The Image of the Puppet in Italian Theater, Literature and Film

With the advancement of cybernetics, avatars, animation, and virtual reality, a thorough understanding of how the puppet metaphor originates from specific theatrical practices and media is especially relevant today. This book identifies and interprets the aesthetic and cultural significance of the different traditions of the Italian puppet theater in the broader Italian culture and beyond. Grounded in the often-overlooked history of the evolution of several Italian puppetry traditions – the central and northern Italian stringed marionettes, the Sicilian pupi, the glove puppets of the Po Valley, and the Neapolitan Pulcinella – this study examines a broad spectrum of visual, cinematic, literary, and digital texts representative of the functions and themes of the puppet. A systematic analysis of the meanings ascribed to the idea and image of the puppet provides a unique vantage point to observe the perseverance and transformation of its deeper associations, linking premodern, modern, and contemporary contexts. Federico Pacchioni is Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco Endowed Chair In Italian at Chapman University, USA, where he directs the Italian Studies program, teaches Italian and interdisciplinary courses, and leads various outreach initiatives. His research aims at understanding and promoting Italy’s creative reservoir through the field of media and cultural history by unveiling dynamics of artistic collaboration, authorial legacy, intermedial aesthetics, and glocalism. He is the author of several publications, including peer-reviewed articles, creative writings, and translations. Some of his books are Southwest of Italy: Stanzas for a Travel Memoir (2022), I frutti del mio giardino (2022), A History of Italian Cinema (2017, co-authored with P. Bondanella) and Inspiring Fellini: Literary Collaborations behind the Scenes (2014).