The deceitful power of passions. On «Il naso» by Alberto Moravia

Abstract

This contribution offers some reflections on the handling of passions in the short story Il naso by Moravia, also taking into account its relation to the other texts of the Racconti romani and its adaptation in the film La giornata balorda by Mauro Bolognini (to which, in addition to Moravia himself, Pier Paolo Pasolini also collaborated). In the first part, an analytical comparison between Il naso and the novella of Andreuccio da Perugia by Boccaccio, which inspired Il naso, shows how different the relations between luck, reason and passions (concupiscence in the case of Boccaccio, greed in that of Moravia) are in the two texts. The second part examines Il naso with regard to the broader context of the Racconti romani and their relation to the theme of passions. The third part, finally, focuses on the adaptation of Il naso in the film La giornata balorda, by paying a special attention to the story of its censoring.