STELLE PERDUTE. UNA LETTURA SOCIOCULTURALE E MEDIOLOGICA DELLA SCIENCE FICTION DI ROBERTA RAMBELLI

Abstract

Starting from the mediology of literature (Ragone, 2019; Amendola & Tirino,
2019) and the sociology of narratives (Longo, 2012; Parini, 2017), this paper
investigates the literary work of Roberta Rambelli (1928-1996) focusing on four
points. First, the link between science fiction novel and social sciences, as
Rambelli’s work shows a particular attention to dramaturgically develop some
concepts of social sciences (Lippi, 2007). Second, the deep link between
science fiction and mythology, as is evident in Il libro di Fars (1961), La pietra
di Gaunar (1966), and Profilo in lineare B (1980). Third, the dystopic narration
of Italian society: in Il Ministero della Felicità (1972) the author inserts dystopic
lumps that challenge the idea of a limitless technological expansion guided by
ideas of progress and development, leaving room for a more pessimistic vision
of the relationship between science and society. Fourth, the gender question:
by contextualising Rambelli’s literary work in the context of the cultural
processes of the Italian publishing market in the 1960s and 1970s, the cogency
of the gender issue is grasped, in reference to both the need to use male
pseudonyms and the prejudice against a woman capable of climbing the
hierarchies of the publishing industry.