Abstract

This essay begins with a concise examination of the presence of animals in Elsa Morante’s initial two novels, subsequently delving into the poem Il mondo salvato dai ragazzini and the novel La storia (1974). It explores how animals serve to unveil a worldview grounded in precise and consistent philosophical coordinates within both works. Furthermore, it delves into Morante’s perspectives on animals, drawing upon Giorgio Agamben’s thesis as articulated in La festa del tesoro nascosto (1993), which originates from a footnote in Spinoza’s Ethics. Additionally, it examines a similar marginal note by Morante found in a passage from Daisetsu T. Suzuki’s Buddismo Shin (Astrolabio 1972), alongside her indepth study of foundational texts in Oriental wisdom. These analyses shed new light on Morante’s engagement with philosophical and religious sources, most notably with Spinoza’s thinking.