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In the final chapter of his not-quite-autobiography, Il sistema periodico, Primo Levi claims that the work “È, o avrebbe voluto essere, una microstoria” (229), the implications of which are vast. According to Carlo Ginzburg, it is in this passage that “the word microstoria appears in Italian for the first time in an autonomous manner” (“Microhistory: Two or Three Things That I Know about It” 15). This article explores the microhistorical tenets manifest in Levi’s writing, the history of the term itself, and Italian microhistory’s ostensible ties to Italian neorealism. Indeed, the composition of Il sistema periodico represents an important moment in the progression of popular and scholarly representations of alterity, re-contextualizing Levi in a milieu of partisans and survivors keen on rewriting history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay considers the Resistance short stories in Beppe Fenoglio's collection I ventitré giorni della città di Alba, published in 1952. Setting these stories within the historical and cultural context of post-war Italy, it investigates their author's commitment to expressing the "truth" of the experience of the Resistance through fiction. It argues that Fenoglio goes further than his neorealist contemporaries in attempting to do so in the manner in which he depicts a civil war rather than a war of liberation, and in his unsparingly harsh description of certain aspects of partisan behaviour. The essay examines the relationship between Fenoglio's life and his fiction, putting the case that we should draw clear distinctions between the two, without detracting from the truth of the latter. In conclusion, it draws comparisons between the early stories and Fenoglio's later novel, Il partigiano Johnny, where the author was able to capture the heroic qualities of the Resistance alongside his depiction of all its contradictory aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses poem "War and Carnage" and mentions a letter to editor titled "Polar Drift: Not Sure" by Ambrose Bierce. Book "Ambrose Bierce: An Annotated Bibliography of Primary Sources" by David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi is also mentioned. Topics discussed include journalism and literary realism.

A literary criticism of the book "Martin Eden" by Jack London is presented. It is noted that London has focused on the American sea literature and has dramatized the physical degradation of workers by highlighting their turmoil. It outlines the characters of the novel and discusses the importance of the characters in the book. The historic tension between realism and romanticism is also discussed.

The article talks about author Rebecca Harding Davis who has written 275 short stories, novels, juvenile stories and journalistic essays. It is noted that romantic irony was a part of all literary works written by authors of American Romanticism, which odds with realism. Topics include literary movements, transcendentalism in literature, and the variations between nightmare and a fairytale happy ending.

A literary criticism is presented of the 1889 American fictional book "A Hazard of New Fortunes," by William Dean (W.D.) Howells. Particular focus is given to the book's realistic portrayal of sacrifice, including the mutilation of book's character U.S. veteran Berthold Lindau's body resulting from his participation in the U.S. Civil War.

A literary criticism is presented on the 1889 American novel "A Hazard of New Fortunes," by William Dean (W.D.) Howells. Particular focus is given to the realistic aspects of the novel, including in regard to the observations of reality and perceptions of the real. An overview of the author's use of a narrator in "A Hazard of New Fortunes" is provided.

A literary criticism of the book "A Hazard of New Fortunes" by W. D. Howells is presented. It explores the importance of the novel's setting in New York City. Topics considered include social classes, the New Woman movement, realism in literature, and autobiographical influences on fictional incidents within the novel.

The article presents a criticism of the 1867 U.S. novel "Miss Ravenel's Conversion from Secession to Loyalty" by John W. De Forest. It focuses on the themes of evolutionary realism in the novel, which is based in part on the author's experiences in the American Civil War, as well as De Forest's portrayals of race following the end of the Civil War.

The article discusses the novel "The Red Badge of Courage," by Stephen Crane, focusing on alleged changes made to the book by editor Ripley Hitchcock. The author notes his disagreements concerning the book's editing with literary scholar Donald Pizer, author of "American Literary Realism." He examines Crane's literary realism and his work "Maggie: A Girl of the Streets." Several other scholars and writers are discussed including Thomas H. Pauly, Loren Grey, and Jon Tuska. The book "Riders of the Purple Sage," by Zane Grey is also considered.

The article discusses women writers in the late 19th century and the rise of realism in "Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine." The article addresses the novels "A Modern Instance," by W.D. Howells and "Through One Administration," by Frances Hodgson Burnett, both which were serialized in the magazine from December 1881 to October 1882. Both novels dealt with unhappy marriages. The article talks about Burnett's reputation as a children's author. How the male-dominated critical establishment of the 20th century decreased the popularity of Burnett's work is also discussed.

The article explores the theme of theatricality in everyday life in the novel "The Princess Casamassima" by Henry James. The author reflects on the confluence of philanthropy and tourism in London, England and aspects of community that reveal a pageant of social spectacle. The character of Hyacinth Robinson is analyzed in relation to his ties to revolutionary ambitions and the psychology of consumerism. It is suggested that James depicts the limits of realism through the prism of his historical context.

The article focuses on the Neorealism and avantgarde in view of the socio-politic and cultural transformation brought on by "Economic Boom" in Italy. Roberto Rossellini's film "Open City" and Beppe Fenoglio's autobiographical "I ventitre giorni della città di Alba" epitomizes a new progressive and democratic Italy by producing a unitary and heroic vision of people ravaged by war, yet still dignified in their usual sufferings.

The author focuses on the social fiction and criticism of American author William Dean Howells, which the author claims reflect Howells' views of class differences. According to the author, Howells was sympathetic to the concept of democracy, although he was aware of his own social privilege. The author examines Howells' novels "A Hazard of New Fortunes," "The Minister's Charge: Or, the Apprenticeship of Lemuel Baker," and "The World of Chance," discussing the depiction of characters, and the issues of social class, sympathy, and realism in the novels.

The article focuses on work of María Amparo Ruiz de Burton which features Mexican Representation in the American Realist Chronology and begin to investigate how the text distinguishes itself from contemporaneous works and burden of representation in the age of American literary realism.