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Gabriele D’Annunzio and the Critic of Modernity

Gabriele D’Annunzio and the Critic of Modernity. International Interdisciplinary Conference ” Kinds and Styles of Criticism ” Lodz , Poland , 16-18 May 2011. Marja Härmänmaa, University of Helsinki, Finland. Part I. D’Annunzio , a biography. Gabriele D’Annunzio (1863-1938).

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Gabriele D’Annunzio and the Critic of Modernity

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  1. Gabriele D’Annunzio and the Critic of Modernity International InterdisciplinaryConference ”Kinds and Styles of Criticism” Lodz, Poland, 16-18 May 2011 Marja Härmänmaa, University of Helsinki, Finland

  2. Part I D’Annunzio, a biography

  3. GabrieleD’Annunzio (1863-1938)

  4. D’Annunzio’s life • Born in Pescara in 1863 • Lived in Rome, Naples, Tuscany, France • Died in Gardone Riviera 1938

  5. D’Annunzio, an overwiev • A prominentwriter of the Italian decadentism • A politician • A publicfigure; an international ”dandy”

  6. D’Annunzio’sworks • 7 novels • 8 plays • 2 collections of shortstories • 9 collections of poems • 4 autobiographicalworks • Manyarticles

  7. D’Annunziotoday • The founder and a keyfigure of Italian decadentism • One of the mostimportantwriters of the Italian 20th centuryliterature • vocabularytwicebiggerthanDante’s • A model for modernpolitics, politicianand publicfigure

  8. Part II D’Annunzio and modernity

  9. D’Annunzio’sItaly • The kingdom of the united Italy in 1861 • The development of a modern country • Urbanization • Industrialization • Technological development (railways) • Transformation of Rome from a papal town to a cosmopolitan capital • Democratisation • Corruption

  10. D’Annunzio the escapist • In life avoidedmoderncities • In hisworksavoidsmodernity

  11. Modernity in the novels • Hardlypresent • Somesings on the background • Usuallynegativelypresented

  12. Case study: The Pleasure • FirstnovelIl Piacerein 1889 • Located in Rome • Aristocraticambience • Andrea Sperelli an aristocraticintellectual • Detachedfrom the ”realworld”

  13. Sperelli and modernity • "He left the house Zuccari on foot. […] Around the fountain in Piazza Barberini, the lights were already burning with pale flames, like candles around a coffin, and the Tritone fountain threw no water, perhaps because of restoration or of cleaning. Down the hill came wagons pulled by two or three horses, in a row, and a crowd of workers returned from the new sites. Some of them, connected to the arms, swung and sang loudly immodest songs. He paused to let them pass. Two or three of those reddish and sinister figures made him a particular impression. He noticed that the carter had a hand banded and the band spotted with blood. Also, he noticed another carter on his knees on the wagon. He had a livid face, hollow eye sockets, and the mouth contracted as if he were poisoned. The words of the song mingled with guttural cries, with whiplashes, with jingling of bells, with insults, with cursing, and with harsh laughter.His sadness got worse. He was in a strange state of mind. "[Il Piacere, 80]

  14. Explicitcritic of modernity in… • Maia (1903, poem) • Le verginidellerocce(1895, novel)

  15. D’Annunzio and the modernsociety • Ethicaland politicaldecadence • Due to the ”moral of slaves” (Christianity) • Modern society stupid, artificial and boring • Capable of producing consuming goods and machines • Incapable of producing creativity

  16. D’Annunzio and Nietzsche • Nietzsche centralin D’Annunzio’sideology • D’Annunziogot to know Nietzsche at the beginning of the 1890s • D’Annunzio the mostimportantdivulgator of Nietzsche in Italy • Adapted Nietzsche in a superficial and functionalway

  17. D’Annunzio and the Superman • Sublime idea of himself • Vitality • Sensuality and amorality: • ”ilpiacere è ilpiùcerto mezzo diconoscimentooffertocidallanatura” • Freedom to act according to the proper will • Cult of beauty • Elitism and despise of middle-class • Anti-Christianity

  18. D’Annunzio’s social statement • ”The world is the representation of the sensibility and thought of fewsuperiormenwhohavecreatedit and amplified and ornatedit in the past, and whowillalwaysamplify and ornateit in future. The world as it is today, is a magnificentgiftgivenbyfew to many, by the Free to the Slaves: bythosewhothink and feel, to thosewhoneed to work.” (Le verginidellerocce, 1895)

  19. Modernity as… • Urbanization and technology • Mass culture • Democracy

  20. Part III The HeadlessMonster

  21. Birth of democracy ”E da presso e da lungi ioudiva il clamore, ioudivagliululi e i lagni orribili della grandoglia nellaCittàmillenaria.”

  22. ”E il clamoreeracome di femminapartoriente chesitorca in spasimogrande e morda la verdesuabava e dia del capo e deipugni nellemura e invochisoccorso alla dogliasua, vanamente, negliorrorisuoisolitaria.”

  23. ”E dissi: «Ah quanto ti torci, misera, e quantafaibava di vituperii e d'ire nelle tue mascelle di ferro! Ma datonont'èpartorire se nonl'abortocionco e monco, l'acèfalomostroche ha il tronco di ciuco e la coda di verro.»” (Maia, 1903)

  24. The monster • Birth of democracycompared to a childbirth • Romecompared to a womangiving a birth in enormous pain • The result is ” the headless monster that has the trunk of a donkey and a tail of a boar”

  25. Part IV The Utopia of The Kingdom of Force

  26. Theorizing the Utopia • ”La Bestiaelettiva” Il Mattino, 1892 • Il Trionfo della morte (1894) • Le Verginidellerocce (1896) • Il Fuoco (1900) • Forsechesì, forsecheno (1910)

  27. The Force • The primarylaw of the iniqualNature • Human being is son of Nature • Equality and justiceare vain abstractions • The worldcanbeonlyconstructed on Force

  28. The Pleb • Believesonly in physicalwellfare • Democracybecomes a fight of differentegoisms • Lack of innersense of freedom • Willalwaysbeslave • Humanitywillbedivided in 2 races

  29. The New Aristocracy • ”Autocracy of consciousness” • Elevatedbyitswill • Freeman: the realization of freedom • The feeling of the Force • Beyondgood and evil • Personality is the greatestvalue

  30. Part V The Alternative World

  31. Styles of modernity’scritic • Implicit • Explicit

  32. Explicitcritic • Condemningmodernity • Polemicallanguage • Powerfulmetaphors

  33. Alternativeworlds • The impossibility to establish the Kingdom of Force • Cult of beauty and arts • Nature

  34. Nature as an antimodernistalternative • Nature as a topic of literaryworks • Nature / countryside as an alternative to the city • In fiction: the escapefrom the city to countryside of Claudio Cantelmo, Giorgio Aurispa and TullioHermil • In D’Annunzio’s life: the finalisolation in lake Garda

  35. Thankyou!

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