The Male Characters in L’arte della gioia by Goliarda Sapienza

The aim of the paper is to analyse, using the structuralist approach, the structure of the male characters in L’arte della gioia by Goliarda Sapienza and the meaning—universal or local, symbolic or real—attributed by the writer to them, through the example of six male figures. This approach allows us to delve into the literary text, leaving the biographical, historical, and ideological context outside of the analysis, focusing on internal dynamics that are purely literary. Modesta’s father and her husband, as universal figures of a patriarchal system, illustrate and symbolise the subversion of its laws by Modesta. Modesta’s lovers, Carmino and Carlo, are models of real accomplishments of important male roles (father, husband, lover) whose representation is limited by geopolitical stereotypes. Pietro, Modesta’s loyal gabellotto, embodies local, Sicilian relationships and, as a result, he symbolises the persistence of archaic laws of Sicilian society. With Prando, Modesta’s son, Sapienza realistically illustrates the passage from adolescence to masculinity by showing some universal rules that occur in this transition. The structure of the male characters turns out to be geometric and very clear and is proof of the writer’s great literary awareness and writing skills.