ITL 312K Second-Year Italian Language and Culture I Capitolo 3 | Lettura: "L'americana" di Domenico Rea |

Riassunto del racconto in inglese 1) Ero solo in casa... 2) Bevvi un altro sorso di vino... 3) --Sai chi mi ha parlato di lei? 4) Alla fine ci ritrovammo al punto dove avevamo lasciato la macchina... | Parte 4 | Download the summary as a Microsoft Word document  "L'americana" -- 1 The narrator is sitting on his terrace sipping wine and distractedly leafing through a book on an afternoon that he plans to idle away. His quiet is interrupted by a phone call from an American woman whom he has not met. She is passing through Naples and has been translating a scientific article written by the narrator and she would like to meet him in order to ask him a few questions about it. He is very annoyed at first to be disturbed, and the woman's voice reminds him of another American woman he once met whom he found unpleasantly old and fussy. If the woman on the phone were young, he might find the prospect of meeting her interesting, but if she were like the other American woman... The narrator fishes about with various questions in an effort to find out more about the caller and learns that she has arrived in Naples by chance having casually hitched a ride there and that now she is curious to become acquainted with this city she has heard so much about. If the narrator could act a bit as her guide, she would be most appreciative. The narrator concludes that his caller is probably a young woman and thinks her apparently impulsive behavior typically American; furthermore there is something strange but pleasant about his impression of her and he finds himself agreeing to meet her at the Palazzo Reale.  "L'americana" -- 2 After hanging up from the call, the narrator begins to wonder what he should wear for his meeting with the American in order to make the correct impression. He is not sure what that would be. He also remembers that he has more or less made an appointment with a physician friend of his who is to introduce him to his beautiful cousin. This appears to him a perfect "out" in the event his meeting with the American does not go well. Just before stepping out his door, the narrator takes a look at himself in the mirror and is happy to note that the blue suit he has put on makes him look younger and thinner. This and the splendid view of his city that greets him when he steps outside, including an approaching white ship which he considers a good omen, lifts his spirits. When he meets Natalie at the Palazzo Reale he is happy to find that she is indeed attractive. She tells him that he is younger than she expected him to be, and she laughs in a way that seems very American to the narrator. After a few moments in which they observe the opulence of the Palazzo Reale, they get in the narrator's car and drive off to begin their tour of Naples.  "L'americana" -- 3 Natalie mentions that someone they both know has spoken to her of the narrator. This upsets him somewhat, as their mutual acquaintance is a notorious Roman gossip who was once his friend and now is able to communicate many of the unpleasant features of what he refers to as his "southern character." Natalie tells him that the Roman gossip neglected to tell her how young he was but that she did say he was a cheery sort although something of a ladies' man. The narrator does not wish to pursue this line and attempts to get Natalie to ask him some of her questions about his article. She asks him instead whether he is married. As the conversation proceeds the narrator begins to fear that his evening with Natalie does not hold much promise. He takes her to a small piazza and attempts a perfunctory tour of it. As they stroll about, Natalie is assailed by a group of children who at first charm her. She offers them some coins and this excites them to noisier and more insistent behavior. When the narrator perceives that she is becoming frightened, he speaks to them in dialect and when he has convinced them that Natalie's supply of change is exhausted, they depart. Alone with Natalie in the piazza as twilight gathers, the narrator feels a renewed attraction to her, but doubts make him feel timid and he does not follow his urges to embrace and kiss her.  "L'americana" -- 4 Back in the car they agree to have dinner together and the narrator suggests a good quiet place that he knows away from the city. Natalie likes this idea but states that she must be back in town before 11. Natalie seems distracted and moody, and her insistence that they return to Naples aggravates the narrator. Although she speaks of a man in her life who has left his wife and children to pursue her, giving her no peace, when the narrator points out the breathtaking view of Salerno and the coastline, Natalie seems to want to forget this and says that she doesn't want to think any more. Natalie and the narrator enjoy their meal at the restaurant. Natalie drinks and talks of her childhood. They both laugh and Natalie indicates that she phoned the narrator in order to free herself, from herself. The narrator is charmed by her and wonders where in Natalie does the child end and the woman begin. When they leave, the narrator points out that there are two possible routes for their return to Naples: the inland road is straight and will put them back in town according to her schedule; by taking the winding coast road, "the most beautiful in the world," they will arrive in Naples at dawn. Natalie chooses the coast road. | inizio pagina |