EBOOK Italian Literature: A Very Short Introduction

In this Very Short Introduction, Peter Hainsworth and David Robey consider Italian        literature from the Middle Ages to the present day, looking at themes and issues        which have recurred throughout its history and continue to be of importance        today.Examining themes such as regional identities, political disunity, and the role        of the national language, they also cover a wide range of authors and works,        including Dante, Petrarch, Manzoni, Montale, and Calvino. They explore some of the        distinctive traditions of the literature, such as its liking for theorizing its own        position, its concern with politics, and its secular orientation in spite of the        Catholic beliefs and practices of the Italian people. Concluding by looking at the        ways inwhich Italian literature has changed over the last thirty years, they examine        the influence of women's writing in Italian, and acknowledge the belated recognition        of its importance.