‘Ordinary Horror’ Review: Finding Horror in Italian Literature

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As a genre that takes its inspiration from all aspects of life, it is no surprise that elements of horror can be found in works that are not otherwise considered to be part of the genre. Italian contemporary literature is an era of writing that was heavily impacted by the repercussions of World War II and the experiences of the people who lived through the conflict. Through a blend of horror studies, philosophical analysis, and aesthetics, Ordinary Horror: The Aesthetics of Deformation from Leopardi to Ferrante by NYU professor of Italian studies Andrea Capra explores undiscussed nuances in contemporary and canonical Italian literature alike. It is a book that uncovers horrific elements in literature that do not fall strictly within the realm of horror and, in doing so, reveals layers of depth and nuance. The text redefines generic conventions by moving beyond supernatural tropes to investigate the horror of the visceral, everyday dread that haunts the real world. Rooted in ordinary language philosophy, phenomenology, and Kantian philosophical ideas, Capra frames horror as a shattering moment of powerlessness and a loss of control over reality. These instances are brutal and stand out from the rest of the texts they are excerpted from as examples of these shattering moments. 

The Aesthetics of Deformation

Additionally, the book explores the aesthetics of deformation and the inverted sublime, where realistic texts fracture to convey the experiential magnitude of trauma and suffering. Capra defines the aesthetics of deformation as the event in which a realistic and grounded story breaks from its narrative mold to show the pain or violence of trauma. It is a literary concept in which perceptions are distorted to express horror, an instance in which the familiar shifts to become terrifying and uncanny. In non-horror literature, horrific elements often come in the form of traumatic events for the characters; each of the texts analyzed in Ordinary Horror has events of this nature that shift the stories out of the realm of realism and into surreal horror. It reexamines a canonical Italian literary tradition not typically associated with horror, by revealing it to be deeply horrific.

From Leopardi to Ferrante: Horror in Everyday Life

Ordinary Horror uses textual analysis alongside personal anecdotes to add further nuance and depth to the discussion of horror and the inverted sublime. Through case studies of various works, the book explores the nature of horror and how it affects both individuals and communities. The analysis of Giacomo Leopardi’s “Zibaldone” and the garden central to the journal transforms the beauty of springtime into a terrifying examination of existential suffering upon deeper reading. The garden, which on the surface is bright and lively, contains multitudes of suffering and even death. Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend unpacks the horrors of daily life and sexual violence, as well as the ways in which the familiar can become uncanny and unsettling. In one scene, a display of celebration becomes the impetus of horror and dread. Primo Levi’s writing on the Holocaust and Auschwitz confronts historical trauma and the realities of war. In other mid-century and contemporary classics, such as Un Paio di Ochialli (A Pair of Eyeglasses) by Anna Maria Ortese, the protagonist faces the uncanny experience of the familiar becoming unfamiliar as harsh reality is revealed through something as seemingly mundane as a new pair of prescription eyeglasses. Capra also cites Malaparte’s wartime narratives, and the uniquely haunting perspective of a hunting dog frightened by gunshots and artillery fire, illustrating how the familiar can become tainted by connotations of violence and trauma.

As mentioned above, the familiar becoming terrifying is a staple of horror in Italian contemporary literature. These texts show how the rupture of everyday life mirrors the narrative rupture of the novels and stories. Ordinary Horror explores the dread that permeates daily life, war, and the canon of contemporary Italian literature. Capra showcases this through insightful analysis and by connecting threads that readers may miss. The book reframes the reader’s understanding of how narrative text captures the perspective-shattering experience of human powerlessness in the face of something incomprehensible through a combination of elements of philosophy and horror studies. Using a seamless blend of aesthetics and phenomenology, Capra demonstrates the ways in which horror shatters not only the literary text but also how the fabric of reality and personal experience become distorted upon its introduction into a narrative.

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Article by Spencer Stoller

Spencer Stoller is an undergraduate student at Scripps College, where they study English literature, Italian, and Media Studies. Their research focuses on horror studies in tandem with literature, Italian history, and gender and women’s studies. They have presented their research on Italian cannibal horror at the Anne Radcliffe Conference in 2026. They publish their essays on these topics through Substack at https://substack.com/@spencermetamorphosis and plan to pursue a graduate degree in English and horror studies.

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