On character conception in three selected works by Gabriele D'Annunzio

The aim of this book is to examine Gabriele D'Annunzio's magnificent work Il piacere with regard to its constellation of characters. The characters in his magnum opus are compared with those in his novels Il trionfo della morte and L'innocente. Before examining the individual works, there is a chapter on the decadent movement in which the works under examination are to be placed, as well as a chapter on character analysis in general. In addition to the history of the work Il piacere and its narrative structure, the protagonists, the dandy Andrea Sperelli, the femme fatale Elena Muti and the fragile woman Donna Maria Ferres, are analysed in detail. As this work is highly autobiographical, one chapter also compares Andrea Sperelli with the author Gabriele D'Annunzio. The following chapters examine the main characters of the two other novels, Giorgio Aurispa and Ippolita Sanzio, as well as Tullio Hermil and his wife Giuliana. The aim is to determine whether the characters in the different novels are similar or not.