Urban and Natural Ecologies in Alba de Céspedes’ Dalla parte di lei

Abstract
My presentation seeks to contribute an ecocritical reading of de Céspedes’ writing through utilizing Braidotti’s Nomadic Theory and Iovino’s Ecologia Letteraria as frames of analysis. Through this examination, I will highlight the non-human depictions in Dalla parte di lei to examine de Céspedes’ consideration of nature as more than mere background but an agent of a political narrative.
Presenter Biography
Lourdes Contreras researches plant and animal life depictions in contemporary Italian literature atthe intersection of Ecocriticism and Mediterranean Studies. Her dissertation examines the arboreal,urban, domestic, and natural environments in Fausta Cialente’s Egyptian and Italian novels and shortstories. She teaches Italian Studies courses at the University of Pennsylvania and is a co-editorof Bibliotheca Dantesca journal. Her translations have been published or forthcoming in TupeloQuarterly, Chicago Review, A Public Space, and PRISM international.