Abstract

This essay presents a multifaceted examination of the first draft of Paolo Volponi’s novel Corporale (1974), originally titled L’animale and written between 1965 and 1966. It highlights the key themes, narrative sequences, and distinctive features of this early typewritten version, while tracing how numerous elements from L’animale were reused in the final text, emphasizing Corporale’s originality and significant differences from its earlier draft. The study uncovers previously undetected influences that shaped the novel’s early creative process, such as Karl Jaspers’ The Atom Bomb and the Future of Man (1958), as well as works that shaped its later stages. Most notably, Thomas Reik’s The Compulsion to Confess (published in Italian in 1967) and Franco Fornari’s The Psychoanalysis of War (1974) both had a particular impact on the creation of the mysterious character of the murderer. The analysis reveals that the schizophrenic split of the protagonist, Elio Massener, and the defining traits of of the two doubles Joaquín Murieta and Overath are already present in L’animale. Additionally, the essay examines how Volponi’s experiences at Olivetti are portrayed differently in the two versions of the novel. Finally, a review of subsequent manuscripts demonstrates how L’animale served as a foundational structure, continuing to influence Corporale’s narrative development even years after its initial composition