"Who Am I?" Historical Narrative and Subjectivity in Anna Banti's Camicia bruciata

Book excerpt: This book investigates Anna Banti’s contribution to the creation of a female literary canon, as well as the renewal of Italian literature, from stylistic and thematic points of view. The book examines Banti’s contribution from a two-pronged perspective: as a promoter of female individuality and independence, in contrast to the existent paternal order; and as an innovator of the Italian novel, in particular, the Italian historical novel. This study mainly concentrates on the historical novel, La camicia bruciata, published in 1973. The analysis of the Camicia bruciata examines the structure of the historical novel – Anna Banti’s representations of her male and female characters and their capacity for relationships – and the difference between the fictional story created by Anna Banti, and the historical facts narrated in The House of Medici by Sir Christopher Hibbert and The Last Medici by Harold Acton. The purpose of this analysis is to show how Banti’s personal experience, mainly her idea of married life and motherhood, influenced her narrative and her characters.