L’aspetto vero della Sicilia: Nature and aristocracy in Tomasi di Lampedusa's Il Gattopardo

Abstract

This paper examines the representation of the Sicilian natural environment in Tomasi di Lampedusa’s Il Gattopardo. I first highlight the anti-anthropocentric stance that emerges from the novel. Next, I explore the ambivalent relationship between Sicilian nature and the class conflict between aristocracy and bourgeoisie central to the narrative, also emphasizing the influence of Leopardi’s late works, particularly La ginestra. On the one hand, through the contemplation of the natural environment, the protagonist, Fabrizio, manages to ‘zoom out’ from contemporary historical events, gaining a perspective that diminishes social conflicts by comparing human insignificance to the eternity and magnificence of nature. On the other hand, nature in the novel shares key characteristics with aristocracy, creating a striking affinity between the two. Consequently, nature becomes entangled in the same class conflict it seemed to transcend. By aligning itself with the aristocracy, nature serves as a tool for the resentment of a historically defeated class, with the bourgeoisie's modernizing mission in Sicily ultimately undermined by the inherent qualities of the Sicilian landscape.