - iv Acknowledgements - vi Introduction - 2 The Author and Her Works - 9 Theories of Translation - 15 Venezia, un sogno: a Story of both Conversion to Commitment and the Concept of the “Other” 18 Comparison and Contrast with other Works Set in Venice. Identity: the Evolution of Characters in the Contrasting Aspects of Venice - 34 The Cinematographic Aspect of the Novel as a Challenge for its Translation - 56 An Afterthought About the Book’s General Reception and its Significance - 63 Translation of Anna Pavignano’s Novel Venezia, un sogno - 65 Bibliography - 243 Filmography - 247 1 O VENICE! Venice! when thy marble walls Are level with the waters, there shall be A cry of nations o’er thy sunken halls, A loud lament along the sweeping sea! If I, a northern wanderer, weep for thee, What should thy sons do?—anything but weep? --Lord Byron. “Ode on Venice” A trompe l’oeil painting is a painting that is so lifelike it doesn’t look like a painting at all. It looks like real life, but of course it is not. It is reality once removed. What, then, is a trompe l’oeil painting when it is reflected in a mirror? Reality twice removed? Sunlight on a canal is reflected up through a window onto the ceiling, then from the ceiling to the vase, and from the vase onto a glass, or a silver bowl. Which is the real sunlight? Which is the real reflection? What is true? What is not true? The answer is not simple, because the truth cannot change. I can change. You can change. That is the Venice effect. (Berendt, 2) 2 I. Introduction The relationship between Italians and Venice is a most peculiar one. Some find the city artificial and others find it too melancholic, while still others talk about it with spirited pride, and many find it extremely beautiful and charming, but Venice is still a city where many Italians would never want to live. It is the source of all such mixed emotions, which are often contradictory. As a child and as a teenager, I used to think of Venice as a fairy-tale city, an unreal city, an island, apart from the rest of the world, where life was slow and nothing of consequence had happened for centuries.