22 - Francesco De Sanctis (1817–1883)

Summary

The life's work of Francesco De Sanctis illustrates the Italian quest to secure full sovereignty, national identity and a liberal citizenry. De Sanctis's critical theory is underlain by a principle of realism, his distinct legacy to subsequent generations of theorists. He survived as freelance lecturer on the subject of Italian literature and emigrated to Zurich, where he taught Italian literature at the university. Retiring from public service in 1880, De Sanctis had served his young nation state as a member of parliament, minister of education and professor of a state university. There is considerable coherence between De Sanctis's theory of literary criticism and his aesthetic theory. De Sanctis's historicist framework satisfies his Realist demand for a relation between life and art, where life is always understood as social and political life. The concept of a national popular culture is one of De Sanctis's distinguishing marks as an aesthetic and cultural theorist.