Practices of Mobility in 'La vita agra' by Bianciardi
Keywords:
Bianciardi, mobility, walking, literary urban studies, labourAbstract
La vita agra (1962) by Luciano Bianciardi is one of the most iconic urban works of Italy’s period of economic expansion. For Bianciardi, Milan embodies the failure of the myth of progress, burdened by the rhythms of production that render life unbearable. In his portrayal of the city, Bianciardi focuses on the everyday practices of movement and spatialization employed by different kinds of subjects, practices that are consistently shaped by social position. Through close reading, this study examines representations of mobility in order to reconstruct the author’s critical perspective and the socio-economic context of Italy in the 1950s and 1960s.References
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