Reading the Transformation: The Relationship between Literature and Territory in Contemporary Veneto aims at investigating the interrelation between a geographically defined entity and the literary word. Placed in the context of a broader reflection on the dynamics of such relation, this thesis aims at outlining a specific set of theoretical references in order to analyse the case of contemporary Veneto through a close reading of some particularly relevant works by two authors from this region, Massimo Carlotto and Marco Paolini. Developed from an interest in the literary tradition of Veneto and in the theme of landscape and territory representation in literature, this thesis is comprised of two parts: the first one is dedicated to tracing the theoretical, historical, and literary coordinates that define the scope and frame of reference for the thesis; the second one conducts an in-depth analysis of the context in which the works of Carlotto and Paolini are situated. Drawing on concepts pertaining geography, cultural anthropology, and landscape theory, the premise of this thesis is that territory is a complex geographic, historical, social, economic, and cultural entity of which landscape constitutes the visible stratum. Siding with arguments that sustain the centrality of the role of landscape in the process of formation of people's identity, this thesis adopts such concept and employs it as a key to understand the relation between territory and literature. Through the analysis of La verità dell'Alligatore and Nordest by Carlotto and Il Milione and Bestiario Veneto - Parole mate by Paolini, the objective of this thesis is, on one side, to provide an insight into how the transformation of a territory can shape the formation of a collective identity, on the other side, to shed light on the means through the reflection on territory enters the literary space.

Ce travail de recherche s’interroge sur l’usage des langues dialectales dans le théâtre italien contemporain. De fait, celles-ci restent une source d’inspiration importante dans les créations les plus innovantes des trente dernières années, malgré l’affirmation de l’italien sur tout le territoire national depuis l’Unité. Cette étude s’interroge sur les valeurs et les enjeux de ces langues dialectales dans un théâtre actuel qui est, pour une part importante, le fait d’acteurs-auteurs : ainsi, la relation qui s’établit entre l’artiste, à la fois créateur et interprète, et la langue théâtrale, s’appuie sur une approche de l’élément langagier qui est aussi fondamentalement pré-cognitive, voire corporelle.Après avoir élucidé dans un premier temps les dynamiques linguistiques à l’œuvre dans le théâtre italien depuis l’Unité, cette étude se resserre autour de la pratique de cinq acteurs-auteurs contemporains : Marco Paolini, Ascanio Celestini, Spiro Scimone (Compagnia Scimone Sframeli), Emma Dante (Compagnia Sud Costa Occidentale) et Enzo Moscato. L’analyse du parcours de chacun de ces artistes, ainsi que d’une œuvre en particulier, se propose d’établir une cartographie du théâtre italien contemporain puisant dans les dialectes la matière de sa langue théâtrale. Il s’agit de mettre en évidence les lignes de fuite de créations qui interrogent trois notions clés au cœur de l’analyse : le temps, le territoire et l’identité, notions qu’une réflexion constante sur le concept de limite et de frontière affine et redéfinit progressivement. / This doctoral dissertation deals with the use of dialectal languages in the contemporary Italian theater. Indeed, these languages remain an important source of inspiration in the most innovating creations of the last thirty years, in spite of the paramount place the Italian language has come to have in the whole national territory since the Italian Unification. This study deals with the values and with what is at stake in these dialectal languages in today's theater which is, most of the time, created by actors-authors: therefore, the relationship between the artist, who is both creator and performer, and dramatic language, relies on a way of tackling the linguistic element that is fundamentally precognitive and corporal as well.After having cleared up the linguistic dynamics in the Italian theater since the Unification ; the study focuses on the work of five contemporary actors-authors: Marco Paolini, Ascanio Celestini, Spiro Scimone (Compagnia Scimone Sframeli), Emma Dante (Compagnia Sud Costa Occidentale) and Enzo Moscato. Studying the work of these artists, as well as a specific play, intends to draw up a cartography of the contemporary Italian theater that is inspired by dialect languages to create its own dramatic language. The study aims to lay emphasis on the convergence lines of creations which deals with three key notions, at the core of the study: time, territory and identity. These three notions will be progressively redefined and precised by working on the idea of limit and boundary. / Questo lavoro di ricerca si interroga sull’uso delle lingue dialettali nel teatro italiano contemporaneo. Infatti, esse restano un’importante fonte d’ispirazione nelle creazioni più innovative degli ultimi trent’anni, nonostante l’affermarsi dell’italiano sull’intero territorio nazionale a partire dall’Unità. Questo studio si interroga sui valori e sul peso di queste lingue dialettali nel teatro odierno che, in larga parte, viene realizzato da attori-autori: perciò, la relazione che si stabilisce tra l’artista, insieme creatore ed interprete, e la lingua teatrale è fondata su un approccio fondamentalmente pre-cognitivo, e perfino corporeo, dell’elemento linguistico.Dopo aver chiarito, in un primo momento, le dinamiche linguistiche in atto nel teatro italiano sin dall’Unità, questo studio si accentra intorno alla pratica di cinque attori-autori contemporanei: Marco Paolini, Ascanio Celestini, Spiro Scimone (Compagnia Scimone Sframeli), Emma Dante (Compagnia Sud Costa Occidentale) e Enzo Moscato. L’analisi del percorso di ognuno di questi artisti, nonché di una loro opera in particolare, mira a stabilire una cartografia del teatro italiano contemporaneo che attinge dai dialetti la materia della propria lingua teatrale. Si tratta di evidenziare le linee di fuga di creazioni che interrogano tre nozioni-chiave al cuore dell’analisi: il tempo, il territorio e l’identità, nozioni affinate e progressivamente ridefinite da una costante riflessione sul concetto di limite e di confine.