VERGA AND DUSE: TRANSPOSING SILENCE FROM ‘IL CANARINO DEL N. 15’ TO IN PORTINERIA. A PRELUDE TO SYMBOLISM?

Abstract

This article offers a thorough examination of the central hypothesis that Verga’s In portineria (1885), based on the short story ‘Il canarino del n. 15’ (1883), anticipates the French Symbolist theatre of silence. Through a textual analysis of the way in which Verga transposes the unspoken in the passage from page to stage, the article illustrates how In portineria can be considered a ‘pre-intimist’ work — the antithesis of his first play, Cavalleria rusticana (1884). Despite the remarkable similarities, however, the ideas underlying the Symbolist literary movement remain different from Verga’s desire to reflect reality, thus it is suggested in conclusion that what actually inspired his ‘intimist’ approach was Eleonora Duse, the grande attrice instrumental in transposing this silent voice onto the stage.