Tosca, the protagonist of Gina Lagorio’s 1983 novel
Tosca dei gatti, is an old woman who lives in a rental apartment in a small building where she works as a cleaning lady. The only constant presence in her life are her cats, which she views as her own children. All others comprise mere silhouettes in the solitary life she spends on the Ligurian Riviera, in a village of sailors and countrymen who perceive her as a foreigner. Her story is narrated both by one of the characters of the novel, Gigi, a middle-aged journalist who initially befriends Tosca out of curiosity, and by an all-knowing third person narrator reflecting Lagorio’s own point of view. The shift in the narrative voice signifies the internal change of perspective for Gigi, who moves from the role of simple spectator to…
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Citation: Paronzini, Nicole. "Tosca dei gatti". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 May 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39433, accessed 21 November 2024.]
