2023 Theses Doctoral

Drafting Spaces: Four Literary Visions of the Northern Adriatic

Wyatt, Andrew

The question that forms the foundation of this project is quite simple: how can space help us discuss literature and vice versa? The chapters of this dissertation explore the writing of Francesco Dall’Ongaro, Italo Svevo, Pier Antonio Quarantotti Gambini, and Marisa Madieri, each of whom addresses spatial concepts in their textual representations of the northern Adriatic region.

Utilizing the related yet distinct approaches of spatial literary studies and geocriticism, paired with intellectual history, I find that the northern Adriatic region can be construed as a literary creation comprised of distinct, resistant narratives. The four texts under discussion promote a particular narrative of the region, revealing different strategies for its literary construction. Furthermore, this project aims to demonstrate that the spatially-attentive critic, no matter the discipline, has a vital role in deconstructing the process by which spaces enter the imaginary through cultural production.