Problematic identities in the novels of Alessandro Perissinotto

Abstract

This article proposes an analysis of characterization in the narrative production of Alessandro Perissinotto. In particular, it aims to establish a relation between the construction of problematic identities and implications of socio-historical relevance. The increasing difficulty of dealing with individual identity in narrative suggests a comparison with Italy’s shared memory and several contemporary topics of social interest. Such psychological conditions as the Electra complex, burnout, bipolar disorder, and the projection of one’s personality on a doppelgänger evince the difficulties of the study of identity in the contemporary novel. The internal struggle of the character overlaps with social perceptions of mental illness, drug addiction, and recent immigration, as well as the legacy of fascism and terrorism on today’s Italy.