Occult Influences on Luigi Capuana and Luigi Pirandello

Summary

Luigi Capuana and Luigi Pirandello, two major Italian writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were significantly influenced by Western Esotericism, particularly French Spiritualism and Theosophy. This influence appears not only in their novels and plays but also in their theoretical writings on literature. The paper examines the presence of Esotericism and Occultism in their works and in fin de siècle Italian culture, arguing that these topics are essential for a fuller understanding of their poetic output and their ideas about literature, culture, and society.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Luigi Capuana (1839–1915) and Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936) were two of the most important Italian writers who lived between the XIX and XX century. Capuana was an author, poet and journalist influenced by the works of Émile Zola, French author and founder of Naturalism, who was also one of the most important members of the Verist literary movement in Italy. Pirandello was a novelist, poet, short story writer, dramatist and author of 40 theatre plays. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1934, and his work is famed worldwide. Both authors were also influenced by Western Esotericism, especially by French Spiritualism and Theosophy, which is noticeable not only in their novels and theatre plays but also in their writings about the theory of literature and related articles. This paper deals with the presence of Esotericism and Occultism in the works of these authors and in the overall culture in fin de siècle Italy, in order to show just how important these topics are to better understand their poetic opus and ideas about literature, culture and society at that time.