3.1.2: Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936)
Six Characters in Search of an Author Italian Modernism Luigi Pirandello wrote short stories, novels, and poetry, but his plays are what earned him international fame. When the 1934 Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Pirandello, the presentation speech noted that "the most remarkable feature of Pirandello's art is his almost magical power to turn psychological analysis into good theatre" (Hallström). Pirandello knew the works of Freud and Jung, and he had a particular interest in the subconscious and its role in shaping a person's identity. One of the most important topics in his plays is identity. Pirandello uses the concept of "naked masks" to explain how we play a variety of roles in life (for example, father, husband, son, employee, student, and so forth), so that no two people see us alike; the naked mask is the human face, which conceals a person's true identity, rather than revealing it. Possibly the best example of this concept is in Six Characters in Search of an Author (1921), mentioned prominently in the Nobel Committee's presentation speech. The play begins with a rehearsal onstage for another one of Pirandello's plays, which is interrupted by the sudden appearance of six fictional characters from an unwritten play (by Pirandello). As the characters try to convince the actors and director to write down their story, they claim to be more real than the actors, since the characters' identities never change, while humans are constantly changing. Audiences were shocked at first by the play's structure and content (including some topics not usually seen on stage at the time), but Pirandello's rejection of the "well-made play" model influenced countless modernist playwrights. Consider while reading:
- In what ways could the play be adapted for a modern audience? Which parts would be the easiest to adapt for a contemporary audience ? Would the plot be as shocking?
- Look for all of the discussions on identity in the play. How do these ideas apply to your life?
- Which films and television shows would be literary "descendants" of the play? Look in particular at the interplay between fiction and reality.
Written by Laura Getty