The research problem in Part I, the Press, concerns the question as to whether the Italian journals, 1830-1848, were efficacious in the formation of the Italian national spirit to the degree postulated by Professor Kent Roberts Greenfield in his thesis: Economics and Liberalism in the Risorgimento, Part II “Thought and Action,” subtitled “National Journalism, 1818-1848,“ (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1965). Specifically, this problem involves ascertaining: (1) who read the journals; (2 whether the contents of these journals were of interest to a significant portion of the population of the eight states; and (3) whether the journals were disseminated to any appreciable degree beyond the borders of the province where they were printed. Primary source material available for Part I is extremely scarce; however, as much as practicable the same sources as used and quoted by Professor Greenwood – bolstered by other reputable sources—are utilized in this thesis, so that whatever issue is taken with any of the Greenfield propositions as involving illogical inference, overstatement, etc., may be definitely traced. After investigation of Italian journalism of that period, it was concluded that the press operated under many diverse and blunting burdens which significantly curtailed the journals’ effectiveness in the formation of the Italian national spirit. The principal burdens include: (1) censorship, which forced the journalists to write “indirectly” and in “code;” (2) Illiteracy and general lack of educational opportunities; (3) dialectal diversity and no recognized national language; (4) political lethargy on the part of the masses; (5) regional antipathies that pitted province against province, even family against family. Therefore, in view of the above, and because of illogical inferences and overstatements revealed by comparison of statements made in Greenfield’s thesis, many of his positive claims concerning the journals and their role in the formation of the Italian national spirit are rejected; to that extent the Greenfield thesis is enervated. The research problem concerning the Italian theatre (which includes both tragedy and opera) involves determining the degree of efficacy of the theatre in the formation of the Italian national spirit, 1830-1848. Specifically, the study involves as investigation of the hardship under which the theatre operated. These include: (1) one form or another of censorship; (2) theatre and opera houses were required for performances and these were found only in the cities where a minority of the population resided; (3) opportunities for performances were seasonal most of the time. As much as practicable primary source material of scripts and libretti was used, as well as other source material from noted authors in the field. The theatre has an immediate, direct appeal, and to understand and enjoy its works does not necessarily require literacy or a sophisticated educational background; rather, it demands on the part of the audience an intensity of feeling, and an acute, emotional, passionate response, qualities which have always appeared to be part of the make-up of the Italian people. Therefore: (1) in view of the above; (2) because the subject matter of many plays and operas was easily identifiable with the conditions in Italy, 1830-1848; (3) because of the may demonstrations that follow theatrical performances; and (4) since diverse political slogans, phrases, etc., found their inspiration in theatrical works, it seems evident that the theatre was a significant factor in the formation of the Italian national spirit, 1830-1848.

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Dante Alighieri is, undoubtedly, an enduring feature of the cultural memory of generations of Italians. His influence is such that the mere mention of a ‘dark wood’ or ‘life’s journey’ recalls the poet and his most celebrated work, the Divina Commedia. This study, however, seeks to examine the construction of the medieval Florentine poet, exemplified by the above assertion, as a potent symbol of the Italian nation. From the creation of the idea of the Italian nation during the Risorgimento, to the Liberal ruling elite’s efforts after 1861 to legitimise the new Italian nation state, and more importantly to ‘make Italians’, to the rise of a more imperialist conception of nationalism in the early twentieth century and its most extreme expression under the Fascist regime, Dante was made to play a significant role in defining, justifying and glorifying the Italian nation. Such an exploration of the utilisation of Dante in the construction of Italian national identity during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries aids considerably in an understanding of the conceptualisation of the Italian nation, of the issues engendered by the establishment of the Italian nation state, and the evolution of these processes throughout the period in question. The various images of Dante revealed by this investigation of his instrumentalisation in the Italian process of nation-building bear only a fleeting resemblance to what is known of the poet in his medieval reality. Dante was born in 1265 to a family of modest means and standing in Florence, at that time the economic centre of Europe, and one of the most important cities of the Italian peninsula. His writings disclosed, however, that he was little impressed by his city’s prestige and wealth, being instead greatly disturbed by its political discord and instability, of which he became an unfortunate victim. The violent partisan conflict in Florence and the turbulent political condition of the Italian peninsula in the late thirteenth century had a decisive influence on Dante’s life and literary endeavours.