Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MISWORD (Misshaping by Words. Literary Caricature between Texts, Images, and Mental Models)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2017-02-01 do 2019-01-31
More specifically, the work carried out during the project has moved along three main lines, considered simultaneously: i) the mapping of some significant occurrences of this phenomenon, aimed at demonstrating its existence and describing its original stylistic features; ii) the reconstruction of its historical evolution in relation to the birth and development of visual caricature; iii) the construction of a theoretical framework including the history of representation and interpretation of the human body, and the most recent discoveries on the perception of the human figure and its cognitive and emotional implications.
The study of “literary caricature” is connected to several general questions of considerable importance for society and contributes to reconsidering some cultural and political issues decisive for the present, and in particular: i) the study of the history of the body and its different semiotic and philosophical interpretations; ii) the reflection on satire and freedom of expression; iii) the dialogue and interaction between humanistic culture and scientific culture.
Consistent with the need to address the problems mentioned, the research was pivoted on three main objectives: i) the design of an anthology of literary caricatures, with examples that would testify to their presence and evolution over time, from the Renaissance to the twentieth century: ii) a theoretical study of the origins of literary caricature, and its stylistic, rhetorical, and cognitive functioning, enabled by the conception and application of a transdisciplinary methodology; iii) a specific focus dedicated to twentieth-century literature, with particular attention to the meanings that literary caricature takes on in literary works describing Fascist Italy, and with a detailed interpretation of caricature as a “symptom” of a psychic and emotional reaction to the constraints of the regime.
The research produced five different types of results: the creation of a website, the publication of four academic articles, the publication of a book and a series of articles devoted to the popularization of the research’s contents, the integration of other researches already underway, the submission of a book proposal, accepted by a prestigious Italian publisher, that is the final outcome of the research and summarises its overall results. See part B of the report for a detailed list of the scientific results and to read the submitted and accepted book proposal.
The results of the research, its discoveries and theoretical and methodological advances have been repeatedly presented to the scientific community and discussed in a series of international conferences, seminars, and other dissemination opportunities. Some of the research content has also been adapted to be presented to a general audience in a series of public engagement activities. See part B of the report for a detailed list of the dissemination activities.
The results of the project were also exploited, presented and discussed through the scientific design, organization and conveying of the conference «Mis-Shapings: The Art of Deformation and the History Emotions» (September 13, Queen Mary University of London), where I presented the paper Physiognomy Unchained. Caricature as Emotional Intelligence. See the programme of the conference on the project website for a full presentation of the speakers and their papers: https://blogs.history.qmul.ac.uk/litcaricature/2018/07/19/mis-shapings/