The Era of the “Economic Miracle” and the Force of Context in Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend

Abstract

In 1963, President John Kennedy described Italy’s economic miracle in this manner: “the growth of […] nation’s economy, industry, and living standards in the postwar years has truly been phenomenal. A nation once literally in ruins, beset by heavy unemployment and inflation, has expanded its output and assets, stabilized its costs and currency, and created new jobs and new industries at a rate unmatched in the Western world.” While history and sociology speak volumes about the economy, My Brilliant Friend chronicles the lives of characters living through the social and cultural upheavals. The era presented both opportunities and challenges. While Elena and Nino embody the rise of the lower middle class through socially sanctioned opportunity, the Solaras rise through criminality.

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