L’aspetto vero della Sicilia: Nature and aristocracy in Tomasi di Lampedusa's <i>Il Gattopardo</i>

This paper examines the representation of the Sicilian natural environment in Tomasi di Lampedusa’s Il Gattopardo . I first highlight the anti-anthropocentric stance that emerges from the novel. Next, I explore the ambivalent relationship between Sicilian nature and the class conflict between aristocracy and bourgeoisie central to the narrative, also emphasizing the influence of Leopardi’s late works, particularly La ginestra . On the one hand, through the contemplation of the natural environment, the protagonist, Fabrizio, manages to ‘zoom out’ from contemporary historical events, gaining a perspective that diminishes social conflicts by comparing human insignificance to the eternity and magnificence of nature. On the other hand, nature in the novel shares key characteristics with aristocracy, creating a striking affinity between the two. Consequently, nature becomes entangled in the same class conflict it seemed to transcend. By aligning itself with the aristocracy, nature serves as a tool for the resentment of a historically defeated class, with the bourgeoisie's modernizing mission in Sicily ultimately undermined by the inherent qualities of the Sicilian landscape.