More than Marias and Toninos: Pietro di Donato Takes Italian Americans beyond a Single Story

Giannina A. Lucantoni

More than Marias and Toninos: Pietro di Donato Takes Italian Americans beyond a Single Story

Abstract

This essay examines specifics in the literary works of Italian American author, Pietro di Donato, that demonstrate how the author highlights complexities of Italian American identity. Focusing on scenes from a variety of di Donato’s works - not just the ever-popular Christ in Concrete - this essay shows common objects from every-day life playing a role in revealing some profound characteristics associated with one America’s most misunderstood immigrant groups. Moving through a timeline of novels, articles, and short stories produced during di Donato’s fifty-plus years of writing, this essay brings attention to scenes and characters unacknowledged in previous research. The scenes from di Donato’s writing focused on throughout this essay feature objects and tools that have a role in character development, thus expanding the understanding of Italian American Identity. Most notably, this essay departs from typical indicators of Italian American identity like food or religion and includes references to di Donato’s last novel which remains unpublished; The American Gospels.

Keywords

Italian American, job, labor, objectify, Pietro di Donato, Stereotypes, tools

References

Adiche, Chimamanda. “The Danger of a Single Story.” YouTube, uploaded by Ted Talks, 7 October 2009, https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg. Accessed 2 October 2023.
Cavaluzzi, Anthony D. “‘Flesh and Soul’: Religion in Di Donato’s Naked Author.” Voices in Italian Americana, vol. 2, no. 2, 1991, pp. 59-66.
di Donato, Pietro. Christ in Concrete. 1939. Signet Classic, 1993. ---. CMS. 008B, Bx (Tape 5) and CMS. 008C, Box 7 Speech at Valentine’s Restaurant, 3 February 1983, Park Ridge, New Jersey. Audio Recording, Transcribed by Giannina Lucantoni, 17 February 2022.
---. Immigrant Saint, McGraw Hill, 1960.
---. “My Uncivilized Past.” Special Collections, Stony Brook U Library, SC 393, box 21, folder 4.
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---. The Penitent, Popular Library, 1963.
Three Circles o f Light, Ballantine Books, 1960.
---. “What Democracy Means to Me.” Special Collections, Stony Brook U Library, SC 393, box 24, folder 1.

Gardaphe, Fred. “Italian American Literature and Working-Class Culture.” Annali d ’ltalianistica, vol. 32, 2014, pp. 409-28.
---. “We Weren’t Always White: Race and Ethnicity in Italian American Literature.” Lit: Literature Interpretation Theory, vol. 13, no. 3, 2002, pp. 185-99, DOI:10.1080/10436920213855. Accessed 2 October 2023.
Guglielmo, Jennifer. “Introduction.” Are Italians White? How Race Is Made in America. Eds. Jennifer Guglielmo and Salvatore Salerno. Routledge, 2003, 1-14.
Rinaldetti, Thierry. “An Imagined Community of Their Own: Voices of Italian Immigrants in Il lavoratore italiano” Quaderni d ’italianistica, vol. 38, no. 1, 2017, 85-107.
Roediger, David. Class, Race, and Marxism. 2017. Verso, 2019. Tamburri, Anthony Julian. Re-reading Italian Americana. Fairleigh Dickinson, 2014.
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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

North American Language, Literature and Culture

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Giannina A. Lucantoni This is me
0009-0007-0168-5581
Andorra

Publication Date

December 31, 2023

Submission Date

January 13, 2023

Acceptance Date

June 1, 2023

Published in Issue

Year 2023 Number: 60

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA64MP89GP

APA

Lucantoni, G. A. (2023). More than Marias and Toninos: Pietro di Donato Takes Italian Americans beyond a Single Story. Journal of American Studies of Turkey, 60, 97-120. https://izlik.org/JA64MP89GP

AMA

1.Lucantoni GA. More than Marias and Toninos: Pietro di Donato Takes Italian Americans beyond a Single Story. JAST. 2023;(60):97-120. https://izlik.org/JA64MP89GP

Chicago

Lucantoni, Giannina A. 2023. “More Than Marias and Toninos: Pietro Di Donato Takes Italian Americans Beyond a Single Story”. Journal of American Studies of Turkey, nos. 60: 97-120. https://izlik.org/JA64MP89GP.

EndNote

Lucantoni GA (December 1, 2023) More than Marias and Toninos: Pietro di Donato Takes Italian Americans beyond a Single Story. Journal of American Studies of Turkey 60 97–120.

IEEE

[1]G. A. Lucantoni, “More than Marias and Toninos: Pietro di Donato Takes Italian Americans beyond a Single Story”, JAST, no. 60, pp. 97–120, Dec. 2023, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA64MP89GP

ISNAD

Lucantoni, Giannina A. “More Than Marias and Toninos: Pietro Di Donato Takes Italian Americans Beyond a Single Story”. Journal of American Studies of Turkey. 60 (December 1, 2023): 97-120. https://izlik.org/JA64MP89GP.

JAMA

1.Lucantoni GA. More than Marias and Toninos: Pietro di Donato Takes Italian Americans beyond a Single Story. JAST. 2023;:97–120.

MLA

Lucantoni, Giannina A. “More Than Marias and Toninos: Pietro Di Donato Takes Italian Americans Beyond a Single Story”. Journal of American Studies of Turkey, no. 60, Dec. 2023, pp. 97-120, https://izlik.org/JA64MP89GP.

Vancouver

1.Giannina A. Lucantoni. More than Marias and Toninos: Pietro di Donato Takes Italian Americans beyond a Single Story. JAST [Internet]. 2023 Dec. 1;(60):97-120. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA64MP89GP

JAST - Journal of American Studies of Turkey