«Deh, non opinate, o Signora, così spregevolmente di noi»: l’Italia illustrata dalle italiane

Abstract

This article discusses the symbolic values assigned to Italian women writers in the historical age that precedes national unification. At the beginning of 19th century, aiming at its Risorgimento, Italy shaped its own identity. Establishing a cultural genealogy of its women, the nation-to-be finds a way to shed light on the persistence of an erudite stream rooted in the glorious tradition of the “roman mothers”, as well as to define an image of itself as an up-to- date modern European nation. The cultural condition of its women become Show more