Ugo Foscolo's Tragic Vision in Italy and England

237 Pages·2014·11.882 MB·English

by  Rachel A Walsh

UGO FOSCOLO’S TRAGIC VISION IN ITALY
AND ENGLAND
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RACHEL A. WALSH
Ugo Foscolo’s Tragic Vision
in Italy and England
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
© University of Toronto Press 2014
Toronto Buffalo London
www.utppublishing.com
Printed in the U.S.A.
ISBN 978-1-4426-4926-2
Printed on acid-free, 100% post-consumer recycled paper with vegetable-
based inks.
Toronto Italian Studies
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Walsh, Rachel A., 1975–, author
Ugo Foscolo’s tragic vision in Italy and England/Rachel A. Walsh.
(Toronto Italian studies)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4426-4926-2 (bound)
1. Foscolo, Ugo, 1778–1827 – Criticism and interpretation. 2. Italian drama
(Tragedy) – England. I. Title. II. Series: Toronto Italian studies
PQ4691.W24 2014 852'.6 C2014-905022-4
This book was published with the support of the Anna Maglione-Sie
Endowment for Italian Culture at the University of Denver.
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its
publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts
Council.
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial support of the
Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for its publishing
activities.
For Josh, Penny, Tad, and Lex
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Chronology of Ugo Foscolo’s Life and Works xiii
Introduction: Ugo Foscolo’s Tragic Vision 3
1 Setting the Stage 10
2 Debut, Acclaim, and Instruction 25
3 The Rise and Fall of Ajace 47
4 Ricciarda in Italy and in England 71
5 Curtain Call from Exile 98
Epilogue 112
Appendix: Original Reviews of Ajace 117
Notes 139
Selected Bibliography 191
Index 205
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Acknowledgments
The subject of Foscolo the tragedian has been one of fascination for me
for many years. I am deeply indebted to numerous individuals and
institutions that have assisted me in various ways with this ob-
session. The financial assistance I received from the University of
Denver’s Faculty Research Fund, Internationalization Grants, Rosen-
berry Fund, and the Anna Maglione-Sie Endowment Faculty Research
Travel Grants allowed me to conduct valuable research in Italy in 2009
and 2011. I was warmly welcomed and supported by the Biblioteca Na-
zionale Braidense and the Biblioteca Communale at Palazzo Sormani
in Milan. The Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana and the Biblioteca d’Arte
e Storia Veneziana del Civico Museo Correr were immensely helpful
while I researched in Venice. I am extremely grateful for the University
of Denver’s Anna Maglione-Sie Endowment for Italian culture, which
also provided funding for this book’s publication costs.
Individuals, not just institutions, have been instrumental figures
along the way. I am most indebted to Francesco Bruni of the Università
Ca’ Foscari di Venezia, whose steadfast counsel has been essential to
this project, from when it was initially conceived many years ago in
Chicago to my most recent trip to Venice. His astonishing intellect
leaves me speechless, and he has provided me both erudite guidance
and unrestricted access to the Ca’ Foscari libraries and resources. I am
also extremely grateful to Paolo Cherchi for his unparalleled wisdom,
scholarly backing, and camaraderie over the years. He has been im-
mensely generous with his time and support. I also must thank my
dissertation adviser, Elissa Weaver, whose unfaltering direction pushed
me to understand better what I was doing, and why I was doing it,
when this project first began. She tirelessly follows my work with great