This essay proposes an engaging reading of Nievo’s novel Le confessioni d’un Italiano [Confessions of an Italian] (1867) by focusing on his use of, and simultaneous resistance to, established literary heroic narrative schemes found in Homer, Virgil, Ariosto, and Tasso. Marcolini thus highlights how the protagonist's commitment to the Risorgimento and civil life evolves in close connection with the dynamics of his relationship with the woman he loves. By portraying Pisana as a «compagna coraggiosa» [«brave companion»] actively engaged in the melting pot of history, Nievo challenges and reconfigures the narrow roles in which the literary tradition had confined women. The striking implication is that the democratic future of the new, unified and independent Italy is connected with the participation of strong women playing active roles in public life.
