Concetti Chiave
- "Futility" is William Gerhardie's debut novel, published in 1922, known for its despairing message wrapped in irony and humor.
- The novel embodies modern ambiguity, blending English humor with influences from Russian literary masters like Gogol'.
- Gerhardie critiques the Russian mentality and governmental incompetence with a touch of English aristocratic perspective.
- The character Zio Kostja satirizes the futility of literature, representing the theme of life's inherent futility.
- The novel suggests that life, societal efforts, and even writing are ultimately futile, provoking thoughtful reflection.
"Futility" is the first novel written by William Gerhardie. it was published in 1922.
Indice
Umorismo e ambiguità
One of the most important elements of the book is given by the fact that Gerhardie gives us such a despairing message in a light and ironic envelope, which consists of a successful mixture of English humor (speaking of a British admiral he says at a certain point: "I I was sorry to separate myself from that old man.
This peculiarity envelops the novel with a modern ambiguity.
Influenza russa e critica sociale
The author has absorbed deeply the lesson of the great Russian masters of the nineteenth century (especially Gogol ') and uses it to describe the characters and the atmosphere that surrounds the Bursanov clan in some situations concerning the Russian mentality - that Gerhardie undoubtedly looks at with a thread of typically English aristocratic racism - and the incompetence of government officials.
Il personaggio di Zio Kostja
Another Gogolian character is Zio Kostja, a relative of Zina, considered by the family as the intellectual of the group because, getting up late in the morning, he does nothing but write, although he never published anything. Beyond the satirical aspect, the character allows Gerhardie to emphasize incisively the uselessness of literature.
Il messaggio di futilità
The futility of the title is therefore for the totalizing author, in the sense that everything is futile: life is futile, from which we must expect nothing that is not what it is; futile are the efforts to change society, which other things bring only crisis, confusion and pain; but futile and even comical are the attempts to go against these changes, adding crisis to the crisis; Finally, it is futile to write trying to make sense of this activity. We can not agree, but it is undoubted that Gerhardie poses us, making us smile, issues to think carefully, even in the light of the almost one hundred years since then.
Domande da interrogazione
- Qual è l'elemento più importante del romanzo "Futility" di William Gerhardie?
- Come influisce l'influenza dei maestri russi del XIX secolo sul romanzo?
- Qual è il significato della futilità nel contesto del romanzo?
Uno degli elementi più importanti del romanzo è il messaggio di disperazione avvolto in un involucro leggero e ironico, che combina con successo l'umorismo inglese con l'ambiguità moderna.
Gerhardie ha assorbito profondamente la lezione dei grandi maestri russi, come Gogol', e la utilizza per descrivere i personaggi e l'atmosfera che circonda il clan Bursanov, evidenziando la mentalità russa e l'incompetenza dei funzionari governativi.
La futilità nel romanzo è totalizzante, suggerendo che tutto è futile: la vita, gli sforzi per cambiare la società, e persino il tentativo di scrivere per dare un senso a queste attività, sollevando questioni su cui riflettere.
Accedi a tutti gli appunti
Tutor AI: studia meglio e in meno tempo
