SOURCE: Buonomo, Leonardo. “Masculinity and Femininity in John Fante's ‘A Wife for Dino Rossi’.” In John Fante: A Critical Gathering, edited by Stephen Cooper and David Fine, pp. 88-94. Madison, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1999.

In the following essay, Buonomo asserts that Fante successfully challenges traditional masculine and feminine models in “A Wife for Dino Rossi.”

John Fante's “A Wife for Dino Rossi” is, on the surface, the story of a misguided and finally unsuccessful attempt at forming a couple, at bringing together two Italian-American singles: the Dino Rossi of the title and Coletta Drigo. Another couple, the one formed by Guido and Maria Toscana, plays a crucial role in the plot, with the husband acting as would-be match-maker and the wife strongly opposing the potential union. I say “on the surface” because what is actually at play here is a skillful regrouping of the four main...