La solita forma L’opera dell’Ottocento come grande racconto dell’italianità: politica, ideologia, arte

Maeder, Costantino
(2025) LA ITALIANIDAD A EXAMEN EN EL TEATRO, EL CINE, LA ÓPERA Y LAS BELLAS ARTES. ¿QUÉ ES LA ITALIANIDAD? LA ITALIANIDAD Y MÁS ALLÁ DE LA ITALIANIDAD. — ISBN: [978-84-9895-552-1], published

Files

Lasolitaformafine.pdf
  • Closed Access
  • Adobe PDF
  • 425.27 KB
Request a copy

Details

Authors
Abstract
(en) This article examines the concept of Italianness through the lens of 19th-century Italian opera, understood as a reflection of cultural traumas and identity narratives. Starting with Verdi and Piave’s Rigoletto, it highlights how the grand narrative of Italianness revolves around a self-serving, irresponsible ruling class, unable to prioritize the common good over personal interests. This narrative pattern, repeated in works such as Norma, Otello, and Aida, mirrors a deep-seated distrust of institutions and leaders, fostering a collective perception of incompetence and corruption. The analysis focuses on the recognizable formal and content codes of the solita forma (usual form) of Italian opera and the role of librettos as vehicles for stereotypes and auto-stereotypes. By comparing the operatic tradition with Metastasio’s theater, the article demonstrates how the 19th century marked a pivotal shift: from a vision of power as service to the community to a portrayal of power as a tool for individual abuse. This transformation, tied to pre- and post-unification traumas, helped shape an image of Italy where distrust in the political class became a defining element of national identity. The article concludes by emphasizing the persistence of this grand narrative in contemporary Italian culture, where the perception of an inadequate ruling class continues to influence electoral behavior and civic engagement, confirming how cultural memory and collective narratives endure far beyond their original historical context.
Affiliations

Citations

  • APA
  • Chicago
  • FWB

Maeder, C. (2025). La solita forma L’opera dell’Ottocento come grande racconto dell’italianità: politica, ideologia, arte. In Loreta de Stasio, Paola Populin y Milagros Martín (ed.), LA ITALIANIDAD A EXAMEN EN EL TEATRO, EL CINE, LA ÓPERA Y LAS BELLAS ARTES. ¿QUÉ ES LA ITALIANIDAD? LA ITALIANIDAD Y MÁS ALLÁ DE LA ITALIANIDAD. Visor Editorial. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/257592