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Experimental Criticism

Franco Moretti and Literature
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Brief Description
Experimental Criticism offers a series of close critical engagements with Franco Moretti, one of the world’s most innovative literary thinkers. Moretti is the author of, among other works, Signs Taken for Wonders, Modern Epic, and Graphs, Maps, Trees. He is perhaps best known for his computational... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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A fascinating guide to Franco Moretti's literary criticism

A fascinating guide to Franco Moretti’s literary criticism

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Experimental Criticism offers a series of close critical engagements with Franco Moretti, one of the world’s most innovative literary thinkers. Moretti is the author of, among other works, Signs Taken for Wonders, Modern Epic, and Graphs, Maps, Trees. He is perhaps best known for his computational ‘distant reading’ of vast numbers of literary texts at the Stanford Literary Lab.

In this book, Francesco de Cristofaro and Stefano Ercolino lead a lively exploration of Moretti’s protean, experimental approach to literary criticism. Topics range from evolutionary theory and the sociology of literary forms to world literature and the Digital Humanities. A concluding part is dedicated to one of Moretti’s most prized research objects: the novel.

Experimental Criticism recovers Moretti’s origins on the Italian Trotskyist Left and is enriched by essays from Moretti himself on Lukács’s Theory of the Novel and the tension between ‘close’ and ‘distant’ reading. “Why study literature?”, Moretti asks. For the pleasure of reducing complex things to their simple elements. To bring them back to earth.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781804295076

Publisher: Verso Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 27 January 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Verso Books

Contributors:

  • Translated by Richard Braude
  • Edited by Francesco de Cristofaro
  • Edited by Stefano Ercolino
  • Contributions by Federico Bertoni
  • Contributions by Jérôme David
  • Contributions by Giuseppe Episcopo
  • Contributions by Francesco Fiorentino
  • Contributions by Françoise Lavocat
  • Contributions by Franco Moretti

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 267g

Pages: 288

Collections

Arts & Culture Non-Fiction

About the Author

Francesco de Cristofaro teaches comparative literature at the University of Naples Federico II. He is the author of Zoo di romanzi (Zoo of Novels), Letterature comparate (Comparative Literature) and La palla al balzo (Leaping at the Chance).

Stefano Ercolino teaches literary theory and comparative literature at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. His books include The Maximalist Novel, The Novel-Essay and Empatia negativa (Negative Empathy).

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