With the advancement of cybernetics, avatars, animation, and virtual
reality, a thorough understanding of how the puppet metaphor originates
from specific theatrical practices and media is especially relevant
today. This book identifies and interprets the aesthetic and cultural
significance of the different traditions of the Italian puppet theater
in the broader Italian culture and beyond. Grounded in the
often-overlooked history of the evolution of several Italian puppetry
traditions - the central and northern Italian stringed marionettes, the
Sicilian pupi, the glove puppets of the Po Valley, and the Neapolitan
Pulcinella - this study examines a broad spectrum of visual, cinematic,
literary, and digital texts representative of the functions and themes
of the puppet. A systematic analysis of the meanings ascribed to the
idea and image of the puppet provides a unique vantage point to observe
the perseverance and transformation of its deeper associations, linking
premodern, modern, and contemporary contexts.