L’esperienza del mondo : Goethe e Sade tra viaggio e romanzo

Abstract

In the second half of the 18th century, the myth of Italy experienced a moment of profound redefinition, offering space for reflection that, compared to the past, took on more anthropological and political traits. A moment of unique existential education, the journey to Italy thus becomes an opportunity for authors to question and renegotiate their own worldviews. By comparing the accounts of the Italian journeys made by Goethe and the Marquis de Sade and analysing their novels that drew inspiration from these experiences, this volume aims to highlight two paroxysmal moments of the jagged European Enlightenment culture that, precisely in the intricate Italian imagination, often found its motives.