My Brilliant Friend

My Brilliant Friend

• Genre: Fiction; literary
• Originally Published: 2011
• Reading Level/Interest: College/adult
• Structure/Length: 63 chapters; approximately 331 pages; approximately 12 hours, 38 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The central conflict regards the lifelong friendship between Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo, two girls growing up in a poor neighborhood in Naples, Italy. As they navigate the challenges and opportunities of their community and their own personal ambitions, their friendship is tested and evolves over the years. The novel explores friendship, identity, education, and the impact of socio-economic factors on individuals and their choices.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Mature themes including violence and relationships; profanity; assault, abuse, and physical punishment; depiction of socioeconomic and societal struggles; sexual content; sexual violence against women; scene depicting molestation  

Elena Ferrante, Author

• Bio: A pseudonymous Italian author; true identity not publicly known; celebrated for her Neapolitan Novels series, of which My Brilliant Friend is the first installment; has garnered international acclaim and a devoted following; known for her exploration of complex female characters and intimate portrayals of friendship
• Other Works: Troubling Love (1992); The Days of Abandonment (2002); The Lost Daughter (2006); The Beach at Night (2007); The Story of a New Name (2012); Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (2013); The Story of the Lost Child (2014); The Lying Life of Adults (2019)
• Awards: Dublin Literary Award Longlist (2014)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Money and Promotion
• Education: School and Beyond
• Men, Women, and Power

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the cultural, geographical, and historical contexts regarding women’s rights in Italy, the history and culture of Naples, and the nuances between standardized Italian and the Neapolitan dialect as modes of expression.
• Read and discuss paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Money and Promotion, Education: School and Beyond; and Men, Women, and Power.
• Analyze character development and characterization to create original artwork symbolizing how characters challenge systems of power in the novel.
• Evaluate setting and systems of power in the novel to form a well-structured argument investigating the neighborhood as a “city without love” that connects to themes of Men, Women, and Power based on textual details.
• Examine and appraise characters, themes, symbols, and motifs in the novel to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding gender roles and power, education as escape, and other topics.