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Article: John Kirby. Secrets of the Muses Retold: Classical Influences on Italian Authors of the Twentieth Century.(Book Review)
- Article from:
- Italica
- Article date:
- March 22, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 American Association of Teachers of Italian. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2000.
At first glance, John Kirby's original and supple book appears to be a work of comparative literary criticism notable for its semiotic approach and broad classical erudition. He examines key texts of five contemporary Italian literary figures--Pasolini, Eco, Tusiani, Calvino, and Calasso--by discussing, as the title suggests, the classical influences on each. But the book is much more than that, for it becomes a defense of the value of the classics and a philosophical reflection on the very nature of literature itself. Kirby discusses insightfully some major Italian twentieth century texts, while implicitly arguing that even in our ...