In the novel "Contempt", Moravia depicts a social life that took place in Italy. It is based on a couple whose cultures differ, and how the feeling of contempt destroys the love between the spouses, as if it were a kind of acid that hits a metal and eventually causes it to corrode until nothing remains of it.
The narration in the novel has a slow rhythm, as the narrator reveals the story incrementally and very slowly, consuming a large part of the novel in his analyzes and ideas that he imposes on the events, which makes the narration dominated by the abundance of ideas rather than the flow of events. Emily's character also appears dull even though she is the heroine, and the novel It does not depend on suspense, but rather on presenting the hero, his visions, ideas, and personality, and imposing his opinions and judgments on the characters.