The Prince of Salina’s stellar desire

Abstract

If desire originates from the stars –de sideribus- and, if we agree with this etymology, the Subject’s desire coincides with the Other’s desire, Tomasi di Lampedusa’s Il Gattopardo shows one of the most fascinating and enigmatic literary figures of stellar desire, as it can be read, furthermore, in the explicit of the seventh part of the novel: «Giunta faccia a faccia con lui sollevò il velo e così, pudica ma pronto ad esser posseduta, gli apparve più bella di come mai l’avesse intravista negli spazi stellari».

            Why does this female figure descending from the stellar spaces in order to yield to Don Fabrizio who has reached the final stage of his journey, embody the object of a possessive desire which, paradoxically, corresponds to death? Indeed, death marks the entire novel since its memorable incipit: «”Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen”». What kind of desire is it precisely about? What is our unexpectedly Hamlet-like hero troubled by? The cues which the novel shows for the interpretation of this desire are few but meaningful. However we could appeal to Ricordi d’Infanzia which lead to the writer’s laboratory at the time of the Gattopardo, and, perhaps, let us know the “cause” of the prince of Salina’s desire.