Angelo Castagnino
Professor, Italian
303-871-2257 (Office)
Sturm Hall, 2000 East Asbury Avenue Denver, CO 80208
What I do
Professor of ItalianAnna Maglione-Sie Endowed Chair of Italian Culture
Specialization(s)
Narratology, Crime Fiction, Gothic and Fantastic Fiction
Professional Biography
I studied in Italy, at the University of Catania and the University of Turin. After I moved to the US, I received my Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Before I joined the University of Denver, I worked for Bucknell University (Lewisburg, PA) and Tufts University (Medford, MA).
PhD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2013)
MA University of Turin, Italy (2008)
BA University of Catania, Italy (2005)
Before I joined the University of Denver, I worked for Bucknell University (Lewisburg, PA) and Tufts University (Medford, MA).
PhD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2013)
MA University of Turin, Italy (2008)
BA University of Catania, Italy (2005)
Degree(s)
- Ph.D., Romance Languages and Literatures, University of North Carolina, 2013
- MA, North-American Studies, Universita' degli Studi di Torino, 2008
- BA, Modern Languages and Literatures, Universita' degli Studi di Catania, 2005
Professional Affiliations
- American Association of Italian Studies
- American Association of Teachers of Italian
- Modern Language Association
Research
My research has focused on the representation of violence, crime, justice and mystery in contemporary Italian novels. I am the author of three monographs dealing with the fictional portrayal of intellectuals as detectives, the historical novel set during Fascism, and the narrative output of Alessandro Perissinotto. More recently, I have started exploring the field of fantastic literature, particularly in regard to the legacy that the classic Gothic novel has left to today's Italian fiction. In addition, I have begun to research the field of environmental humanities, particularly the works of Simona Vinci.
Areas of Research
Leonardo Sciascia
Alessandro Perissinotto
Simona Vinci
Gothic
Fantastic
Ecocriticism.
Featured Publications
Castagnino, A. (2023). Fantastic Echoes in Contemporary Italian Fiction. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
Castagnino, A. (2017). Investigating Fascism: Crime, Mystery and the Fascist Ventennio in the Historical Novel (p. 202). New York: Peter Lang.
Presentations
Castagnino, A. (2024). Sensibilita’ non convenzionali. La disabilita’ nella narrativa italiana contemporanea.. Universita’ degli Studi di Catania.
Castagnino, A. (2023). "You Had Grown Up by Then." Childhood Nostalgia in Michele Mari’s Autofiction. Carolina Conference for Romance Studies. UNC Chapel Hill.
Castagnino, A. (2021). One Hundred Years of Leonardo Sciascia I. PAMLA. Las Vegas: PAMLA.
Castagnino, A. (2021). Dal bestseller all’autofiction: quarant’anni di romanzo italiano. Universita’ degli Studi di Catania.
Castagnino, A. (2021). Doing Sciascia Justice. Graziadio Center CSULB.
Castagnino, A. (2020). Joking With Ghosts: Irony, Sarcasm and Humor in Today’s Gothic. NEMLA 2020. Boston, MA: Boston University.
Castagnino, A. (2019). Fantasmi vivi: Eerie Presences in the Narratives of Simona Vinci. American Association Italian Studies. Winston Salem, NC: Wake Forest University.
Castagnino, A. (2019). The Ghost of Conscience: An Ecogothic Approach to Nicola Lagioia’s La ferocia. MLA Conferenze. Chicago IL.
Castagnino, A. (2017). The Fantastic Element in Maurizio De Giovanni’s Representation of Fascism. NEMLA 2017. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University.
Castagnino, A. (2017). Carnival in Vigata. Laughter and Subversion in Camilleri’s Il nipote del Negus. Carolina Conference of Romance Studies. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Awards
- Lillian Gary Taylor Fellowship, University of Virginia
- FRF - Faculty Research Funds
- Marsico Award, Marsico Visiting Scholars Committee
- Pins Grant, Pins Committee
- ULA Collection Develoment Program, DU Library
