Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did Marinetti’s 1913 manifesto propose changing literary language?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Futurism
Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, bronze sculpture by Umberto Boccioni, 1913; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.
In his 1913 manifesto, titled Distruzione della sintassi—immaginazione senza fili—parole in libertà ("Destruction of Syntax—Wireless Imagination—Words-in-Freedom"), Filippo Tommaso Marinetti proposed a radical transformation of literary language to reflect the speed and intensity of the modern era.12
His demands included:
- Destruction of Syntax: He advocated for a pared-down, elliptical language that abandoned conventional grammatical structures.12
- Linguistic Economy: He called for stripping language of adjectives and adverbs, utilizing verbs primarily in the infinitive form, and employing mathematical signs and word pairings to convey information more boldly and economically.12
- Typographical Revolution: He proclaimed a need to break away from uniform, horizontal typography. By varying the size and boldness of type, he sought to visually represent the noise and dynamism of urban life and modern warfare.12
- Intensification: He encouraged the use of onomatopoeia to mimic the sounds of machines and conflict, fostering a style known as "telegraphic lyricism".12
These innovations aimed to liberate poetry from traditional constraints, creating a new, "wireless" imagination that prioritized direct, energetic expression over past literary conventions.12