Alberto Moravia (born Alberto Pincherle; 28 November 1907 – 26 September 1990) was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation and existentialism. Moravia is best known for his debut novel Gli indifferenti (1929) and for the anti-fascist novel Il Conformista (The Conformist), the basis for the film The Conformist (1970) directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Other novels of his adapted for the cinema include Agostino, filmed with the same title by Mauro Bolognini in 1962.
Moravia once remarked that the most important facts of his life had been his illness, a tubercular infection of the bones that confined him to a bed for five years, and Fascism, because they both caused him to suffer and do things he otherwise would not have done. “It is what we are forced to do that forms our character, not what we do of our own free will.” Moravia was an atheist. His writing was marked by its factual, cold, precise style, often depicting the malaise of the bourgeoisie. It was rooted in the tradition of nineteenth-century narrative, underpinned by high social and cultural awareness. Moravia believed that writers must, if they were to represent reality, “assume a moral position, a clearly conceived political, social, and philosophical attitude” but also that, ultimately, “A writer survives in spite of his beliefs.” Between 1959 and 1962 Moravia was president of PEN International, the worldwide association of writers. (Wikipedia)
Moravia and the Return of the Real
Agostino’s loss is inherent to language, whose powers to name always fall short.
- Moravia, Alberto. Agostino. Trans. Michael Moore. New York: New York Review of Books, 2014. [I'm sorry, this text originally had some pages missing.]
On Alberto Moravia
Agostino (1962 movie)
Movie “Agostino” – Italy – Ingrid Thulin, Paolo Colombo, John Saxon – 1962:
- Bakhtin, Mikhail. The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays. Ed. Michael Holquist. Trans. Caryl Emerson and Michael Holquist. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1981.
- Freud, Sigmund. Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis. Ed. James Strachey and Angela Richards. Trans. James Strachey. London: Penguin, 1991.
Moravia Questions
- What, if anything, is disturbing about this book? Why?
- In what ways, or to what extent, is Agostino presented as a typical adolescent? In what ways is his situation different or unusual?
- What is the significance of the fact that the setting for this story is a holiday? What, if anything, makes holidays exceptional?
- What are the characteristics of beach towns or resorts, and how do these characteristics influence or drive this book’s plot?
- What does this book have to say about childhood?
- What does this book have to say about adulthood?
- What is the relationship between Agostino and the boys he meets at the beach? How are they like or unlike him?
- Why does Agostino pretend to be someone he is not to the man and his son who want a boat ride? What, if anything, does he learn from this experience?
- At one point Agostino (or perhaps the narrator) comments that “There was still too much delicacy in him” (78). What does this mean? Is this Agostino’s problem?
- What does Agostino see (and what does he not see) at the brothel? How does this experience affect him?
- At the end of the book, Agostino’s mother says she will “treat [him] like a man” (102). What does it mean to “treat someone like a man”?
The following questions are taken from your blog posts…
The Mother
Why do you think Agostino’s mother remained nameless throughout the novel?
I would like to know what is your opinion on the way Agostino perceives his mother and how that made you feel.
Agostino always had an intimate relationship with his mother, how did this relationship affect his emotional and psychological development and alter his perspective on romantic relationships?
Did you think at any point in the book that his mother was a bad parent? If so, why?
Did Agostino’s mother act inappropriately?
How does the mother’s influence in the novel reflect the limitations of the main character?
Though he initially did so to escape from his mother, why did he not rather find another way to spend his time away from her?
Did you notice the use of “the mother” to be strange or striking? Or did it seem normal to you? If strange, how so? And what do you think could be a reason for this?
How do you think Agostino’s relationship/attraction to his mother will affect his future relationships?
Do you think Agostino’s relationship with his Mother will deeply affect how he views the future women in his life and sexual relationships?
Do you think that Agostino is a people pleaser, as he does things to upset his mother yet longs to be accepted by everyone?
If Agostino was allowed entrance into the brothel, would his feeling towards his mother change like believed they would have?
Also, it was told that his relationship with his mother had changed. How about the metaphysical connection he must have had with his father? Do you think his attitude towards his deceased father would have changed?
Did you find Agostino’s struggles somewhat relatable in terms of how he started viewing his mother as a real person and learned about the real world?
How, if it is possible, would one go about defining Augustino’s relationship with his mother?
Does Agostino’s love for his mother go beyond his initial view of her as dignified and beautiful? Should the mother be defined by her fondness for Agostino, or by the fact that she slaps him and frequently leaves him for the young man from the beach?
How might the mother’s behavior influence Agonstino’s perspective of women?
Do you think Agostino’s fixation on his mother reflects something more sinister than just a strange expression of puberty?
What were your thoughts on Agostino’s view of his relationship between him and his mom?
Do you believe the author’s portrayal of Agostino’s thoughts regarding his mother was excessively bold, or do you find it appropriate for the narrative’s themes?
What do you think referring to his mother as “Big” means in this novel? What does it signify or how does it serve the author’s purpose?
Do you think Agostino’s fixation on his mother reflects something more sinister than just a strange expression of puberty?
Gang of Boys
Why was Agostino repeatedly coming back to hang out with the boys and Saro even though he also felt uncomfortable around them?
What do you think would have happened to Agostino if he had not encountered the group of boys? Would his struggle with exploring his attraction change?
Do you think if Agostino never met the boy in the cabin who brought him into the gang, that he would still have this innocence and see his mother for her motherhood and not a lustful woman?
What would’ve happened if the group of guys hadn’t come into Agostino’s life? Would the inappropriate thoughts continue until some sort of male figure shakes him into some realization, or would this simply lessen with age/maturity?
Why do you think he especially hated Homs, even though all the boys antagonized him?
Who was your favorite or least favorite member of the gang?
Why do you think Moravia added the storyline with Saro? Do you think it was necessary for Agostino’s journey? Why do you think the boys of the group always teased and made fun of Agostino? Agostino attributes this to his social class, do you think this is true?
How do the boys’ discussions about Pina reflect the complexities of adolescent curiosity and exploration of adult relationships?
What do you think would’ve happened if he didn’t encounter the boys? Would there be another event like this, something that makes him lose his innocence nonetheless?
The question I have for people is what role do you think class plays in the novel, what are your thoughts on what it means that Agostino the rich boy gets changed and loses his innocence via the poor boys
Saro
What did you think of Saro, and do you think his actions should have been discussed in a more serious light?
What did you think about Saro at the end compared to in the beginning?
Coming-of-Age
How do you think Agostino’s abandonment issues influenced his development, particularly during his transition from childhood to adolescence?
Are the thoughts that 13-year-old Agostino abnormal and immoral, or it is reasonable during puberty when he just learns about sex? How might his experience with the local boys shape his perception of man and woman?
Was there a certain time when you felt your childhood had ended? How did this make you feel? Did you feel resentful like Agostino?
How should people deal with growing up if the reality of life can be ugly?
Was there a specific moment in the book where Agostino truly lost his childhood innocence or was it a collection of events overtime where he truly lost himself?
Do you have any childhood stories of acting out in order to achieve more love? (whether you realized your actions or not?)
Do you ever had a feeling like Agostino, “had lost” something…”without acquiring another”? Or how do you interpret this kind of feeling in your own life? (A feeling of getting stuck? lost? misery? roaming?)
If Agostino came to you for advice on how to navigate his confusion on his loss of identity, based on your experience as a teenager, what would you say?
Has this book confirmed/contradicts some of your pre-existing thoughts about adolescence?
What are some more profound insights about personal growth that can be interpreted from the last sentence of the text?
Thoughts before approaching the house. Are these thoughts simply just immaturity that Agostino grows out of?
How do you feel Moravia shows the drastic speed of Agostino’s maturity? Agostino is changed by the boys words on the beach, but how do you think he is truly understands the complex nature of human sexuality?
At the end of the novel, why did Agostino want his mother to call him a man instead of a child and would he ever be happy in his life ahead?
Have you ever experienced the confusion of adolescence, which can be physical or psychological? How did you get out of the confusion of adolescence, gradually form a sound personality and finally grow into the present shape?
Did you have any experiences that was a start to your shell of innocence breaking apart during your childhood?
How did the portrayal of adolescence in the novel resonate with your own experiences or observations?
How would you describe your adolescent years? Were they at all similar to Agostino’s experience?
Did you ever experience a point of “no return” in your childhood that started your transition to adulthood?
Narration
Why was Agostino written to be such a strange character with an enigmatic nature? If he was written a little more normally would his character have the same impact?
Does Moravia portray Agostino as a passive character as a way to show the importance of taking charge when needed? Or does he simply paint a picture of an awkward thirteen-year-old without any instructive purpose?
How does the limited omniscient narration affect this story? (i.e. the narrator is in third person but focuses on Agostino’s thoughts)
What emotions did the end of the novel make you feel?
What is your opinion about the ending of the book?
Oedipus
Did you also think of the Oedipus concept while reading this novel?
What are your thoughts on the Oedipus complex?
My question for you is whether you could also connect the texts to the Oedipus Complex theory of Sigmund Freud and did it make you feel a little uncomfortable?
Do you think the Moravia intended to make Agostino “in love” with his mother, like Freud suggested, or simply admired her? Do you have any other explanations for this?
Do you think Freud’s theory is a recurrent theme in novels written during this era?
Why do you think authors during this era of novels always seem to incorporate Freud and his theory? Does it bring any depth or cultural context to the story?
Why do you think Agostino is hyper-fixated on his mom, at times disgusted, and at times wanting to see her body? Does he really develop sexual feelings towards his mother, or is he just realizing his sexuality.
Is this book showcasing a boy’s flourishing sense of sexuality and maturity or is he just being indoctrinated by the patriarchy and its over-sexualization of all women?
I am curious to know peoples opinion on freud theories and if you think that influenced this book?
Fathers
How would a father figure have helped Agostino navigate these difficult changes?
Why do you think the father was consistently absent in the book?
How do you think a father figure would have changed this story?
I have noticed a lack of a father figure in a few of the assigned readings now. Do you think Agostino having a father figure would make a difference in his journey of change?
Discomfort
Did you find the book as uncomfortable as I did? If so, which part? Did it affect your overall enjoyment of the book?
Were you feeling uncomfortable after reading about how Agostino felt about his mother or were you able to get past that?
Did the uncomfortable aspects of the book alter your reading experience? In what ways? Looking back, did this amplify the reading experience or make it worse?
Setting
What did you make of the setting? Did having Agostino outside/away from his regular life contribute to the themes of transition and change in the novel?
How does the setting at the beach and the seaside help bring out the themes of growth and adolescence?
How does the Italian seaside influence Agostino’s journey towards adolescence and self-discovery? Are there any places from your own life that have similarly influenced your growth and identity?
Other
How do you feel about Agostino as a character?
When Agostino took the boy and his father out for a boat ride and lied to them about his background, do you think he felt any guilt behind this?
“He couldn’t say why he wanted so much to stop loving his mother, why he hated her love” (46). This quote reminded my of when we talked about the fine line between love and hate in class. My question to you is why do you think love and hate are so similar despite being such opposite emotions?
How does toxic masculinity relate to this novel?
Do you think it was the fault of Agostino’s mother for sheltering him or should the blame be put on the young boys for perpetuating misogynistic beliefs around Agostino?
Do you think Agostino’s drastic and difficult loss of innocence and change of character is because of his mother’s lack of transparency and shield-like nature of him? Was it that phenomenon that caused the storm of conflicting emotions to hit him like a truck? Or is it because he was just swimming with the wrong crowd of fish during such a critical point of self-discovery?
How does Agostino’s desire to fit in with his peers contrast with his longing for connection with his mother?
Have you read any book written in today’s times that have a same or similar theme? What do you think would be people’s opinions on such books being made right now?
Would you read another book by Moravia? Why or why not?
In the novel Agostino pretends to be a young worker and while a father is trying to teach his son a lesson about how fortunate he is, Agostino replies with perfect answers setting himself as a very good example for what the son should be like, when in reality Aggostino is just as or if not more fortunate than the son. Why do you think Agostino does this? Is it because he playing out a fantasy he wishes was true?
What did you think of the book? My question for you this week is do you think Agostino ever “recovers” from this period of his life or is he forever altered for the worse?
How does the theme of envy shape Agostino’s character and relationships? What role does his mother play in his journey, and how does her beauty become both a source of pride and conflict for Agostino?
If you could, what alternative name would you give this book? Why?
What are some of the ways you acted out rebelliously that shaped who you are as a person today?
Have you ever found yourself wanting to belong so bad that you land yourself into an abusive or manipulative relationship?
Do you think this novel is a feminist novel? If so, why, if not, why not?
Why do you think Moravia chose to use Agostino’s mother as the object of sexual desire when he could have easily placed another female character in that role instead?
What came to your mind as you were reading? And by the end, which tale was this most reminiscent of for you?
Throughout the plot of ‘Augustino,’ the protagonist is confronted with a variety of internal and external conflicts. How do these conflicts influence his character development, and what do they reflect about the human condition?
How do you think your teen years changed who you are today? Did you sympathize with Agostino because of it?
What do you guys think prompted Moravia to write “Agostino”?
Why do you think this book was included in the list of literature for this class?
Did you find the book weird at all? Did your thoughts and opinions on the book change as you read it?
What do you think the author is trying to convey with the themes and portrayal of maternal love and dependency and how this changes throughout the novella?
How did you feel about the shift in the story, were you surprised?
