Folktaler Fiction

Folktaler Fiction@folktaler_fiction

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Season 1 episodes (2)

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: Part 1
S01:E01

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: Part 1

My Brilliant Friend (Italian: L’amica geniale) is the first volume of a four-part series of novels known collectively as the Neapolitan Novels, written by Italian author Elena Ferrante and translated to English by Ann Goldstein. The novel begins in 2010 when the narrator, Elena Greco (Lenù), receives a phone call from the son of an old friend, saying that his mother has disappeared, leaving no traces of herself in the house. Elena recognizes this behavior as something her friend Raffaella Cerullo (whom she calls Lila, and everyone else calls Lina) has always talked about doing, and believes her disappearance to be a conscious decision. In the spirit of their loving but ambivalent ways towards each other, Elena breaks the promise she had made not to write about her friend, and begins to put on paper everything she can remember about Lila, beginning in 1950s’ Naples.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: Part 2
S01:E02

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: Part 2

Elena and Lila grow up in a poor neighborhood full of violence and strife. Very few children receive an education beyond elementary school. Elena is diligent and captures the attention of maestra Oliviero, one of her primary school teachers, who encourages her to escape the life of the impoverished plebeian class. To everyone’s surprise, the very rebellious Lila turns out to be a prodigy who has taught herself to read and write. She quickly earns the highest grades in the class, seemingly without effort. Elena is both fascinated and intimidated by Lila, especially after Lila writes a story which Elena feels shows real genius. She begins to push herself to keep up with Lila. Once, when Lila throws Elena’s doll into the basement chute of the local loan shark, Elena does the same to Lila’s doll, as proof that she can be as bold as her friend. When Lila fearlessly goes to the loan shark to ask for the return of the dolls, Elena goes with her, though they are ultimately unable to retrieve them.