The Tempest “The Ultimate City” di J.G. Ballard 12 maggio 2008 J. G. Ballard 18 November 1930 Shangay, China! “The Ultimate City” (1976) in The Low-Flying Aircraft and Other Stories Ultimate • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 ADJ You use ultimate to describe the final result or aim of a long series of events. He said it is still not possible to predict the ultimate outcome... The ultimate aim is to expand the network further. = eventual 2 ADJ You use ultimate to describe the original source or cause of something. Plants are the ultimate source of all foodstuffs... The ultimate cause of what's happened seems to have been the advertising campaign. = fundamental 3 ADJ You use ultimate to describe the most important or powerful thing of a particular kind. ...the ultimate power of the central government... Of course, the ultimate authority remained the presidency... 4 ADJ You use ultimate to describe the most extreme and unpleasant example of a particular thing. Bringing back the death penalty would be the ultimate abuse of human rights... 5 ADJ You use ultimate to describe the best possible example of a particular thing. Caviar and oysters on ice are generally considered the ultimate luxury foods. = definitive 6 PHRASE The ultimate in something is the best or most advanced example of it. This hotel is the ultimate in luxury... Confronto tra i personaggi The Tempest (1611) “The Ultimate City” (1976) Alonso, King of Neaples Halloway (padre) Prospero, the right Duke of Milan Buckmaster Ferdinand, son to the King of Neaples Halloway Ariel, an airy spirit Olds(mobile) Caliban, a savage and deformed slave Stillman Miranda, daughter to Prospero Miranda Antonio, brother to Prospero, usurping duke of Milan Sebastian, brother to Alonso (King of Neaples) Invasion party/rescue expedition Stephano, a drunken butler Trinculo, a jester Temi e simboli • Utopia vs. distopia: l’uomo ha causato una catastrofe energetica e ha dovuto abbandonare la città per creare GardenCity, comunità idilliaca e perfetta, basata sulla completa assenza della tecnologia. – Ricerca dell’utopia come spinta a migliorare il mondo; – Delusione e ridimensionamento delle aspettive umane. • Città ideale: – Prima la città tecnologica, alla ricerca della perfezione armonica della convivenza umana; – Poi il mondo agricolo e pastorale di Garden City, come rezione al fallimento della tecnologia; – Infine il tentativo di creare, da parte di HallowayFerdinand, Buckmaster-Prospero e Olds-Ariel, un mondo perfettamente organizzato e funzionante. – Ma tutte queste città sono destinate a fallire in modo tragico e secondo analogie ben precise. – Illustrano l’impossibilità per l’essere umano di realizzare concretamente i propri sogni, forzando sia la natura che la vita. » PESSIMISMO BALLARDIANO BALLARDIAN: (adj) 1. of James Graham Ballard (J.G. Ballard; born 1930), the British novelist, or his works (2) resembling or suggestive of the conditions described in J.G. Ballard’s novels & stories, esp. dystopian modernity, bleak manmade landscapes & the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments. (Source: Collins Dictionary)