Retraction Notice

Abstract

Verbum – Analecta Neolatina is formally retracting the article:
Alberto Castelli: “The Woman of Rome: Narcissism, masochism, and bad faith in Moravia’s Adriana”. Verbum – Analecta Neolatina, 27/1 (2026), 105–124. https://doi.org/10.59533/Verb.2026.27.1.6

Reason for Retraction:
This retraction follows an editorial investigation after a formal complaint was raised regarding scholarly misconduct. The investigation confirmed that the article heavily incorporates intellectual property, specific arguments and verbatim English translations from a previously published work without proper attribution or permission. Specifically, the text plagiarises the following book chapter:
Leavitt, Charles: “Repressed Memory and Traumatic History in Alberto Moravia’s The Woman of Rome”. In: Patrizia Sambuco (ed.): Transmissions of Memory: Echoes, Traumas and Nostalgia in Post-World War II Italian Culture. Madison, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2018, 39–54.
The investigation established a clear pattern of unacknowledged debt, including the direct, word-for-word appropriation of Charles Leavitt’s original English translations of Italian texts (such as works by Alberto Moravia and Alain Elkann) whilst falsely claiming them as the author’s own.

Additionally, the article constitutes a redundant (duplicate) publication. The text exhibits extensive overlap in argument, framework and commentary with an earlier paper published by the same author:
Castelli, Alberto: “La Romana: A Life in Self-Deception”. Journal of Mediterranean Studies, 33/1 (2024), 45–57. https://doi.org/10.1353/jms.2024.a992992.

In light of these severe breaches of academic integrity and publication ethics, the editors of Verbum – Analecta Neolatina, in alignment with COPE guidelines, have decided to retract the article from the public record. The online version of the article has been marked as retracted.