Italian Literature: A Very Short Introduction

In this Very Short Introduction, Peter Hainsworth and David Robey examine Italian literature from the Middle Ages to the present day, looking at themes and issues which have recurred throughout its history. The authors illuminate such topics as regional identities, political disunity, and the role of the national language and they 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 concern with politics and its secular orientation in spite of the Catholic beliefs and practices of the Italian people, and they conclude by looking at recent developments in Italian literature, such as the influence of women's writing in Italian.

Author: Peter Hainsworth, David Robey
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 03/24/2012
Pages: 152
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.25lbs
Size: 6.70h x 4.30w x 0.40d
ISBN13: 9780199231799
ISBN10: 0199231796
BISAC Categories:
- Literary Criticism | European | Italian
- Literary Collections | European | General
- History | Europe | Italy

About the Author

Peter Hainsworth is Professor Emeritus at Oxford University and reviews regularly for the Times Literary Supplement. David Robey is Professor of Italian at Reading University. Hainsworth and Robey co-edited the Oxford Companion to Italian Literature.