Corporale di Paolo Volponi. Figure, maschere, errori: l’inadeguatezza del nome come processo di frantumazione dell’identità

Abstract

In this paper, I analyze Corporale (1974) from the perspective of the proper names of the main character. The oscillation of the name and of its meaning are clear signs of the deconstruction of the main character’s identity but they refer at the same time to the desire to revolt against the existential crisis that is destroying him. With reference to the names of the main character, I identify two forms of rebellion – one is realistic, the other utopian – and three narrative phases related to the names. From this perspective, I reinterpret the whole narrative involving Gerolamo Aspri.