Laughter from Realism to Modernism

Alberto Godioli

• Introduction: Laughter, Modernism, and Originality 1. Laughter and Originality: From Sterne to Pirandello 2. Umorismo and Madness: Pirandello's Originals 3. Violence, Bad Faith, and Hypocrisy: Truth and Deception in Svevo's Laughter 4. Celebrations of Diversity: Palazzeschi's Buffi and the Nineteenth-Century Tradition 5. The Stupidity of the World': Satire and Common Nonsense in Gadda's Fiction 6. Conclusion: Italian Modernism and the Fear of Uniformity