Lavoro di Unificazione: Calvino's Nationalizing Fiabe

This aim of this thesis is to show that the Fiabe italiane are directly related to the historical formation of a standard Italian, and may be viewed as a literary operation to nationalize Italy in the wake of the war. In the first part of my thesis, I give a concise synopsis of the Introduction, synthesizing the main arguments contained within it. In the second and main part, I focus on various ways the Introduction suggests, alludes to, and defines an Italian national tradition through folktales. As 'lavoro di unificazione,' the Fiabe work to create a linguistic reality and participate in reforming and uniting Italian identity.