aau/Müller“The character is often the medium through which the mood is conveyed”: Davide Tempesta investigates how Italian novels of the 1980s have created new connections between literature and reality, conducting his research in Venice and Klagenfurt as part of the double-degree PhD programme ‘Italian Studies’.
Daniele Del Giudice’s 1983 debut novel Lo stadio di Wimbledon first captured the interest of Davide Tempesta, a doctoral researcher pursuing the double-degree PhD programme ‘Italian Studies’, which is jointly offered by the University of Klagenfurt and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, while he was working on his Master’s thesis. It has now also inspired the subject of his doctoral thesis: Tempesta is examining a selection of Italian novels from the 1980s, focusing in particular on how they address the relationship between literature and reality, or between literature and life. Lo stadio di Wimbledon is a novel about Bobi Bazlen, a real-life literary critic, translator and intermediary who lived from 1902 to 1965 and was extremely well connected in the city of Trieste. Bazlen became highly influential in the literary world, although he never produced a literary work of his own. The unnamed first-person narrator – himself a young man with literary ambitions – travels to Trieste on several occasions to follow in Bobi Bazlen’s footsteps. He visits people who knew the critic, listens to their memories and anecdotes, and gradually reconstructs a portrait of Bazlen from these accounts. The narrator confronts himself with the denial of literature represented by Bazlen. In fact, at the end of the novel, the protagonist writes: “Writing is not important, but we can’t do anything else.” This complex interplay between the two characters makes the novel particularly interesting for examining the relationship between the author, the work and literature itself.
“Literary scholarship and criticism often regard the 1980s as a period in which literature became more conservative again, in a kind of backlash following the 1970s. However, I see a gap in the research here: In fact, also in the 1980s we can see that many authors once again made greater effort on the form, but what which changes is the approach to literature. My argument is therefore that this selection of authors from the 1980s sought to establish a new connection or a sense of identification between readers and the text. This involves using methods that were already present. In general, authors start to bring human life into their novels. To do so they incorporate in the texts their ‘I’ – in subtle ways – or they use themes from history or from their biographical and daylife experiences,” Tempesta explains.
However, it is not actually about identifying directly with a character, but rather with the energy – or the sentiment – that a text conveys to the reader through a particular way of representing the reader’s reality in the text. The character is then often the medium through which the mood is conveyed,” Tempesta continues.
In his doctoral project, which considers other contemporary Italian authors alongside Daniele Del Giudice, Davide Tempesta plans to build on his previous research. He conducts most of his research at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, but also at the Department of Romance Studies at the University of Klagenfurt with Angela Fabris. She established the PhD programme in Venice together with colleagues. For Tempesta, the programme’s high degree of flexibility offers many advantages: “I recently spent eight months in Klagenfurt, where I appreciated the close supervision at the department as well as the opportunity to swap ideas with colleagues from other disciplines. One example was the ‘Moving Bodies’ Summer School, which took place in Klagenfurt in June at the initiative of the COINT doctoral programme, which was again organized by my supervisor Angela Fabris. It was an excellent opportunity for interdisciplinary exchange with others.” Tempesta chose to study literature after completing his secondary education at a school with a focus on economics because literature had always fascinated him. He therefore moved from Conegliano, near Treviso, to study at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, where he has pursued his academic career ever since, and where he also teaches Italian language fundamentals to first-year students. He has also published three academic papers on the topic, and others are already planned. For his doctoral project, he plans to complete the material-gathering phase in the autumn and hopes to begin writing in the winter. “Having a quiet place to do this work was a clear advantage in Klagenfurt. And the campus university, with places to meet in the main hall or the library, offered many opportunities to connect with others and to think beyond the boundaries of my own discipline,” says Davide Tempesta, who looks back on his time in Klagenfurt with pleasure.
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A few words with … Davide Tempesta
When was the last time you discussed your research with someone outside the scientific community?
Sometimes some friends ask me about my research, but I think it’s hard to really make them to participate in the argument. Usually, the most interested people are who is already doing the university and is maybe interested in the academic path. However, I don’t think this is a bad thing; everyone has different interests.
What is the first thing you do in the office each morning?
I open my laptop and I treat myself to a great coffee. It is in the best way possible to start the day.
Who do you regard as the greatest scientist in history, and why?
A lot were great, thus is for me impossible to choose. Maybe we can better value who was more influential than others.
What makes you furious?
When it rains in Venice and I have any umbrella, above all if I also have to run to catch the train.
And what calms you down?
Obviously, a good novel, but also a glass of wine and a “cicchetto” in Campo Santa Margherita in Venice.
Do you ever take proper holidays? Without thinking about your work?
I think taking some breaks is necessary to rest and relax, although it is not simple if you are on the last year or at the end, because you feel that the time is always less. However, in general, I think a balance is needed between work and rest. This includes hobbies, friends, and so on.
What are you afraid of?
I am afraid of seagulls trying to steal my food from my hands when I am having a walk in Venice. They swoop down very fast and they are always very dangerous!
What are you looking forward to?
September will be busy: I have to submit two academic papers and to speak at a conference. The new academic year will also start, thus there will be new academic commitments. In October will also take place a conference at the University of Venice which is organised by my colleagues and I. There will be a lot to do but I will deal with it step by step.
Der Beitrag How novels can challenge life: Davide Tempesta explores examples of Italian literature from the 1980s erschien zuerst auf University of Klagenfurt.