From the Margin

Contributions of Italian Americans are indeed represented in all aspects of society. Filmmakers and authors manifest their awareness of italianit, their Italian American identity. Numerous recent studies call for a different, multicultural perspective by which American literature and culture should be viewed. From the Margin addresses that need and explores the notion of italianit in film and literature, both through creative works and scholarly essays. This anthology, hailed as a significant contribution to American ethnic studies, features the short stories, poems, and plays of more than thirty Italian American artists. Drawing on their individual and collective backgrounds and experience, these writers convey another vision of American life. A section of critical essays by established scholars in the field, with topics ranging from specific works and authors to broad literary movements and film studies, analyzes the Italian American phenomenon and the role of ethnicity in literature. The extensive bibliography treats creative works, critical essays, and films dealing with the Italian American experience and promises to be an invaluable research tool.