Abstract: This article looks at La Storia (1974) by Elsa Morante, considering Morante’s indictment of Fascism and representation of the past. Drawing from cultural memory studies and theories of emotions, it explores the influence of Morante’s book on individual and collective memory.It discusses and examines the screen adaptation of La Storia (1986) by Luigi Comencini and, finally, considers how the works by Morante and Comencini have represented Fascist Italy and the Second World War. La Storia is here considered as a bearer of historical knowledge and a channel of memory, both in the literary, cinematographic and televisual form. It is not only an outcome of remembrance, but also an active ingredient in the process of forging cultural memory.
Key Words: Elsa Morante, Luigi Comencini, La Storia, Cultural Memory Studies, Theory of Adaptation.
