Emilio De Marchi’s Novel “The Priest’s Hat”: the Origins of Italian Giallo

Abstract

The paper examines Emilio De Marchi’s novel “The priest’s hat” (1888) as a precursor of detective fiction in Italy. Influenced by Dostoevsky and the French tradition (Gaborio) with its attention to characters’ psychology, De Marchi tells the story of “crime and punishment” that contains crucial elements of detective fiction. The plot revolves around the priest’s murder. The only evidence, his hat, determines how the detective story unfolds — it introduces the mystery, hints at the crime, and sparks the investigation. The case is officially led by the investigating judge. The story also contains untypical genre elements: not fully developed character of the detective (whose function is performed by several characters); the absence of the mystery as to who is the criminal; the investigation’s secondary role; and, most importantly, it’s resolution in a psychological way. De Marchi’s focus is placed on the inner conflict of the perpetrator. The guilt makes the hero lose his mind and at the case’s hearings he unwittingly confesses that he is the murderer. The justice is restored, but the crucial role is played not by human ingenuity (as in a typical detective story) but by the fate: the supreme force prevents the perpetrator from getting away with the crime.

Keywords

• “the priest’s hat”
• de marchi
• giallo
• romanzo poliziesco
• proto-detective novel
• detective fiction
• criminal
• investigation
• mastriani
• gaborio
• psychologism.