Modern Visions of Venice: The city in three contemporary novels

Abstract

This thesis aims to report how three modern writers in English originally develop their own visions of Venice, by employing in their novels several themes which are usually related to the city. The first chapter provides an analysis of Anita Desai’s Journey to Ithaca, to outline how the author revises the trope of an holy and safe Venice, in order to create her vision of the city as a spiritual sanctuary of bliss. In the second chapter, Jeanette Winterson’s The Passion is examined, to underline how magic, faith and legends play a significant role in the creation of her living vision of Venice. The last chapter analyses Caryl Phillips’s The Nature of Blood, which creates a personal adaptation of Othello’s story, portraying the city during the Republic years. In contrast with Winterson’s invented land, Phillips’s vision of Venice is provocative, accurate and rich in historical details. The study will end with an analysis of the common tropes which can be found in the three novels.