Tag Archives: names

Meta-Post Blog 6

A common theme in the posts this week was the characters of Lila and Lenù wanting to escape from their own childhood and background. As Irini writes “It is evident from youth that the girls want to be destined for a much more fulfilled life than what is traditionally expected for them.” When speaking of what is traditionally expected from the young women, many of us concentrated on what their mothers expected. Julie writes of how the girls break away from the general archetype of “mothers” and how in western literature, stories of women “grappling with the Mother figure, having a friendship with another girl that towers over every other subsequent relationship” is uncommon.

Kelsey wrote of a “generational ‘curse’” inherited from their mothers, which after the birth of her child, Lila is desperate to break away from, and raise her child differently than she herself was. This is in contrast to Paul’s post, where he writes that “every generation does the best they can with the knowledge that has been passed down”. Lila, instead of using this knowledge as a manual to raise her child, uses it as a checklist of what not to do. Irini writes that “Lila … personally dedicates her time to making sure he is brilliant… Lila does not want her son to turn out stuck like her..” Kelsey adds to this by saying Lila nurtures not only her son’s wellbeing, but also his intelligence. This is something her own family does not to do, and another way of breaking the “generation curse”.

The way Lenù breaks from what is the norm, specifically in terms of mothers and motherhood is also discussed this week. Ariana writes that “Through assimilating to her new environment ( in Pisa), Lenù searches to become less of a Neapolitan and less like her mother in order to have a better chance in life”, meaning that through speaking differently than her mother and assimilating somewhere other that Naples, she avoids becoming like her mother, which Irini writes  was also a fear of Lenù’s and “a major factor in how hard she pushed herself to success.”

Annabella writes not of how Lenù breaks away from her mother, but from Lila. A relationship that has slowly been deteriorating, Annabella’s post explains that in the wake of their vacation to Ischia, the two young women are in completely different mental states; “Elena is beginning to find it in this newfound sense of what it means to live life passionately and bravely, while Lila is discovering it in the depths of Nino’s soul that has taken her own as refuge”.

Another topic this week was the importance of names. Jackie and Zevi wrote on this topic, writing about the power names can have. Jackie writes that when Lenù chooses the nameGreco to be the name on her book, and not the last name of her fiance, “Lenù changes the Greco name from that of a porter to that of a writer. In doing so she simultaneously increases the power behind the name Greco. Her name printed on the cover of a book ties the name to higher education and success which holds a lot of power. “

Zevi, conversely, writes of the power of Lenù’s fiance’s last name. She writes of how after being associated with Pietro Airota, she is given more respect by other students, and that as the Airotas are a prestigious family they therefore a good name, and Lenu benefits from being associated with it

What’s in a Name?

Names carry great importance throughout the Neopolitan novels. Names are associated with power like Carracci and Solara; scandal like Sarratore; or even just plain mediocrity like Cerullo. On the other hand, the name Greco means little, the name of the porter. This changes when Lenù publishes her book. The following dialogue between Lenù and her mother demonstrates the importance of a name:       

“One morning she asked, ‘What’s the name of your fiancé?’

She knew, but she had something in mind and to communicate it she wished to start there. ‘Pietro Airota.’

‘Yes.’

‘Then you’ll be called Airota.’

‘Yes.’

‘And if you write another book, on the cover will it say Airota?’

‘No.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I like Elena Greco.’

‘So do I,’ she said” (Ferrante, 469).

            Lenù does something here, that most people in the neighborhood will never be able to do and that is give their name a new meaning. Lenù changes the name Greco from that of a porter to that of a writer. In doing so she simultaneously increases the power behind the name Greco. Her name printed on the cover of a book ties the name to higher education and success which holds a lot of power. It’s interesting to note Lenù’s confidence in answering her mother’s question as to whose name would appear on future covers because of Lenù’s inclination to self-doubt. She finally realizes that her excellence is what allows her to publish the book with her name rather than that of her fiancé. This is definitely a huge change in Lenù’s character. Lenù recognizes the importance her name holds and the potential power her name will attain through its place on the cover of a published book.