Under the surface. Archaeology of memory and renovation of meanings in Giorgio Vasta’s Il tempo materiale

This proposal aims to analyse Giorgio Vasta’s Il tempo materiale through the concept of the mythological machine, showing the short-circuits and the layers of meaning generated by a moment of deep crisis. Set during the Years of Lead, the novel deals with the complex theme of armed struggle that has rarely found proper literary representation. Emphasis will be placed on the processes of estrangement and allegory that make it possible to explore the imagery of the period and the historical facts from an unusual perspective, capable of reconfiguring memory thanks to an explosive reaction between past and present elements.