Histories of Italian Literature

Abstract

National literary histories—prima facie paradoxically—are a staple cultural product of a country known for its extraordinary diversity, late political uni cation, and highly varied linguistic traditions. As Giosuè Carducci memorably countered Prince Metternich, “Italy is a literary expression.” Hence, the Italian literary canon, established long before political uni cation, played a crucial role in fostering a shared cultural consciousness. Highlighting Girolamo Tiraboschi’s Storia della letteratura italiana’s key role in defending Italian preeminence in the realm of letters against foreign claims and Francesco De Sanctis’s Storia della letteratura italiana’s successful blending of Romanticism with nationalistic fervor, this chapter aims to retrace and reassess the centrality of literary historiography in the Italian school curriculum and in public discourse. Moving to more recent experiences, from positivism to Benedetto Croce’s hegemony, to subsequent Croceanism (at times with a Marxisant avor) and anti-Croceanism, the chapter will discuss contemporary trends toward monumental, multiauthored works, on the one hand, and innovative, reader-oriented textbooks, on the other.