BAROKNA REALNOST U ROMANU ONA RUŽNA ZBRKA U ULICI MERULANA CARLA EMILIA GADDE / BAROQUE REALITY IN THAT AWFUL MESS ON THE VIA MERULANA BY CARLO EMILIO GADDA

Abstract

In Gadda’s That Awful Mess on the Via Merulana, there is an essential aspiration for order, for a geometrical symmetry that is to contain a natural reality, whether historical or social. However, the reality has shifted in the process of irreversible degeneration from this sublime model of orderliness and the world has exploded in the labyrinth of chaos where individual entities no longer reflect their ideal forms. They have been deformed as a result of an inner monstrous degeneration, and that is the baroque found in them, as defined by the author. It is as if the novel at one point explodes into an infinite series of digressions that keep multiplying in various directions and make one forget about the main plotline thus making the structure of the novel open, leaving an impression that it could continue like that indefinitely It seems they are reduced to the impure matter that simply evokes disgust. The most prominent features of this novel comprise a vision of the world of chaos and labyrinths dividing the form of the novel and the way the reality is demystified by means of language.. This stems from the author’s stance on the Italian reality after World War One, reigned by newcomers, the ambition for gaining wealth, the power of the ruling, hypocrisy, lies, egocentric exhibitionism, and bad taste. It is evident that the author is striving to, by means of using the 17th century model of realism, create a solid traditional novel which would clearly depict traditional ambience, its characters and their state of mind. However, at one point the novel explodes into an infinite series of digressions which brings to stage a reality of chaos.