Abstract

This section includes the papers presented at a seminar held on Mar. 13, 2015, at the Department of documentary, linguistic-philological and geographical sciences (Sapienza University of Rome) on the occasion of the presentation of the book by A. Asor Rosa, "Letteratura italiana. La storia, i classici, l'identità nazionale", Carocci, Rome 2014. The speeches by G. Inglese, S. Carrai, A. Bevilacqua and G. M. Anselmi, recall some of the main characters of the Asor Rosa's researches in the field of Italian Studies: the establish¬ment of a "critical perspective", the reflection on the canon of the classics, the attention paid to the issue of Italian national identity, which rests first on the basis of literature, the ways in which humanities research and can find prospects for development in the coming generations.