Francesco De Sanctis
Francesco De Sanctis (1817-1883) was a prominent Italian literary critic and historian, particularly noted for his extensive studies of Italian literature from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Born in Morra Irpina, in what is now Italy, he initially pursued a path toward the priesthood but shifted towards literature after losing his religious faith. A liberal patriot, De Sanctis advocated for Italy's unification and educational reforms, which included free compulsory education. His political activities led to imprisonment under the Bourbon monarchy, after which he spent time in exile, teaching literature and philosophy in Zurich.
Returning to Italy in 1860, De Sanctis took on significant roles in education, serving as the minister of education and becoming a deputy in the Italian parliament. He was influential in establishing comparative literature as an academic field and authored key works such as "Storia della letteratura italiana," which remains a critical reference in Italian literary studies. His legacy includes inspiring future literary figures, such as Benedetto Croce. De Sanctis's contributions to literary criticism continue to resonate in contemporary discussions of Italian literature.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Francesco De Sanctis
Literary Critic
- Born: March 28, 1817
- Birthplace: Morra Irpina, Avellino, Kingdom of Naples (now in Italy)
- Died: December 29, 1883
- Place of death: Naples (now in Italy)
Biography
Born on March 28, 1817, in Morra Irpina, in the province of Avellino, Kingdom of Naples (now a part of Italy), Francesco De Sanctis is remembered today as an influential literary critic and historian, specializing in studies of Italian literature and culture from the thirteenth through the nineteenth centuries. His early aptitude for learning suggested a vocation as a priest, but De Sanctis lost his religious faith as a teen and turned toward other educational pursuits. He was trained at the institute of the Marchese Basilio Puoti, a noted literary critic and philologist, and with Puoti’s guidance eventually founded and taught at his own academy.
As a liberal patriot calling for Italy’s unification, De Sanctis supported statesman and Sardinian premier Count Cavour, who had been forced to resign from the armed services in 1831. De Sanctis also called for educational reforms such as improved training of teachers and free compulsory education. However, after aiding the Neapolitan revolution of 1848, De Sanctis in December, 1850, became a prisoner of the Bourbon monarchy in Naples for three years on a false charge of plotting to assassinate the king.
After being released from imprisonment, De Sanctis lived in exile for a time, first in Turin and then in Sardinia. Moving to Zurich, Switzerland, he became known as a lecturer, particularly specializing in Dante’s poetry and in Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’s aesthetics, and remained in his teaching post at Zurich from 1856 to 1860. In 1860, he returned to Italy and continued his work on educational reform. At the request of King Victor Emmanuel II, De Sanctis was appointed minister of education, and served in this post from 1861 through 1862, 1878, and from 1879 until 1880. He became a deputy in the newly established Italian parliament in 1861.
De Sanctis was a professor of comparative literature at the University of Naples from 1871 until 1877. The popular professor gained many followers, including Benedetto Croce, who would later become a noted philosopher, critic, and politician. If not the earliest, De Sanctis was certainly one of the earliest lecturers in the field of comparative literature, a new subject at European universities.
De Sanctis analyzed the work of Italian poets in Saggi critici, a collection of critical essays, and in a study of the poet Petrarch. However, his best-remembered work is Storia della letteratura italiana (1870; History of Italian Literature, 1931). He also published a second collection of critical essays about literature and a study of Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi.
De Sanctis died on December 29, 1883, in Naples, Italy. Some of his later volumes of literary criticism were published posthumously under the supervision of Croce. De Sanctis’s influence upon Italian literary theory and history is still felt today. Most of De Sanctis’s essays have been rereleased, and his history of Italian literature was republished in 1960.