Italian-American Women in Literature

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that stereotypes from whores to the Holy Madonna incarnation encompass the multi-faceted and contradictory roles of Italian-American women in Italian-American literature written by both Italian-American men and women. The author points out that the literature relates that social class, differences in religiosity, the American tradition and construction of success and the often contradictory ways the familial and immigrant experience, have come into conflict with the female experience in American. The paper reviews Pietro di Donato's relatively early novel "Christ in Concrete", Mario Puzo's "The Godfather", Helen Barolini's novel "Umbertina" and her collection of personal and scholarly entitled essays "Chiaroscuro" and Evidge Giunta's text "Writing With an Accent" to demonstrate that beneath these narrow stereotypes more complex and individuated roles of Italian-American women's life do emerge.

From the Paper:

"These images emerge in the depicted reality of nonfiction as well as fictional life come forth, as these women are seen engaged in child rearing, showing impressive work ethics to enable their families to survive, laboring as well as suffering in the role of daughter, and as these women show their strength in their roles of mother as well as their silent compassion. Gradually, as Italian women themselves began to speak, Italian women and authors have grown fluent at showing female Italian working and middle-class sexuality as well as images of long-enduring Mediterranean fortitude, women alone in the role of a wife bent over a stove bubbling with red hot gravy and meatballs smelling of garlic and onions."

More papers on Italian-American Women in Literature :

• Essay # 15957 : "Italian-American Women"
• Comparison Essay # 21831 : "Mexican-American Women in Literature"
• Comparison Essay # 90415 : "The Role of Community"

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