Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie occidentale

Rivista | Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie occidentale
Fascicolo monografico | 53 | Supplemento | 2019
Articolo | Fare gli italiani dell’anno 3000

Fare gli italiani dell’anno 3000

Paolo Mantegazza e le prospettive future dell’amore nell’Italia postunitaria

Abstract

In 1897 the Italian anthropologist Paolo Mantegazza published The year 3000. A dream, a science fiction novel in which he described the future order of mankind through the journey of a couple. While recent historiography has focused on the eugenic elements of the book, this article discusses the social and gender matters that underpin the novel. Indeed, on the basis of the emotional paradigm of romantic love, Mantegazza put the ‘sexual reform’ of the post-unified Italy at the centre of his work. Believing that «love was the first instrument of progress», he aimed to show how under the guidance of science, humanity as well as Italian society would have a future of happiness and prosperity.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Presentato: 07 Marzo 2019 | Accettato: 29 Aprile 2019 | Pubblicato 27 Novembre 2019 | Lingua: it

Keywords Romantic loveSexualityItalian positivismScience fictionPaolo Mantegazza


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