https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ Theses Digitisation: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/research/enlighten/theses/digitisation/ This is a digitised version of the original print thesis. Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] The Morality of Ignazio Silone as Developed through his Narrative. Mary Margaret MacLeod A dissertation submitted to the University of Glasgow in accordance with the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts, Department of Italian, June 2004 ProQuest Number: 10390723 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10390723 Published by ProQuest LLO (2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLO. ProQuest LLO. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.Q. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 4 8 1 0 6 - 1346 - . \v c. ^Ljiv&tfY Abstract This thesis aims to examine the ways in which the morality of Ignazio Silone is developed thi'oughout the body of his narrative work. The dissertation is divided into three chapters, each reflecting a different time in the author’s life and each containing a certain number of texts, eight of which aie discussed in total. In each of these chapters the moral code which was so important to Silone is defined and developed through the actions and beliefs of his protagonists: their devotion to man, their regard for the tenets of love, truth, fi-eedom and companionship, and their deshe to oppose tyranny at all levels are fundamental principles of Silone’s utopia. Chapter One focuses on the period spent in exile, the establishment of what is referred to as his morality and the novels produced upon his departure fi'om the Communist Party in 1931. Chapter Two deals with the novels he wrote after his return to Italy in 1944 and the critical debate that surrounded his literary style. Finally, Chapter Three focuses on the two works which were instrumental in securing domestic recognition for the author and which are generally regarded as representing the pinnacle of his literary career. Although the texts examined in this study are divided into different chapters the hypothesis behind it is that each work is an autonomous part of the whole body of Silone’s wilting. Through close textual analysis this thesis aims to illustrate that each work is of itself reflective of a consistent, coherent moral vision which was defined at the very beginning of his career and which remained unwavering for almost forty years. Acknowledgements One of the most pleasurable aspects of a project such as this is that I have the opportunity to extend my thanlcs to all those who have encouraged me and supported me over the last few years. I should like to begin by thanking the staff of the Biblioteca Nazionale and of the Biblioteca Vaticana in Rome. I should also like to express my gratitude to the staff at the British Library in London and to their colleagues at the British Library’s Document Supply Centre at Wetherby in Yorkshire. A great deal of my research was dependent upon journalistic material from all over the world, much of it unavailable to me or else very difficult to obtain, yet the staff of the afore mentioned centre managed to send me copies of most of my required articles. Closer to home I would like to express my gratitude to the staff of the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh and of the Mitchell Library in Glasgow, particularly for the quiet spaces they provided. I owe a very special thanks to the staff at the University of Glasgow Library for their tireless efforts and their diligence m obtaining most of my inter- library loan requests. I should like to take this oppoitunity to thank all those who have been instrumental in my pursuit of knowledge thus far. Sr. Elizabeth Girvan was an inspiration to me in my youth and gave me a love of grammar that is alive and well today. Dr. J. Connelly and Professor C. O’Brien, both formerly of University College Cork, were influential in continuing that love of language and in encouraging a deeper appreciation of Italian literature. I am enormously grateful for their wisdom. I would like to extend a special thanks to Mrs. Georgina Nannetti of the Department of Italian and to Dr Laura Martin, of the Department of German, both University of Glasgow, for all their encouragement and their support. The greatest professional contribution to my work has come from my supervisor, Professor Eileen Anne Millar. She has worked tirelessly with me and been incredibly patient at times when frustration tlireatened to overcome us both. I am indebted to her for her knowledge, her insights into the mind of Ignazio Silone and for her devotion to getting the job done. Friendship has played an enormous part in this undertaking, and I am happy to thank all those who have been so supportive of me during the last few years, particularly through the very dark patches. I have no need to name these people, they know who they are, and I hope they know how much I value them. I would, however, like to extend a very special thankyou to Dorothy Connolly, Dr Susie Bannatyne and Dr Domenico Zanrè, for their editing skills, their tolerance and most importantly for their friendship. It has been invaluable. I owe a great deal to my family, all of whom have been generous in their support and enthusiastic in their encouragement. Lastly, my greatest debt of gratitude is to my mother and father, for their unfailing love and understanding through everything. Anything I have achieved thus far in life is due to them. This thesis is dedicated to my family Declaration I declare that work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the regulations of the University of Glasgow. The work is original except where indicated by special reference in the text and no part of the dissertation has been submitted for any other degree. Any views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author and in no way represent those of the University of Glasgow. The dissertation has not been presented to any other I University for examination either in the United Kingdom or overseas. S i g t i c d * DstG. .... ...I. ...r ^ Contents Notes on Quotations and References i List of Abbreviations ii Introduction 1 Chapter One: The Novels of Exile 10 Fontamara 11 Vino e pane 31 n seme sotto la neve 46 Chapter Two: The Novels of Return 67 Una mandata di more 69 II segreto di Luca 96 La volpe e le camelie 108 Chapter Three: The Final Works 122 Uscita di sicurezza 122 L ’avventura di un povero cristiano 156 Conclusion 188 Bibliography 197 Note on quotations and references All references and quotations relating to the works under examination in this thesis, unless otherwise specified, are taken from the following volumes: Ignazio Silone, Romanzi e saggi, I Meridiani, vol. I 1927-1944 (Milano: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1998) and vol. II 1945-1978 (Milano: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1999). References to these volumes in the body of the text will appear in brackets following the quotation. The Bibliography is inclusive and does contain material which, while used for reasearch purposes, is not cited in the text. The style which has been used in this thesis is taken from the MHRA Style Book, 5^'^ edn (London: Modern Humanities Research Association, 1996). List of Abbreviations Font Fontamara Vino Vino e pane i II seme II seme sotto la neve Una mandata Una mandata di more II segreto II segreto di Luca La volpe La volpe e le camelie Uscita Uscita di sicurezza \ L ’avventura L ’avventura di un povero cristiano Memoriale Memoriale dal car cere svizzero Introduction Lo scrittore socialista ti'adisce la sua missione se non rappresenta la sofferenza umana e non incarna ii senso del vero e del giusto che germina negli umiliati e negli oppress!. Non mi considero certo esente da debolezze e da contraddizioni, e confesso senz’altio di non essere fatto di acciaio o di alluminio; ma chi voglia criticarmi prenda i miei libri. Solo in essi mi riconosco interamente. Le altre sono immagini parziali e ormai superate di me stesso.^ This thesis sets out to examine the morality of Ignazio Silone and to show how it is developed throughout the course of his narrative works. His moral vision is a result of the religious experiences of his youth and of the political experience gained as a member of the Communist Party. Only after having abandoned both these affiliations - leaving the Church during his teenage years then disassociating himself from the Party in 1930 - was Silone able to define that vision.