‘Giovanni Verga’s “New Woman” in La Lupa’

TLDR: This paper analyzed the differences between Verga's novella "La Lupa" (1880) and its adaptation as a play in 1896, and found that the use of dialogue in the theatrical adaptation enabled Gna Pina to break away from her traditional identification and to voice the concerns and aspirations of socially committed late nineteenth-century women in Italy, becoming one of the first New Women to appear on the Italian stage at the turn of the century.

Abstract: This article analyses the differences between Verga’s novella ‘La Lupa’ (1880) and its adaptation as a play in 1896. While the femme fatale, Gna Pina, is a silent figure in the narrative, consumed by the desire to seduce her son-in-law, in the play she becomes an articulate character. The use of dialogue in the theatrical adaptation enables Gna Pina to break away from her traditional identification and to voice the concerns and aspirations of socially committed late nineteenth-century women in Italy—becoming one of the first New Women to appear on the Italian stage at the turn of the century.