Italian Studies and the Digital

Abstract

This article reflects on the history and futures of the ‘digital’ — that is, what might be termed ‘digital humanities’ and ‘digital cultures’ in relation to Italian Studies. We provide an overview of some of the major achievements and trends in the field, and show how Italian Studies scholars have engaged with the technological and epistemological developments of the digital age in terms of theories, methods, and approaches to Italian culture. We concentrate, in particular, on Italian literature, examining first the research milestones of ‘umanistica digitale’. The second part of the article analyses the phenomenon of Italian literature and criticism 3.0 and looks at the recently developed fields of electronic literature and transmedia storytelling.