WHEN LOVE MEETS DEATH: SHADES OF ADULTHOOD IN A. D’AVENIA’S NOVEL “WHITE AS MILK, RED AS BLOOD”

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of A. d’Avenia’s novel «White as Milk, Red as Blood», in which the writer depicted the process of a teenager’s transition into adulthood at a critical moment in his life (the death of his girlfriend from leukaemia). Life-at-school, life-in-the family, life-within-oneself as main components of adolescence have been highlighted. The important components of modelling the world of adolescence such as Leo’s first-person narrative and dialogue, which contribute to the process of discovering truth and the meaning of life through discussions of love, life and death with teachers, parents and friends have been emphasised. So, Leo acts as a «medium» between teenagers and their parents, allowing them to see the problem from the inside. Self-centredness (a teenager’s focus on discovering their own identity) forms the compositional centre of the novel. The hyperbolisation of the emotional experience of love and the vulnerable consciousness at the stage of transition to adulthood have been underlined conveyed in the text through colouristics. Two poles of the main character’ live have been stated: white (boredom, school) and red (love, life) combined with blue (friendship). Several attributes of «joy-despite-everything» such as Beatrice’s red hair, etc. have been identified. Emphasis has been placed on the significance of intertextual (Dante and Beatrice, etc.) and intermedial parallels to deepen the author’s intention of the life-affirming position of red. Despite all the trials of love and death, the world of adolescence acquires a «joyful red» in A. d’Avenia’s interpretation. Italian writer A. d’Avenia is amid adolescence, as he has devoted his life to teaching children and volunteering, so his awareness of the problems of XXI-century teenagers is evident in the novel. His novel «White as Milk, Red as Blood» can be classified as educational, and it is aimed at both teenagers and adult audiences.