Tozzi's Readings, 1901-1918

Scholars able to detect signs of erudition in Federigo Tozzi's writings have long been frustrated by the lack of substantial evidence to that effect. Until recently, critics were forced to rely on the author's own words, meager clues at best; they were further hampered by the lack of access to those works and documents capable of providing factual leads. Glauco Tozzi, acting as editor of his father's writings, furnished what valuable information could be extracted from private papers in his possession. It was, nevertheless, a fortuitous inspiration which enriched this seemingly barren area of study. While working on a second edition of his biography, Tutti gli anni di Tozzi, in 1982 Paolo Cesarini unearthed tangible proof of readings undertaken by Tozzi in Siena's Biblioteca degli Intronati.1 The Registri dei lettori in sede offers a record of the writer's daily requests during the years 1898 to 1918. Notwithstanding the implications of this find, some critics persisted in calling attention to Tozzi's intellectual inconsistency, given the variety of his readings. In face of this scepticism, Marco Marchi was able to arouse considerable interest in this neglected field of research with his comments in the 1984 catalogue, Mostra dei documenti. As a result of limited access to the author's private library at Castagneto, Marchi succeeded in documenting the presence of such books as Pierre Janet's Les nevroses, Theodule Ribot's La psychologie des sentiments and William James' Principii di psicologia.2 In 1989, further research by the present writer in the Biblioteca degli Intronati brought to light a second set of registers.3 The Registri dei libri dati in prestito reveals a Tozzi who dedicated long periods of study to se

Art · Educational and Social Studies · History · Italian Literature and Culture · Philosophy

• Guy de Maupassant in Federigo Tozzi

  Marco Codebò•Modern Language Notes•1998

  Add to list