Le parole della politica all’ombra della Sicilia: Pisacane, Verga, De Roberto e Pirandello

Abstract

The failure of 1848 insurrection led to reflect on the nature of the historical process. The words of Republican political vocabulary were interrogated and questioned. Carlo Pisacane provided an initial interpretation of the facts. Illustrating the ways of the revolt, he examined the conditions of Sicily, the weakest region in Italy. The crisis that characterized Sicily could lead to revolutionary renewal or could produce the triumph of the worst behaviors. Forty years after Pisacane, Verga presented in Mastro-don Gesualdo the victory of selfishness and self-interest. The whole history of modernity took place under the sign of these negative passions, which generated conflicts between individuals. The words of the Republican culture of the Risorgimento were used only as a screen. They hid the attachment to wealth and protected the political power of the new rich. De Roberto and Pirandello moved on the same path indicated by Verga. The split between the misleading words and the true interests were explicit and even theorized. There was nothing left of the dream of the Risorgimento, except a vague and sterile memory.

Keywords

• Sicily
• Carlo Pisacane
• Giovanni Verga
• Federico De Roberto
• disillusion
• Republic