ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a more general discussion of Pirandello's double bind with civilisation, and of its connection to the status of originality in modern European culture. Pirandello's representation of the characters' laughter has not received much critical attention so far; yet, its importance is undeniable, all the more so with regard to his short-story production. Strangely enough, one of the most important influences on Pirandello's portrayal of the original's isolation is Laurence Sterne — an emblem of socially inclusive laughter. Among the many humorists in Pirandello's short-story repertoire, the most Sternian is probably Perazzetti, the protagonist of 'Non e una cosa seria' as well as narrator of 'Zuccarello distinto melodista'. An even more indicative intertextual contact, however, brings us back to the short-story form, and to the leitmotif of madness. Umorismo stands out as a major peak in the modernist erosion of the pathos of irregularity, which used to represent a paramount element in the imaginary of Romantic realism.
