Bowers, WJ; (2014) Anglo-Italian Radical Literary Culture, 1815–1823. Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

Abstract

The thesis has two objectives. The first is to examine the Italian aspects of Second Generation Romantic verse. Through close readings of works by Byron, Shelley, and Hunt the thesis shows the importance of Italy and its traditions to these poets. The second objective is to reveal the ambassadorial role of Italians in London for their literature and homeland. Exiles such as Augustus Bozzi and Ugo Foscolo used a growing cosmopolitan press to educate Britons about Italy. I pay particular attention to the public reception of these writers and their works, across a range of forms such as pamphlets, songs, and periodicals. The interaction of British poets with Italy and the activities of Italian exiles in London are closely related phenomena. Both groups communicated with and were influenced by one another: viewing these two groups in one analysis, rather than as contrapuntal phenomena, is therefore crucial. The thesis proceeds chronologically from 1815–1823 with each chapter examining an Anglo-Italian cultural interaction in London or Italy. The title refers to a 'Radical’ culture using the term for its early-nineteenth-century associations with political reform, and with reference to poetry characterised by independence from the traditional. After Waterloo, the British state actively attempted to maintain cultural hegemony by legislating against the threat of immigrants and the dangers of a radical press. One of my concerns is therefore with the relationship between culture and the 'public mind', particularly as exemplified in contemporary periodical reviews. I examine this material to see how far Regency mores were troubled by alien people, ideas, and culture. The thesis combines these discussions of societal trends with personal accounts of life in a foreign country. The primary materials examined to capture this experience are correspondence and manuscript diaries of both exiles and English travellers.

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