Translating Neapolitan Neorealist Narrative: Anna Maria Ortese's Il mare non bagna Napoli

Abstract

This thesis critically examines Anna Maria Ortese’s Il mare non bagna Napoli (1953) from two perspectives: the Neapolitan dialect and the post-war Neorealist writing style. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand how and whether these features are delivered in the English translation. Additionally, this research provides a new translation of relevant passages that is mindful of the challenges encountered when rendering these components. The first variable regards translation of dialect literature. When translating dialect, unique obstacles emerge, which go beyond the ones encountered in the translation of standard languages. Some words and concepts are so deeply rooted in the source culture that any translation into the target language that attempts to capture them may never do so accurately. This work investigates the strategies employed by dialect translators, trying to understand to what extent the message of the source language can be conveyed in the target language and whether maintaining the original cultural context is genuinely possible. The following stage of analysis focuses on Ortese’s Neorealist reportage style, which allows her to plunge into the depths of post-war Naples and awaken people from their delusional sleep by meticulously portraying the miserable reality that Naples was facing. In this regard, the purpose of this dissertation is to determine whether and how this aspect is rendered in the English translation.