Abstract

[“Old-time European and Catholic cheerfulness”? Some notes on “literature” by Giambattista Vico between the Republic of Letters and World of Nations]. Grounded on a perspective combining history, rhetoric and literature, this essay examines those aspects in the work and thought of Vico that fit into the classicistic paradigm of “literature” in its configuration of old-time Europe: a paradigm where the rules of rhetoric, of polished style and of arts co-exist in a timeless contemporaneity. Focusing on Vico’s “minor” works, this essay shows how Vico’s arcadic experience can be seen as an important moment in the direction of a new conception of literature.