CHRISTOPH SÖDING
Humboldt Universität zu Berlin
Heroes are essential figures in the literary discourse in the early phase of the Risorgimento. They serve as vehicles to convey political messages. Mythological heroes, knights from the Middle Ages, important figures from Italy’s historic past and ordinary people from the less powerful classes serve as means of integration and as role models. The aim is to show how an author’s choice on which kind of hero to pick is indicative of the political and poetological position they represent, and thus to be able to describe a period more precisely that is shaped by complex aesthetic and political upheavals.