L’ordine simbolico patriarcale in fiamme: L’arte della gioia di Goliarda Sapienza

Abstract

This article proposes an interpretation of Goliarda Sapienza’s L’arte della gioia focused on a shaded area not analyzed by the criticism yet: the topic of patricide. The latter presents itself as the act of initiation that sets in motion the process of deflagration of patriarchy in order to create a new symbolic order – not related to the maternal order nor to the paternal one – that comes from the ashes of fire which Modesta ignites at the beginning of her existential path.