The Motif of the Journey in Nineteenth-Century Italian Literature

The journey is one of the most enduring and complex themes in the literature of Western civilisation. These essays illustrate Italy’s contribution to the history of the trope during a time when countries became increasingly interdependent and conscious of each other’s cultures. Taking into account the inconsistencies and contradictions of the metaphor of the journey, they demonstrate that Italian authors of 19th-century fiction, poetry and essays expanded its creative potential and its core of moral and artistic significance. The authors - international specialists - include the distinguished scholar M.H. Abrams, who traces the most vital aspects of the journey motif in world literature from its biblical origins to this century.