Italian Neorealism

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

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The label Neorealism describes primarily movies and works of fiction produced in Italy between 1945 and 1955. It was originally used by critics in Italy in the 1930s in reference to literary works that approached everyday reality with renewed artistic energy. This label often included works of fiction that exposed the hardship of the everyday life of the lower classes, especially in the South, while conversely fascism was presenting a very rosy picture of Italian society. It must be noted that there was no official Neorealist manifesto, and no single writer or director ever started writing a novel or shooting a movie with the idea of producing a Neorealist work according to a codified set of rules. As such, Neorealism cannot be strictly considered a traditional artistic movement. Over theā€¦

3531 words

Citation: Mazzola, Claudio. "Italian Neorealism". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 March 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19591, accessed 28 March 2024.]

19591 Italian Neorealism 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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