Uncertainty as a Theme and a Complexity in Montale, Both as a Man and as a Poet

Abstract

This study aims to highlight the prevalence of uncertainty as a psychological ‘complex’ and as a poetic theme in the work of Eugenio Montale (1896-1981). The starting point of this work is the analysis of 156 letters (first published in 2006) that Montale wrote to his most important muse, the American Irma Brandeis, between 1933 and 1939. Analyzing these letters reveals the intensity of a romantic torment generated by the poet’s obsessive uncertainties concerning the woman he loves, who asks him to join her in the United States. Given the role that Irma’s figure will play in Montale’s creative process, it seems important to understand whether, and how, Montale’s poetry accommodates these heart-wrenching uncertainties. In this perspective, an analysis of the late poem L’imponderabile (1971), in light of the correspondence with the young American, suggests a new interpretation of the text. More broadly, analyzing Montale’s poetry prior to his meeting with Irma allows us to establish the prominence of the theme of uncertainty in Montale’s work, showing that this uncertainty is not only cognitive and philosophical but also has a psychological and existential dimension that is constitutive of his poetic world, beginning with his early poems.