description Zeno's Conscience Overview
Zeno's Conscience is a 1923 novel by Italian author Italo Svevo, originally published as La coscienza di Zeno. The book is structured as a fictional psychoanalytic memoir written by Zeno Cosini, an indecisive businessman from Trieste, at the request of his therapist. Through a series of ironic and self-justifying anecdotes, Zeno recounts his attempts to quit smoking, his marriage, and his business failures. The novel is noted for its early and satirical engagement with Freudian psychoanalysis and is considered a foundational text of modernist literature.
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Zeno's Conscience ranks #20 of 107 in the Philosophical Fiction ranking, behind The Hour of the Star, ahead of The Crying of Lot 49.
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What is the premise of *Zeno's Conscience*?
The book is structured as a fictional psychoanalytic memoir written by an indecisive businessman from Trieste named Zeno Cosini. He writes these confessions at the request of his therapist, hoping to cure his psychosomatic pains.
Who is the author of *Zeno's Conscience* and when was it published?
The novel was written by Italian author Italo Svevo and originally published in 1923 under the title *La coscienza di Zeno*.
Why does Zeno write his memoirs in *Zeno's Conscience*?
Zeno's psychoanalyst, Doctor S, instructs him to write down his memories as a form of therapy. However, the doctor eventually publishes them out of spite when Zeno decides to quit his treatment.
What themes does Italo Svevo explore in *Zeno's Conscience*?
The novel satirizes the growing trend of psychoanalysis while exploring themes of addiction, particularly Zeno's inability to quit smoking. It also heavily critiques the European industrialist mindset of the early 20th century.
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