Futurism and Classicism are the two faces of Fascism. What is the relation between totalitarianism, tradition and modernism? More generally, how are the 20th century esthetic avant-gardes connected to the political ones, and their mythologies? A broad survey of the literary, visual, architectural, musical, mass-media, cinematic accomplishment of Futurism, will be supported by texts analyzing the cultural phenomenon of “vanguardism” in its connection with the mainstream political, social, industrial culture. The discourse of Futurism will be analyzed also in terms of gender, focusing on Futurist and Fascist “machismo”, and on the active participation of women in both the movements. Course open to undergraduates, under permission.