Foscolo Professore. La Ricezione Giornalistica, Le Reazioni Accademiche E La Fortuna Editoriale Dell’<i>orazione Inaugurale</i>

Abstract

During his brief teaching experience at the University of Pavia (1809), Ugo Foscolo gave his famous inaugural speech entitled Dell’origine e dell’ufficio della letteratura. The consequences of this speech on the Italian literary and academic environment, as well as on his own life, were considerable. This contribution proposes an overall recognition of three main journalistic reviews published in major national newspapers once Foscolo’s lecture was publicly read and printed. The first and most noted was written by Francesco Pezzi, editor of Corriere Milanese: this article is provocative and aggressive: it accuses Foscolo of plagiarism and of being incapable of autonomously elaborating any kind of theoretical or literary argument. The second is less famous but probably even more critical of Foscolo’s recent work. It was published in Giornale Enciclopedico di Firenze by an anonymous reviewer. The third piece, also anonymous and published in Giornale Bibliografico Universale, deserves attention for at least two reasons: firstly, it clearly gives an opposite evaluation, positive and encouraging about the Orazione Inauguale; secondly, a mistake is contained in the date reported on the frontispiece. It is reasonable to consider this material element a significant component of this piece’s little fortune.