| This research, which had set itself the task of analyzing the Gothic fiction of Mastriani, has led to the definition of important themes and images of the Gothic repertoire. The medical and scientific aspect of Mastriani's work helps to define a realistic approach to images of terror excluding fantastic elements. Medical and scientific themes, such as physiognomy, moral anatomy, mesmerism, insanity, somnambulism, and neurosis, demonstrate how the horror is something tangible, an integral component of the human being in the physical and psychological dimension. Mastriani is the journalist, or better, the detective who is able to make sense of a chaotic, violent reality describing its very horrific elements to his reader. The depiction of the Neapolitan world of terror brought Mastriani's reader into a constant manifestations of extreme violence and suffering, and it certifies the identity of Mastriani as a Gothic writer of terror and gloomy images. The modern city of Naples, industrial, gloomy and labyrinthine, is the locus of horror, violence and corruption. |
