SOURCE: Dombroski, Robert S. “Overcoming Oedipus: Self and Society in La Cognizione del dolore.” Modern Language Notes 99, no. 1 (January 1984): 125-143.

In the following essay, Dombroski deconstructs the Freudian complexities of Gadda's fictional autobiography as evidenced in its dream sequences, concluding that the protagonist's narcissism and rebellion against the mother figure are disguised evidences of anti-fascism.

In Part One of La cognizione del dolore, during Doctor Higueroa's visit to the Pirobutirro villa, Gonzalo says that he has dreamt a “frightening dream.” This comes at a crucial moment in the exchanges between the doctor and him, when tormented by the thought of never occupying first place in his mother's affection, he confesses his frustrated need for maternal love and care: “Sono stato un bimbo anch'io. … Forse valevo un pensiero buono … una carezza no; era troppo condiscendere … era troppo”!¹ The account the novel already has given us of Gonzalo's experience and...