Between Autobiography and Narrative Fiction: The Representation of Illness in Three Works by Ugo Riccarelli

Abstract

The essay aims to explore the representation of the theme of illness in three works by Ugo Riccarelli (Le scarpe appese al cuore, Ricucire la vita, L’amore graffia il mondo). Drawing on Arthur Kleinman’s terminological distinction between the concepts of disease, sickness, and illness, the analysis will focus on several topoi of illness narrative found in the novels: the communicability of the experience of illness, the disruption of temporal linearity, and the ethics of care.