Note sulla prefazione autoriale alla Cognizione del dolore di Carlo Emilio Gadda

The present paper analyses the introduction to the novel La cognizione del dolore by Carlo Emilia Gadda, written in the form of a dialogue by its author and entitled L'Editore chiede venia del recupero chiamando in causa l'Autore. The introduction provides a comprehensive account of the main motifs of this novel and, at the same time, of Gadda’s work in general; its main point being a polemic against the objections of critics, who perceive the writer as “baroque” and grotesque, i.e. a writer who uses an overly complex style and narrative structure and represents reality in a distorted way. Drawing on recent critical studies as well as on research carried out on Gadda’s contemporary critics, the paper focuses on certain aspects of the text, such as its genesis, structure and its central motifs.