Expanding cannibale satirical writing into the Australian cultural space Alex Dunkin

252 Pages·2017·1.89 MB·English

Expanding cannibale satirical writing into the
Australian cultural space
Alex Dunkin
Bachelor of International Relations
Bachelor of Journalism
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) First Class
School of Communication, International Studies and Languages
University of South Australia
17 February 2017
A thesis submitted for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Completed under the supervision of
Dr Vincenza Tudini
Dr Ioana Petrescu
Table of Contents
Declaration ..................................................................................................................................................................... v
Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................................................... vi
Author’s Note ............................................................................................................................................................. vii
Abstract........................................................................................................................................................................ viii
Glossary of Terms ....................................................................................................................................................... ix
Exegesis ........................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Chapter 1: Introductions .......................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 The practice-led model ................................................................................................................................. 4
1.2 Chapter outline ................................................................................................................................................. 5
Chapter 2: Revisiting the cannibale brand of satire (literature review) .............................................. 7
2.1 Review of creative works: Meeting the cannibals.............................................................................. 7
2.1.1 Niccolò Ammaniti: The predominant cannibal ........................................................................... 8
2.1.2 Aldo Nove: Meeting the cannibale’s unsatisfying ends ........................................................ 12
2.1.3 Isabella Santacroce: The genre’s exploration out of Italy ................................................... 13
2.2 Cursing in the cannibali: Issues in translating the cannibale style .......................................... 14
2.3 Review of academic articles: Italian pulp fiction ............................................................................. 16
2.3.1 Avant-garde in the cannibals .......................................................................................................... 19
2.3.2 Pulp fiction: Connections between American pulp and cannibale .................................. 20
2.3.3 Cannibale style and language .......................................................................................................... 21
2.3.4 Cannibalistic attitudes to gender .................................................................................................. 22
2.3.5 Cannibale literature as a marker of its time ............................................................................. 25
2.4 Diversified views on pulp and cannibale ............................................................................................ 25
2.5 Chapter conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 27
Chapter 3: Placing cannibale amongst Australian literary genres ....................................................... 29
3.1 The dominant theory in Australian literature .................................................................................. 29
3.2 Foreign and pop-cultural influences on Australia .......................................................................... 31
3.3 Conclusions: Where the Australian cannibale can live ................................................................. 33
Chapter 4: Cannibale ‘trash’ as a novel method of social satire: Creating a model for analysis
.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 34
4.1 Methodology ................................................................................................................................................... 34
4.1.1 Satirical functions: How cannibale satire operates ............................................................... 35
4.1.2 Triad of participants: The cannibale satire’s invitees ........................................................... 36
4.1.3 Moral development: The cannibale style of self-criticism .................................................. 36
4.1.4 Pleasure creation: Finding joy in the confronting .................................................................. 37
4.1.5 Chaos/Disruption: Destabilising literary and social norms ............................................... 38
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4.1.6 Fixed cultural perspective: The author’s point-of-view ...................................................... 38
4.2 Demonstrating the cannibale model .................................................................................................... 39
4.3 Satire as social critique .............................................................................................................................. 45
4.4 Chapter conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 48
Chapter 5: Satirising Australian social mores, critiquing attitudes and analysing behaviours 49
5.1 Features of Australian culture ................................................................................................................ 49
5.2 Moving from Italy to Australia ................................................................................................................ 51
5.3 The artefact model: Satirising Australian norms ............................................................................ 52
5.4 Setting an accurate cannibale scene ..................................................................................................... 52
5.5 Seachanging Australia ................................................................................................................................ 53
5.6 Sporting Behaviour ...................................................................................................................................... 54
5.7 ‘True Blue Strayan’—rough stereotypes ............................................................................................ 56
5.8 The cannibalised aunty .............................................................................................................................. 58
5.9 Australians with teeth: Satirising natural threats .......................................................................... 60
5.10 Pocket society: Social media interjecting in life ............................................................................ 61
5.11 Chapter conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 62
Chapter 6: Confronting Australian attitudes with grotesque and logical extremes ..................... 63
6.1 Homophobia: The suppressing killer ................................................................................................... 63
6.2 Duopoly: The supermarkets’ game ....................................................................................................... 65
6.3 Satire through extreme stereotypes of ‘bogans’ .............................................................................. 67
6.4 Australia’s ‘burning’ topics ....................................................................................................................... 69
6.5 We all have our pets .................................................................................................................................... 70
6.6 Chapter conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 71
Chapter 7: Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................... 72
7.1 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 72
7.2 The chapters revisited ................................................................................................................................ 72
7.2.1 Chapter 2: Revisiting the cannibale brand of satire .............................................................. 72
7.2.2 Chapter 3: The role of Australian literary genres in popular cultural times ............... 73
7.2.3 Chapter 4: Cannibale ‘trash’ as a novel method of social satire: A stylistic and
linguistic analysis ............................................................................................................................................ 74
7.2.4 Chapter 5: Satirising Australian social mores, critiquing attitudes and analysing
behaviours ......................................................................................................................................................... 74
7.2.5 Chapter 6: Confronting Australian attitudes with grotesque and logical extremes . 75
7.3 Conclusion summary .................................................................................................................................. 76
7.4 Areas of potential future exploration for the Australian cannibale ........................................ 77

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Creative Artefact ....................................................................................................................................................... 78
Fair Day ......................................................................................................................................................................... 78
Pre-ramble: The delightful moment of half time when the men can truly come together .... 79
PART I ............................................................................................................................................................................ 81
Interruption: The passionate ramblings of a man excitedly narrating an event employees
use as an excuse to openly drink at work before noon ......................................................................106
PART II ........................................................................................................................................................................108
Interval: The day Tilda dared speak up during interventions on operational matters under
the green hill ........................................................................................................................................................136
PART III .......................................................................................................................................................................138
Recess: O’philia, o’philia: A grandly short ode to the men with the sort of goods you desire
...................................................................................................................................................................................166
PART IV .......................................................................................................................................................................167
Intermission: The haunting fable and its deceptive design to lure campers to safety ..........197
PART V ........................................................................................................................................................................199
References .................................................................................................................................................................225
Works cited ..........................................................................................................................................................226
Works consulted ................................................................................................................................................230

iv
Declaration
I declare that:
This thesis presents work carried out by myself and does not incorporate without
acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any
university; to the best of my knowledge it does not contain any materials previously
published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text;
and all substantive contributions by others to the work presented, including jointly
authored publications, is clearly acknowledged.
Alex Dunkin
17th February 2017
v
Acknowledgements

Over the course of this research program there have been many who have supported
and assisted me through to the completion of this thesis. I would like to express my
deepest gratitude to those who helped me make this project a reality.
Firstly, I would like to sincerely thank my supervisors Dr Vincenza Tudini and Dr
Ioana Petrescu, who have been a continuous source of encouragement and
inspiration over the course of my research. They have provided me with the essential
feedback and guidance that has allowed me to develop this work and my professional
research as a whole. They have helped foster my skills and confidence as a researcher
and as a member of the university and academic communities.
A deepest thank you goes to my husband Greg, who has shown me endless patience
and motivation throughout every step of this degree, right from the idea’s inception,
through the proposal stage, and to completion.
A further thank you to all the university staff and fellow students who have provided
me with the backing and assurance I needed to pursue this research, as well as the
opportunity to present my work at all stages of production.
The final thank you is for all my family and friends who have kept me grounded and
provided a sense of stability through my work.
vi
Author’s Note

This research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training
Program Scholarship.
I have used the Harvard style referencing system for the entirety of the exegesis in
accordance with the University of South Australia standards.
Translations from Italian to English are my own unless otherwise stated and
referenced. The original texts or abstracts appear in the body of work with an
appropriate translation provided in the footnotes.
All characters, settings and events depicted in the creative artefact are fictional. Any
resemblance to people, living or dead, or actual situations is coincidental.
The creative artefact is designed to accurately represent the cannibale genre. The
cannibale genre is confronting and written solely for an adult audience. The work
features scenes that some readers may find disturbing.
The creative artefact contains high level and graphic violence, language, sex scenes,
gore and drug use. It is not created to deliberately offend nor characterise the
author’s personal beliefs or opinions.

vii
Abstract

The cannibale genre is a unique style of grotesque literary satire that developed in
Italy during the 1990s. Daniele Brolli, the editor of the original anthology in this style,
Gioventú Cannibale, viewed morals as a perversion of contemporary society and
intended for the anthology to test the boundaries of acceptable writing (1996). The
authors succeeded in their fierce literary parody of established Italian cultural and
social norms, and began a movement of creative fiction that evolved beyond the
original collection of short stories.
Despite the overall success of the genre, there are limitations as to the extent to which
it can critique and provoke change in social behaviours through its satire. These
limitations exist due to the cultural and social boundaries of satire, and thus societies,
literature, and popular trends outside Italy remain unexposed to this new form of
critique.
Translation is one potential form for introducing new readers to the cannibale genre.
However, the frequent use of colloquial profanity, which varies between languages
and dialects, and the regular inclusion of popular culture references hinders the
ability of a successful translation that maintains the complete impact and grotesque
nature of the source text.
This thesis seeks to examine the potential for re-creation as a means of granting the
cannibale genre the ability to cross cultural and social boundaries. It reviews and
analyses existing studies on the genre, satire, dark humour and translation with the
aim of producing a model for creating and analysing new and existing cannibale texts
and an example of such a text for an Australian audience.
The thesis is presented via a practice-led model, featuring a research exegesis and a
creative artefact in the form of an original Australian piece of cannibale fiction.

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Glossary of Terms

Aggressive Function:
A harsh function of humour that targets a subject for satire with the aim of
presenting hostility toward it.
Bogan:
An Australianism used to describe a lower social class, uncouth behaviours,
and stereotypical Anglo-Australian attitudes. The intended use of the word can
vary between a negative and positive remark depending on relevant social
situations and people involved.
Buonisti:
Translates to ‘goodies’ or ‘group of good people’. One of two subgenres that
evolved within the cannibale style, generally known for the overall satisfying
conclusions to their narratives despite the extent of the horrific events that
have occurred.
Burlesque:
A form of mocking and ridiculing in a humorous and satirical manner and
provides information in small doses to intrigue the reader, but never satisfy
their curiosity.
Cannibale:
Translates to ‘cannibal’. A genre of contemporary Italian writing that utilises
many forms of literary styles, social ideals, and beliefs, to produce extreme
satirical texts.
Cannibalising:
The act of incorporating literary styles, social ideals, and expected narrative
outcomes in a new piece of literature, only to dismiss, reject, and expose the
flaws over the course of the plot.
Caricature:
A form of satire that emphasises and exaggerates aspects of its targeted
subject.
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Cartoon:
A humorous representation of something in a similar means as caricature but
with greater creative freedom and without the requirement for exaggeration.
Cattivisti:
Translates to ‘villains’ or ‘group of bad people’. One of two subgenres of the
cannibale style, it is so-called for its dismissal of accepted literature
conventions, its aggressive direction toward social and cultural expectations,
and its regular inclusion of unsatisfying narrative outcomes.
Chaos:
The deliberate disruption of a narrative and its characters to introduce a lack
of clear aims and outcomes.
Contaminated/contamination:
The act of intentionally and severely altering, defacing and critiquing other
literary styles and social norms through a cannibale text.
Dark Humour:
A bleak style of humour that engages more depressing events, attitudes and
life outcomes with the desire to induce moral development within the reader.
Generally contains a distorted sense of order and time within the narrative.
Grotesque:
The distortion of social and cultural norms, attitudes and behaviours to
seemingly unnatural levels.
Horizontality:
A component of a narrative partially responsible for its rhythm, which assists
in grounding the story to avoid a rapid acceleration in pace.
Intellectual Function:
The function of humour designed to provoke thought and engage the
audience on multiple levels.
Lampoon:
A direct form of satire that targets a specific individual or group to satirise in
a severe manner.
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