Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Quartet: The Power of Women's Words

Elena Ferrante’s quartet [in Italian, L’amica geniale] has enjoyed global success since its publication in 2012-15. The books tell a story of female friendship and creativity set against the last sixty years of Italian history. The intertwined lives of Elena and Lila reflect the challenge of women’s exclusion from language and cultural production.

This lecture examines the novels with reference to the dilemma exposed by early feminists: how can women make space for themselves in institutions that are intrinsically masculine, when the only tools they can use are those that exclude them?

Visitor £5 : Members / students £2

Tickets on the door - Reception at 6.30pm, talk begins at 7.30pm.

Image Credit: with kind permission Europa Editions