The History of Futurism

The Precursors, Protagonists, and Legacies

Contributions by Walter L. Adamson, Günter Berghaus, Monica Biasiolo, Francesca Bravi, Sascha Bru, Silvia Contarini, Eleonora Conti, Patricia Gaborik, Laura Greco, Kyle Hall, Federico Luisetti, Stefano Magni, Florian Mussgnug, Marjorie Perloff, Davide Podavini, Jeffrey T. Schnapp, Beatrice Sica, Teresa Spignoli, Dirk Vanden Berghe Edited by Geert Buelens, Harald Hendrix, Monica Jansen

Publication date:

31 August 2012

Length of book:

444 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9780739173886

Futurism began as an artistic and social movement in early twentieth-century Italy. Until now, much of the scholarship available in English has focused only on a single individual or art form. This volume seeks to present a more complete picture of the movement by exploring the history of the movement, the events leading up to the movement, and the lasting impact it has had as well as the individuals involved in it.
The History of Futurism: The Precursors, Protagonists, and Legacies addresses the history and legacy of what is generally seen as the founding avante-garde movement of the twentieth century. Geert Buelens, Harald Hendrix, and Monica Jansen have brought together scholarship from an international team of specialists to explore the Futurism movement as a multidisciplinary movement mixing aesthetics, politics, and science with a particular focus on the literature of the movement.

1. Futurisms: An Introduction—Geert Buelens and Monica Jansen
2. The Audacity of Hope: The Foundational Futurist Manifestos—Marjorie Perloff
Part I. Precursors
3. The Anthology Poeti futuristi: Poetry of Transition—Davide Podavini
4. Marinetti in France between Symbolism and Futurism: Vers et prose and Les guêpes—Eleonora Conti
5. Futurist Roots in Palermo: Federico De Maria between Anticlassicism and Anti-Marinettism—Laura Greco
6. The Statistical Sublime—Jeffrey T. Schnapp
7. Mapping Futurism. Performance in Rome and Across Italy, 1909-1915, with a Coda on Interwar Calabria—Patricia Gaborik
Part II. Protagonists
8. Time and Space in the Writings of Marinetti, Palazzeschi, the Group of L’Italia futurista, and Other Futurist Writers—Beatrice Sica
9. The Great War in the Words-in-Freedom Style of an Atypical Futurist: Conflagrazione by Paolo Buzzi—Monica Biasiolo
10. How to Become a Women of the Future: Una donna con tre anime—Un ventre di donna—Silvia Contarini
11. Love, Politics, and an Explosive Future: Volt’s La fine del mondo—Kyle Hall
12. Auto-commentary in Ardengo Soffici’s BIF$ZF+18. Simultaneità e chimismi lirici—Dirk Vanden Berghe
13. Luciano Folgore’s Self-parody: End or Renewal of Futurism?—Stefano Magni
14. Fortunato Depero’s Radiophonic Lyrics—Francesca Bravi
15. A Vitalist Art: Filippo Tommaso Marinetti’s sintesi radiofoniche—Federico Luisetti
Part III. Legacies
16. The End of an Avant-Garde? Marinetti and Futurism in World War I and its Aftermath—Walter L. Adamson
17. Futurism and the Politics of the Ugly: Theory, History and Actuality—Sascha Bru
18. Futurism and the Manifesto in the 1960s—Florian Mussgnug
19. No Man’s Land : From Free-word Tables to Verbal-visual Poetry—Teresa Spignoli
20. The Postwar Reception of Futurism: Repression or Recuperation?—Günter Berghaus
About the Contributors
Bibliography
Index

Among the many publications that have emerged for the centenary of Futurism, this stands out for breadth and originality, with an excellent mix of specific case studies and more general theoretical and historical discussions. The presence of some of the most important international scholars on the subject give extra weight and authority of this compelling collection.