From the Demonization of the City to the Poetics of the Wall: The City in Italian Poetry of the 19th Century to the Present Time

Abstract

The study aims at focusing on the main types of relationship existing between mankind and the City, as these were developed in the Italian poetry from the nineteenth century to the present time. The purpose of this work is to show how the discourse about cities evolved according to urban changes, evolving poetry, ideas and mentalities. Two main trends are emerging from the studied corpus (which was voluntarily limited but significant). On the one hand, the demonization of the City, through which the poets bring to life, each of them in their own poetic way, the city/nature age-old dichotomy (Leopardi amongst others), the city/countryside dichotomy (Pascoli, Pavese), or depict heavy portraits of “black”cities (D’Annunzio, Buzzati - poet). On the other hand, the trend of a « redemption » that be varied and contrasting: The use of urban motifs as poetic instruments to express a state of mind (e.g. Ungaretti, Montale); the glorification of the most modern aspects of the city (with the futurists); at last and most importantly – and this example is the closest to the present time and the most original in that respect, given by Umberto Fiori’s poetry - the transformation of the city into a space of possible positive contemplation, a privilege previously only assigned to “Nature”.