LA PRASSI CORRETTORIA DELLA VITA MILITARE ALLA LUCE DEL CARTEGGIO DE AMICIS-PERUZZI.

This dissertation investigates Military life in Italy. Sketches by Edmondo De Amicis and its three editions (1868, 1869 and 1880), starting from the original publications of the sketches in newspapers and in other works. The research examines the gestation of this best seller of the post-unification Italy and its relations to the contemporary question of the language and to the building of national identity, founded on Risorgimental values. Therefore the analysis employs a historical linguistic perspective, that considers all linguistic levels (from spelling to textuality), to profile the linguistic identity of every edition and consequently the diachronic linguistic evolution of the whole work. Results are compared with contemporary linguistic debate, especially with prescriptions by Emilia Peruzzi, salonnière of Florentine salotto Peruzzi and linguistic consultant for De Amicis. They can be read in epistolary between the woman and the writer, whose this study offers a supplementary transcription to the group of letters already published. Finally, the study profiles the literary and ideological metamorphosis of De Amicis’ early work, focusing on textual variants, such as rewritings, removals of sections and replacements of whole sketches.