Abstract
With a focus on Vitaliano Trevisan's novel, I quindicimila passi, this article addresses on a number of levels the writer's ‘redundant’ style: the repetition of elements borrowed from Thomas Bernhard; the repetitious syntax of his characters; the recurrence of the same narrator; the repetition of his societal critiques; and even the repetition of footsteps to the point where they could be the plot as much as a conduit to it. According to the scholar, Trevisan's style is part of a conscious strategy for defying the book industry; the author even parodies the Barthesian ‘death of the author’ in order to make his point. Additionally, Trevisan's epigonism of Bernhard is compared to that of a jazz musician playing a standard theme, the variation of which can demonstrate the virtuosity of the imitator while releasing unique richness that eludes artistic categorization.
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