SCRITTURA E RISCRITTURA NEI ROMANZI DI ELIO VITTORINI: IL CASO DELLE 'DONNE DI MESSINA'.

The thesis examines the writing and re-writing process of Elio Vittorini’s novel 'Le donne di Messina'. First published with the title 'Lo zio Agrippa passa in treno' in 1947-1948 on “La Rassegna d’Italia”, a periodical journal directed by Francesco Flora, the novel was polished before the second edition (the first with the title 'Le donne di Messina') in 1949, published by Bompiani. Vittorini was still dissatisfied with this edition: it sounded “false”, the plot was too tragic, and he didn’t like the characterization of the protagonist, Ventura. For this reason, he wanted to re-write the novel, which was published again in 1964.
The whole writing and re-writing process is attested by manuscripts and typewritten materials archived in Fondo Elio Vittorini (Università degli Studi di Milano, Centro APICE, Archivi della Parola, dell’Immagine e della Comunicazione Editoriale) and Archivio della Casa Editrice Bompiani (Milano, Fondazione Rizzoli-Corriere della Sera), never before examined by scholars. Through these archival collections I show the main phases of this process and locate the main poetical and ideological changes in the novel, in order to show Vittorini’s “cognitive boost” throughout his “work in progress”.