ANNA MARIA ORTESE E SHIRLEY JACKSON. MAISONS HANTÉES, STRANI FATTI, INNOCUE PRESENZE

Abstract

This contribution aims to contextualise the literary representation of domestic space, by providing a comparative analysis of texts of Anna Maria Ortese (1914-1998) and Shirley Jackson (1916-1965), tracing the lines of the grotesque that link the two authors through the theme of the house, the sinister events and the presences that infest domestic places. The essay also intends to answer the questions “is it the reflection of those who live in the houses that determines the grotesque atmospheres of houses? Are the roles reversed, hence, does the house take on a hypnotic power over their inhabitants?”. We will carry out a thorough analysis of the houses invaded by the ghosts in the works of the authors, and the reasons that lead the protagonists to the dark and curious “strani fatti” (Ortese, 1987:139).