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Modernist Idealism

Ambivalent Legacies of German Philosophy in Italian Literature
  • Michael J. Subialka
  • Funded by: University of Toronto Libraries
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2021
View more publications by University of Toronto Press
Toronto Italian Studies
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About this book

Modernist Idealism develops a framework for understanding modernist production as the artistic realization of philosophical concepts elaborated in German idealism.

Author / Editor information

Subialka Michael J. :

Michael J. Subialka is an assistant professor of comparative literature and Italian at the University of California, Davis.

Reviews

John P. Welle, professor emeritus of Italian and concurrent professor emeritus of film, television, and theatre, University of Notre Dame:

"Comparative in design, sweeping in scope, and specific in detail, Michael J. Subialka’s masterful account of the reception of German idealist philosophy in Italy in the early twentieth century leads to the author’s innovative concept of ‘modernist idealism.’ The explanatory power of this idea yields fresh insights into a panoply of writers, artists, and movements, expanding current debates about Italian modernism, the relation of aesthetics to politics, and the global turn within the new modernist studies."

Daniela Bini, professor of Italian studies and comparative literature, University of Texas at Austin:

"An outstanding tour de force on Italian modernism that spans different continents and cultural fields. Michael J. Subialka originally connects two very antithetical giants of German philosophy, Hegel and Schopenhauer, to show that what he calls Italian modernist idealism is, in fact, a combination of different art forms and philosophical thought ranging from the traditional spiritual and political idealism of Hegel to the fascist occultism of Julius Evola. The book’s perfect conclusion underscores the modernist ‘ambivalent amalgamation’ of different art forms and philosophical thought."

Giuseppe Stellardi, associate professor of Italian, University of Oxford:

"Michael J. Subialka delves into the complexities of the reception of nineteenth-century German idealism (in particular Hegel and Schopenhauer) within the Italian literary context of the early twentieth century. In looking at the impact exercised on D’Annunzio, Capuana, Futurism, Svevo, Pirandello, Deledda, and Montale, this fascinating study examines the role played by major Italian idealist philosophers (Croce and Gentile) but also takes into account different perspectives, such as vitalism, spiritualism, and new materialism. This book is an indispensable tool for understanding the real meaning of Italian modernism."

Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
June 22, 2022
eBook ISBN:
9781487545383
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
400
Other:
3 b&w illustrations
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