Doing research, or getting that character just right

[rubywaves]

Hello, kittens.  I was wondering if anyone can give me some pointers on doing effective research for characters.  Normally, I don't have trouble with coming up with characters for stories, but this one has me stumped.  Probably because he's an elderly Italian guy.

Here are some facts on him:
1. He was born after WWII.
2. He is descended from aristocrats.
3. He studied architecture in college and went on to design multi-million dollar homes, most of them in New York state.

Just fine so far?  Some points that need fine-tuning?  Here's what I need to know:
1. Just how bad off was Italy after the war?  Knowing how the upper class fared during this time might change this character's biography.
2. I chose Cappellini as this guy's surname... but I realize that some surnames are related to nobility.  Plus, his ancestors would have made their fortune doing something... well, I don't want to stereotype him and have him descended from wine makers.  Maybe his ancestors had a farm?
3. I imagine that he would have gone to the best university for his education... but again, his family's income might change the type of school.  Also, the university's location (any good architecture schools in Italy, or would he have gone abroad?).

Other things that have me stumped:
1. Mannerisms, etiquette, and customs.  What was the average day like for people, particularly Italians, in the 1940s-60s?
2. Religion.  He's Roman Catholic, but how would his religion during his youth have differed from the Roman Catholicism of today?
3. Language.  I'd love to stick in a few authentic phrases and curse words.  (Confession could be fun with this guy )

Maybe I'm going overboard with this character, but I want him to be believable.  The fact that he was raised in a different era and country also adds pressure.  Mistakes and inaccuracies are inevitable, but I don't want people to look at my project and say, "There's no way he would do/say/think that."

Any ideas?  Websites, books, blogs I can look at to get a head start?

Thanks in advance!

[bicilotti]

Sorry if I'll be concise, but I'm low on caffeine:
1) Italy was devastated during the second world war, as it was an important field of many crucial battles between allied and axis. Moreover fascism and "war econonmy" only made the situation worse.
On the other side italians began to see a bright future. Not only many goods were flowing thanks to aid from the USA and ambitious entrepeneurs rebuilt quickly the cities, but also culture was changing. After two decades of Mussolini Italy discovered music and films popular overseas, new lifestyles and so on.   

2) a "de" before surname is a hint of noble blood. (e.g. "de finetti"). Noblemen are usually linked with land property, but not only: they could have made a little fortune during the glorious years of Venice, trading with the Far East (as Marco Polo did), or being printmaker, a profession which, at the time, made people incredibly wealthy.

3) Florence, Neaples or better yet, rome.


and

2) An example will paint the picture: mass was still celebrated only in latin.

3) Do you mean in italian? It depends on how "dirty" the curse should look

[RickJ]

Here are a couple of things that come to my mind, that may be of help. 

1) If he was born after WWII,let's say 1946 for example, then he would have been 5 years old in 1951.  People have some memories from when they are 3-5 years of age, but when people are 3-5 years old they understand very little about what's going on in the world or outside their immediate family.   So your character's formative years are going to be more influenced by the events of the 50's and 60's than from the 40's.   

2) You don't say if his family is still has money, property, prestige, etc.  What did they do during the war?  Did they loose their money or prestige  or otherwise adversely affected by the war? 

3) Why architecture?   Why does he have to work for a living at such a difficult and meanial job, especially in the USA?   Why wouldn't he be involved in the family business or be a diplomat or politician?   Also when and how did he come to live in the US.  How long has he lived there before the game starts, etc?   This all has an effect. 

[GarageGothic]

Although I don't (yet) speak the language, my girlfriend is Italian, so I do have a bit of knowledge of the swearwords

First of all, it depends how religious the guy is, since blasphemy and insults towards God or the Virgin Mary ("porco dio!"/"porca madonna!") are quite common exclamations, equivalent of "Holy shit!". Another common exclamation is "cazzo!" ("dick!", similar to the English "fuck!"), and insults towards others are often of a sexual nature, using the words "cazzo" (dick) or "culo" (ass) such as "vaffanculo!" ("go fuck yourself!"), "testa di cazzo" ("dickhead!") or "che cazzo vuoi?" ("what the fuck do you want?").

This page has quite a collection of them. But make sure to get someone Italian to proofread your text before publishing the game. Also, don't forget body language. Hand gestures play a big part in communication, so animate a few to accompany the character's talking view. There's a pretty limited youtube video of some of them here.

[bicilotti]

First of all, it depends how religious the guy is, since blasphemy and insults towards God or the Virgin Mary ("porco dio!"/"porca madonna!") are quite common exclamations,

These are very, very rude swears and pretty taboo, like the word "nigger", beware!

[LUniqueDan]

Your character is a Boomer. If he studied at universities in Italy, good chances are that you need to explains how he escape for a particulary hardcore period of time.

LUique'el companio della P38'Dan

[ryanlandry]

I prefer this one, it has a nice harsh sound

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/figlio_di_puttana

[MoodyBlues]

2) An example will paint the picture: mass was still celebrated only in latin.

Yep!  Roman Catholics have celebrated Mass in vernacular languages since Vatican II.  There's a lot more to it, though; you can read about here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_2

[rubywaves]

Whoo, thanks guys!  Very good answers and questions, and you've all presented several more opportunities for this character.

2) You don't say if his family is still has money, property, prestige, etc.  What did they do during the war?  Did they loose their money or prestige  or otherwise adversely affected by the war? 

3) Why architecture?   Why does he have to work for a living at such a difficult and meanial job, especially in the USA?   Why wouldn't he be involved in the family business or be a diplomat or politician?   Also when and how did he come to live in the US.  How long has he lived there before the game starts, etc?   This all has an effect.

2) I'm still doing research on WWII and Mussolini (and probably will continue until I'm ready to go through with the project, as there's so much information to digest), which will, of course, affect what happens to his family's estate. At first I thought that his family kept their money and prestige, thus making it easier for him to go to an excellent university.  That's probably not the most realistic scenario, though, so his family might end up losing just about everything, which leads us to...

3) I had thought that he was inspired by cathedrals, thinking, "I want to design something as beautiful and glorious."  But then he turned around and designed homes for wealthy families, which in turn gained him a fortune.

That was before I did more research on architecture this morning.  I'll need to find another way to get him rich.  You see, he's in a sad state when he comes into the story, and he believes that God is punishing for his past greed.  (Or he could be dirt poor after becoming an architect and still believe that God is punishing him.)

Damn.  I thought that there was money in architecture.  Now I wish more than ever that college professors would just be honest with their students and stop painting these dreamlike, rosy pictures of certain professions. :p  (At least I stopped listening when they told be to become an English teacher.)

Getting to the US was easy: he fell in love with an American woman and married her.  He would have lived in the US since the late 1960s.  But this could also change.

Thanks again, everyone!  Research is going to be a little easier now. 

[Stupot]

Watch films based around that time and setting.

Unfortunately I don't know any.  My knowledge of World War History is pretty dire.  I'm actually studying the causes of WWI at the moment and it's all going in one ear and out the other.

Maybe this list from IMDB might help.
"Post War Itlay"