«UN GRANDE POETA DI UN MONDO ELEMENTARE»: VERGA PER LO STORICISMO IDEALISTA DI LUIGI RUSSO

This paper aims to investigate the ideological substratum of Russo’s interpretation of Verga, initially fueled by the post‑war cultural climate and subsequently by the rise of the fascist regime. The «conciliatory» quality of his reading, nourished by masterfully blended insights inspired to De Sanctis and Croce, ensured its strong diffusion until the 1970s. On the other hand, his brilliant critical intuitions, supported by an acute analytical sensitivity, allowed him to anticipate some interpretative categories typical of the later stylistic criticism. Due to his ability in combining the formal examination with an integral historicism, the monograph dedicated to Verga will remain an undoubted milestone for all critical interpretations focused on the moral and heteronomous function of Verga’s art.