Italian Studies

Morris graduated with a BA in Economics and a MA in Philosophy at La Sapienza in Rome. His dissertation, titled “A time of actual genius: Leopardi interprets the Renaissance”, focuses on the nineteenth century poet and philosopher Giacomo Leopardi and on his interpretation of the Renaissance. It investigates how, at the dawn of the struggle for Italian independence, when Leopardi was writing, the interpretation of the Renaissance was a central issue in the discourse on national identity. Reading the Renaissance within the frame of his critique of modernity, Leopardi provides an original understanding of the relationship between history, metaphysics and poetry. After completing his PhD, in AY 2021-22, Morris was Dean's Faculty Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities at the Cogut Institute. Primary Advisor: Massimo Riva.