Lexington Books Corporeality and Performativity in Baroque Naples: The Body of Naples

This book provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the Neapolitan Baroque, through original and in-depth interpretations of pivotal masterpieces of Neapolitan art, literature, philosophy, theater. The book also presents the city of Naples as a cultural space in which the body functions as a visual, literary, and urban metaphor. By examining the works of Giordano Bruno, Caravaggio, Giambattista Basile, Silvio Fiorillo and Raimondo di Sangro, Principe di San Severo, the essays comprising this volume show the contribution of these world renowned figures to the Baroque imagery of Naples, but also highlight the impact the city had on their work. Finally, the book stirs reflection on the enduring presence and current revival of the Neapolitan Baroque, by looking at contemporary culture and the cinematic adaptation of baroque works, such as Matteo Garrone's Tale of Tales. Review Alessandro Giardino has gathered together several fascinating and well-documented essays by scholars interested in the connection between the Baroque and the city of Naples. Ranging from Caravaggio to Matteo Garrone, from Giordano Bruno to Giambattista Basile, Corporeality and Performativity in Baroque Naples offers an interdisciplinary and compelling perspective on Naples as a cultural space through the prism of the body. Equally thought-provoking is its insistence on the popular notion of 'the body of Naples' regarded as a visual, sexual, and urban metaphor. This volume will be of great interest to readers concerned with the particular baroque aesthetic that characterizes all Neapolitan cultural expressions.--Gian-Maria Annovi, University of Southern California Corporeality and Performativity in Baroque Naples takes readers to a captivating Italian destination, while tracing new thought-provoking routes connecting this seventeenth-century Mediterranean city to current theoretical perspectives. Philosophy, folktales, science, esotericism, visual and literary languages intermix in this volume of collected essays, allowing readers to appreciate the corporeal tradition of the Neapolitan Baroque and its rich cultural heritage.--Danila Cannamela, University of St. Thomas About the Author Alessandro Giardino is assistant professor of Italian and Francophone studies at St. Lawrence University.