Point of View

Elsa Morante's story is told from a supremely omnipotent viewpoint, as narrator of a story who knows the characters and events fairly intimately, but who is also relying on research. She reminds the reader several times throughout the story that she is not sure of her facts, but that this is either what she has heard or read. However, she fluctuates, also seeming to be inside the heads of her characters with a deep understanding of their feelings and viewpoints. She primarily writes in the past tense, although at times reveals her scenes in the present tense through narration and dialogue, even speaking for her characters. Morante reports her story in a rather detached, journalistic fashion, even when the scenes are heart-wrenching. In the chronicled history sections, Morante writes in a detached manner as if reporting the facts for a school textbook.

Morante wanted her story...