Abstract
A patriarchal society has very clear and rigid norms. Its frame does not allow one to move out of it, and a mode of behaviour which attempts any change is severely punished. This kind of society has strict written and unwritten rules, and it seems that the second kind are more harmful and painful for the individual than the first. In 19th century, European society was strongly patriarchal, and a phenomenon which confirms this is the fact that many female writers published their works under a male pseudonym. A patriarchal system attempts to prevent women from any artistic and scientific form and expression, as they are labelled as less intellectually able or talented, but by choosing a male pseudonym they found a way to reach their goal. An author writes about what he knows, what surrounds him and/or what he notices, feels and thinks. Considering that a patriarchal society system is highly defined, female and male points of view, their angles of reflection and aims are obviously different. In novels, choice of character and situation and the description of such, can easily reveal an author’s gender. These approaches will be illustrated by analysing the work of Vincenza Speraz, who lived in North Italy between the 19th and 20th centuries, and published her works under the pseudonym Bruno Sperani.
Highlights
The city of Milan between the 19th and 20th centuries was a national cultural centre, even if bounded by the rules of European patriarchal society (Duby, Perrot, 2009)
It was presumed necessary that women have a part in cultural and social life, and some female writers and journalists had their share of popularity through writing about the conditions of women at the time – difficult employment, hard physical work, subordination in society and family, prostitution, rape (Ciopponi, 2006)
It seems that the impact intended was not so successful because some of them, as Vicenza Speraz, alias Bruno Sperani, choose to write and publish under a male pseudonym (Ciopponi, 2006)
Summary
The city of Milan between the 19th and 20th centuries was a national cultural centre, even if bounded by the rules of European patriarchal society (Duby, Perrot, 2009). It was presumed necessary that women have a part in cultural and social life, and some female writers and journalists had their share of popularity through writing about the conditions of women at the time – difficult employment, hard physical work, subordination in society and family, prostitution, rape (Ciopponi, 2006) It seems that the impact intended was not so successful because some of them, as Vicenza Speraz, alias Bruno Sperani, choose to write and publish under a male pseudonym (Ciopponi, 2006). The primary reason is that patriarchal censorship applied to supposed female values and qualities denied a priori It was Sperani’s desire to publish her works without the scissors of censorship, to have as large an impact on the public as possible and to transform a mute scream into an authoritative voice. Due to the argument presented in this paper, reporting and quoting relevant parts of the plot was unavoidable
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