Landscapes in Between: Environmental Change in Modern Italian Literature and Film (Toronto Italian Studies)

__Landscapes in Between__ analyses Italian authors and filmmakers who turn to interstitial landscapes as productive models for coming to terms with the modified natural environment. Since Its Economic Boom In The Late 1950s, Italy Has Grappled With The Environmental Legacy Of Rapid Industrial Growth And Haphazard Urban Planning. One Notable Effect Is A Preponderance Of Interstitial Landscapes Such As Abandoned Fields, Polluted Riverbanks, And Makeshift Urban Gardens. Landscapes In Between Analyses Authors And Filmmakers {u2013} Italo Calvino, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Gianni Celati, Simona Vinci, And The Duo Daniele Ciprì And Franco Maresco {u2013} Who Turn To These Spaces As Productive Models For Coming To Terms With The Modified Natural Environment. Considering The Ways In Which Sixty Years{u2019} Worth Of Italian Literary And Cinematic Representations Engage In The Ongoing Dialogue Between Nature And Culture, Monica Seger Contributes To The Transnational Expansion Of Environmental Humanities. Her Book Also Introduces An Ecocritical Framework To Italian Studies In English. Rejecting A Stark Dichotomy Between Human Construction And Unspoilt Nature, Landscapes In Between Will Be Of Interest To All Those Studying The Fraught Relationship Between Humanity And Environment. -- From Publisher's Website. Introduction: Exploring The Interstice -- Economic Expansion, Environmental Awareness In The Early Works Of Italo Calvino -- Pier Paolo Pasolini: Boundaries And Mergers In (ex)urban Film -- Observation And Acknowledgement In Gianni Celati's Verso La Foce -- Simona Vinci: Provincial Dwellings, Natural Beings -- Daniele Ciprì And Franco Maresco: On Horizons And The Human. Monica Seger. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

Since its economic boom in the late 1950s, Italy has grappled with the environmental legacy of rapid industrial growth and haphazard urban planning. One notable effect is a preponderance of interstitial landscapes such as abandoned fields, polluted riverbanks, and makeshift urban gardens. Landscapes in Between analyses authors and filmmakers – Italo Calvino, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Gianni Celati, Simona Vinci, and the duo Daniele Ciprì and Franco Maresco – who turn to these spaces as productive models for coming to terms with the modified natural environment.

Considering the ways in which sixty years’ worth of Italian literary and cinematic representations engage in the ongoing dialogue between nature and culture, Monica Seger contributes to the transnational expansion of environmental humanities. Her book also introduces an ecocritical framework to Italian studies in English. Rejecting a stark dichotomy between human construction and unspoilt nature, Landscapes in Between will be of interest to all those studying the fraught relationship between humanity and environment.

Contents 5 Acknowledgments 7 1. Introduction: Exploring the Interstice 9 2. Economic Expansion, Environmental Awareness in the Early Works of Italo Calvino 32 3. Pier Paolo Pasolini: Boundaries and Mergers in (Ex)Urban Film 58 4. Observation and Acknowledgment in Gianni Celati’s Verso la foce 78 5. Simona Vinci: Provincial Dwellings, Natural Beings 102 6. Daniele Ciprì and Franco Maresco: On Horizons and the Human 130 Afterword 147 Notes 149 Bibliography 181 Index 197