Sexual identity and Fascist space in Milena Milani's Storia di Anna Drei

Milena Milani's 1947 novel Storia di Anna Drei serves as an analysis of Fascist ideology regarding women. In the text, the protagonist pushes back against the regime's oppressive attitudes, allowing for an exploration of female sexuality and authenticity. Milani sets this critique against the backdrop of both pastoral and urban landscapes, demonstrating how the physical world can become a gendered space. In doing so, she significantly expands the cultural debate during the ventennio on the comparative merits of the countryside versus the modern city. The regime promulgated competing narratives about these sites, narratives that Milani challenges as she demonstrates how both spaces can prove harmful to women.