“O Bella Libertà”: the Experience of Travel and the Representation of Italy in the Works of Mary Shelley, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and George Eliot

This thesis aims to investigate the experience of travel and the representation of Italy in the works of British women writers of the nineteenth century. A close reading of literary texts by Mary Shelley, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and George Eliot will help establish a connection between their journey to the Peninsula and their development as women and writers. The separation from their homeland and the confrontation with Italian culture were indeed pivotal for Shelley, Barrett Browning and Eliot in gaining a new perspective on their native land, breaking free from the rigid codes of behaviour expected from English ladies, and acquiring the authority and the confidence to write. It will be shown that in contrast to other Grand Tourists, Shelley, Barrett Browning and Eliot went beyond a mere description of Italian beauties and moved into the realm of social commentary. By avoiding stereotypical representations of the Peninsula and engaging in an authentic dialogue with the country and its inhabitants, they broadened the scope of travel narrative and explored matters of public importance to provide insight into national ideologies, while expanding the boundaries of the female sphere. The research will reveal that the experience of travel was not only essential in their journey to become professional writers, but it also increased their desire for the liberation of Italy as well as their own.

Grantor dc:publisher

Università degli studi di Trento

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Bocchio, Giulia

Contributors dc:contributor

• Perletti, Greta

• women's writing
• Italy
• representation
• Risorgimento
• travel writing
• imagology

Statement dc:rights

• info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
• license:Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
• license uri:iris.PRI01

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.15168/11572_405089
10.15168/11572_405089

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:iris.unitn.it:11572/405089