The Italian Novel of Formation and Uses of Literary Realism During Fascism, 1929–1938
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Limited Developments, Limits of the “Real”: The Italian Novel of Formation and Uses of Literary Realism during Fascism, 1929–1938 by Kathleen Emma Gaudet A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Italian Studies University of Toronto © Copyright by Kathleen Emma Gaudet 2016 Limited Developments, Limits of the “Real”: The Italian Novel of Formation and Uses of Literary Realism during Fascism, 1929–1938 Kathleen Emma Gaudet Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Italian Studies University of Toronto 2016 Abstract This thesis examines a cluster of six Italian realist novels of formation, all initially released between 1929 and 1938 and written by young intellectuals who came of age during the fascist period—Alberto Moravia’s Gli indifferenti, Umberto Barbaro’s Luce fredda, Carlo Bernari’s Tre operai, Elio Vittorini’s Il garofano rosso, Fausta Cialente’s Natalia, and Alba de Céspedes’ Nessuno torna indietro. In each case, the author’s ideological intentions influenced not only his or her decision to employ realism and the general form of the romanzo di formazione but also the shape of the protagonist’s path toward maturation and the characteristics of the realism with which this process is narrated. Despite significant variances between them, the primary works included in the corpus show major commonalities that make it possible to begin to define a typology of the Italian realist novel of formation of the period roughly spanning the 1930s. Aesthetically, they involve prose that is mostly realist but incorporates non-realist traits, the result of the authors’ experimentation with techniques derived from the contemporary avant- garde. In terms of thematic content, the male writers depict male developments made difficult by a combination of repressive environmental forces outside of the protagonists’ control and problematic personality traits, especially significant given the emphasis placed on virile youth by the regime. The female authors approach the task differently, portraying women who are remarkably transgressive, considering traditional gender roles in Italy and fascist propaganda concerning women, but who nonetheless mature more successfully than their male counterparts do. The manner in which the writers use the realist Bildungsroman as a means of intellectual and ii ideological engagement makes these novels important to the history of both the novel of formation and literary realism. iii Acknowledgments While writing this dissertation, I received aid from many organizations and individuals. Thank you to the Canadian Federal Government's Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council, the Province of Ontario's Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program, and the University of Toronto, among others, who facilitated my work by investing financially in it. I am deeply indebted to my supervisor, Dr. Luca Somigli, for his invaluable assistance and confidence in me and in my research. He is responsible for the fact that I am just as passionate about my subfield of Italian Studies as I finish this degree as I was when I began it. I also greatly appreciate the feedback of my other committee members, Dr. Domenico Pietropaolo and Dr. Alberto Zambenedetti, and the contributions of Dr. Rocco Capozzi at earlier stages of my program. My parents, Michael Gaudet and Patricia O'Brien, instilled a love of learning in me when I was a child, nurturing my curiosity and allowing my stubbornness. These gifts contributed to my decision to pursue a PhD and to my ability to complete it, and their encouragement has been sustaining. I have furthermore been immensely grateful for the support of my parents-in-law, Brian and Julie Hiatt, throughout this process. I am so happy to call them family. I would be amiss not to mention my brothers, Christopher and Liam Gaudet, with whom I share much of my early scholarly history and who are, and will always be, two of my favourite people, and my uncle, Douglas Gaudet, who has been a source of inspiration, whether or not he has known it. Thank you to friends near and far who directly facilitated the production of this dissertation through work sessions and, at times, much-needed distraction, particularly Daniel Fryer, Michael Kunz, Dr. Nicholas Matte, Dr. Kayleigh Somers, and Dr. Sarah Rolfe Prodan, to name but a few of a large number. Writing a thesis can be an isolating endeavour, and having supportive companions has made all the difference. Most importantly, my husband, Andrew Hiatt, has been integral to my ability to complete this dissertation. A constant, reassuring, understanding, and loving presence, he frequently reminded me that I could, and would, achieve my goal despite the unexpected, and ill-timed, challenges that I faced along the way. Andrew: I could not ask for a better person with whom to share my own, life-long, process of formation. This truly belongs to us both. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................. v Chapter 1 Realism, Fascism, and the Bildungsroman: Developing a Typology of the Italian Romanzo di Formazione of the 1930s ........................................................................................ 1 1 Realism and the Nineteenth-Century and Early-Twentieth-Century Bildungsroman: Theoretical and Historical Definitions ........................................................................................ 5 1.1 Lukács, Bakhtin, and Auerbach ........................................................................................... 7 1.2 Franco Moretti’s The Way of the World and Gregory Castle’s Reading the Modernist Bildungsroman: Delimitations of the Genre as a Twentieth-Century Category ............... 19 2 The Italian Context: Italian Realism during the “Anni del Consenso” (1929–1936) ............... 26 3 Realist Bildungsromane of the 1930s: Brief Introduction to Individual Works ....................... 39 Chapter 2 Developing a Form through a Formazione Mancata: Alberto Moravia’s Gli indifferenti ................................................................................................................................. 43 1 Contextual Factors .................................................................................................................... 46 1.1 The Problem of Politics ..................................................................................................... 47 1.2 Alberto Moravia: Biographical Considerations ................................................................. 49 1.3 Moravia’s Cultural Involvement Prior to Gli indifferenti ................................................. 53 2 Uses of Realism ........................................................................................................................ 63 3 Gli indifferenti as Bildungsroman ............................................................................................ 69 3.1 The Indifferent Intellectual ................................................................................................ 70 3.2 Generational Contrasts and Conflicts ................................................................................ 73 3.3 Sexual Formation ............................................................................................................... 78 4 Final Observations and Conclusions ........................................................................................ 84 Chapter 3 Ambiguous Anti-Fascism: Umberto Barbaro’s Luce fredda and Carlo Bernari’s Tre operai ................................................................................................................................. 88 1 Experimenting with the Novel: Umberto Barbaro’s Luce fredda ............................................. 90 v 1.1 Fragments of Reality: Presence of the Avant-Garde ......................................................... 95 1.2 Sergio’s Development: Bourgeois Intellectual in the Fascist Era ..................................... 99 2 From Experimentalism to Experimental Realism: Carlo Bernari’s Tre operai ...................... 103 2.1 Experimenting with Reality: Uses of the Avant-Garde in a Realist Bildungsroman ...... 109 2.2 A Failed Revolutionary: Teodoro’s Social, Sentimental/Sexual, and Political Development .................................................................................................................... 114 3 Sergio, Teodoro, and the Realist Bildungsroman of the Fascist Period ................................. 121 4 Some Concluding Remarks .................................................................................................... 126 Chapter 4 Developing through Fascism: Elio Vittorini and Il garofano rosso ........................... 128 1 Elio Vittorini: Brief Biographical Considerations .................................................................. 129 2 Early Writings and Political Associations .............................................................................. 132 3 Preliminary Considerations regarding Vittorini’s First Novel ............................................... 138 4 Aesthetic Considerations ........................................................................................................ 142 5 Il garofano rosso as Bildungsroman ......................................................................................