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Quinet studies the logic of life in natural history, history and the arts from an epistemological viewpoint. He shows interesting similarities between different fields of study, and he explains the specificity of the épistémè of the 19th century. This paper will show the impact of the concept of the unity of knowledgeon the writing of Quinet’s book, and the ideological and religious implications.

The paper discusses the final work (Effetto Sicilia, 2007) of one of the most significant scholars of Italian modern novel, Carlo Alberto Madrignani (1936-2008), by focusing on the interaction between three historical, literary and intellectual elements: 1) the scientifically rigorous civil tradition Madrignani belonged to, 2) the peculiar realistic code which arose in Sicily after the Italian unification and has been constantly renewed till our times in an astonishing, problematic continuity, 3) the Italian conflictual and dramatic modernity which triggered the birth of Sicilian modern novel and at the same time is provoked by the ‘outrageous’ kind of literature. The key issues of both the literary tradition and Italian modern history are 1) the violent and ambiguous sociopo litical control on collective and individual bodies (especially female), 2) the ambivalence of myth 3) the contradiction between individual and collective expectations on one side and institutions on the other 4) the uncertainty of trutdthe dissolution of theological and religious compensations.

Ricardo Palma, one of the most distinguished Peruvian writers, is known worldwide thanks to his Peruvian Traditions, a series to which he dedicated a considerable part of his life. The objective of this paper is to present other aspects of his literary and journalistic activity and to assess the value of his writings from the perspective of contemporary chronicle and testimony.