Amberson (Italian, U. of Florida) offers a critical exploration of the concept of the body and modernity as these are expressed in the work of three Italian authors. Deliberate "bad writing" in the novels of Svevo is discussed in relation to the disabilities of their characters; the interest of Tozzi in William James and the notion of life as experienced through sensation is emphasized as she discusses his novels within a theoretical frame governed by the ideas of Kristeva and others; the chapter on the novels by Gadda centers on gender. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. Annotation 穢2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)