Questioni ecologiche nella produzione di Giana Anguissola e Gianni Rodari

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine ecological issues in Italian children’s literature by focusing on the works of two Italian writers who criticize, from different perspectives, the lack of ecological awareness in modern humans. The writers are Giana Anguissola (1906–1966), loved by the young female readership of the day for her vividly ironic style and rounded female characters, and Gianni Rodari (1920–1980), effectively combining realism and fantasy to encourage his readers’ critical thinking. Anguissola’s Le straordinarie vacanze di Violetta (1964) places the protagonists of her prior Milan-set Violetta la timida in the new setting of the Piacenza countryside, where charismatic Don Piero has revived ancient farming practices: the local farmers do not use chemical fertilizers, machines or herbicides, and they transport their produce to the town by carts. Rodari explicitly addresses ecological themes in some of his articles and in two stories: “Il pifferaio e le automobili” (Tante storie per giocare, 1971) and “Il mondo in scatola” (Novelle fatte macchina, 1973). In the former tale, the narrative unfolds in a city completely overrun by cars, and in the latter, a surreal plot revolves around the problem of waste.