The evil eye in Italian American literature: Magic, religion, gender, and rhetori

This project examines the ancient practice of the evil eye and its modern use in Italian American creative texts. I incorporate historical studies, artifacts, memoir, and critical theory to explore the function of the evil eye in contemporary Italian American novels, specifically fiction of Tony Ardizzone, Tina DeRosa, Louisa Ermelino, and Anthony Mancini. The study is divided into four major themes or areas of inquiry, which form the four main chapters. The themes are the evil eye as magical realism, secrecy and the evil eye texts, the evil eye in vernacular religion, and the evil eye and the Mama del Sud. Expanding our understanding of the place of belief in the evil eye in Italian American culture and literature helps us to understand how belief systems change and endure with in the culture and how they are treated within the literature of this immigrant group.