Adaptation & Influence

Abstract: Elena Ferrante’s The Days of Abandonment tells the story of Olga and her development of psychosis after her husband leaves her after fifteen years of marriage. In classic Ferrante fashion, the story viscerally embodies Olga's experiences and gives readers access to her perspective—while reading Ferrante’s text, we are Olga. The power and connectivity of Olga’s story seem to rely on the nature of the novel; the first-person narration of literature, paragraphs of swirling stream of consciousness, and the quiet and private act of reading make this intimacy possible. But can we capture this rich internal experience and profound intensity in any other medium outside of literature, specifically, in cinema? Is it possible to translate elements of Ferrante’s words onto the screen? A comparison of Ferrante’s The Days of Abandonment and Roberto Faenza’s subsequent film adaptation, with a close analysis of narration and subtitles, seeks to reveal what we can demand from both literature and film and proposes that perhaps a “both/and,” rather an a combative “either/or,” approach to storytelling would best honor the narratives we cherish.

Author Bio: Margaux Trexler is a junior at New York University studying English and American Literature and Peace and Conflict Studies. She is an experienced author, having published two books, one poem, one short story, and two articles. Margaux’s professional and academic interests revolve around her passion for languages and words and how they can foster compassionate connection and communication in our personal, creative, and professional lives.

Abstract: Moralization is a common practice in films featuring pandemics that allows filmmakers to comment about who is responsible for spreading disease. Thomas Mann’s 1912 novella Death in Venice and Luchino Visconti’s film adaptation by the same name both feature cholera as the backdrop for the plot, but very strongly resist a moral interpretation. However, the themes of each can only be described as well as the history of cholera in Italy is understood. The construction of cholera in Death in Venice is not always accurate to the reality of cholera in Italy during the early 1900s, but the similarities and differences that emerge through a matrix of metaphor allow Mann and Visconti to make thematic claims about the role of classicism in modernity, the relationship between art, artist, and society, and the death of aristocracy. I will examine how the history of the 6th cholera pandemic and the Public Health response of Italy impacts the themes of Death in Venice.

Author Bio: Xander Menor is a Junior majoring in Global Public Health and Anthropology with additional minors in Sociology and Italian with a particular interest in discourses on health—how the ways we talk about, portray, and build knowledge around health, illness, and disease affect the world. In this context, the Italian peninsula presents itself as a wealth of knowledge. The land itself has been existed through a litany of societies and has been plagued by illnesses of all sorts. This project represents one possible intersection of these interests.

Abstract: During the Italian Renaissance, Florentine design and architecture became widely respected throughout Europe and prominent Florentine architects like Filippo Brunelleschi became known for their strong influence on the wider movement of Renaissance architecture. The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Flower or the Florence Cathedral, is perhaps the most well-known example of high Renaissance Florentine architecture and Brunelleschi’s work. Its iconic dome was revolutionary at the time for its sheer size and came to be known as “Brunelleschi’s dome” or “il duomo.” Santa Maria del Fiore inspired many Renaissance architects, but perhaps the most famous design that took inspiration from it was the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. The dome was designed by Michelangelo, whose work both embodied and twisted Renaissance design conventions. His use of classical forms and motifs in new, subversive ways reflected his Mannerist tendency of reworking traditional designs and gave many of his works a sense of illusory, artificial beauty. For his design of Saint Peter’s dome, Michelangelo mimicked elements of Brunelleschi’s dome because it provided a prototypical base for his Mannerist refashioning of classical Renaissance architecture.

Author Bio: Ainsley Dean is sophomore majoring in Urban Design and Architecture, Sociology, and Italian. Her love of Italian history began during her freshman year at NYU and has only grown stronger since. In addition to her work with the Italian Undergraduate Research Conference, she is a co-editor for Ink & Image and a research assistant in NYU’s Sociology department. She hopes to eventually attend graduate school to further research urban sociological issues. She would like to thank her friends and family for their support, as well as Professors Knight, Cowan, and Albaum for their mentorship and encouragement.