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Italian literature
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Side-profile portrait of Italian poet Dante Alighieri, shown in medieval clothing and a cap with a laurel wreath. St. Francis of Assisi
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Side-profile portrait of Italian poet Dante Alighieri, shown in medieval clothing and a cap with a laurel wreath.
Dante Portrait of Italian poet Dante Alighieri.

Italian literature

Written by
Giovanni Carsaniga
Professor of Italian, University of Sydney, Australia.
Giovanni CarsanigaAll
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Italian literature, the body of written works produced in the Italian language that had its beginnings in the 13th century. Until that time nearly all literary work composed in Europe during the Middle Ages was written in Latin. Moreover, it was predominantly practical in nature and produced by writers trained in ecclesiastical schools. Literature in Italian developed later than literature in French and Provençal, the languages of the north and south of France, respectively. Only...

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