This book presents the theoretical framework and a selection of essays from the Italian experimental movement known as the Mediology of Literature. Emerging in Italy, this movement draws from the foundational theories of Walter Benjamin (on collective imagination, the perception of space and time, subjectivity, technologies, media, and the evolution of the arts and aesthetics) and Marshall McLuhan (on how media transform the environment, perception, consciousness, and imaginaries, as well as the conflicts arising from the acceleration of mediamorphosis). Central to the mediology of literature is its interpretation of literary texts (as well as works of mainstream and serial art) in relation to the flow of communication. Parallel to the broader development of mediology—which examines the media environment as a key factor in cultural and societal transformations—this new approach to literature has gained prominence over the past two decades. The essays featured in this book cover a wide range of topics, offering not only fresh theoretical insights but also delving into new dimensions of thought. Together, they represent a substantial shift in perspective, challenging the traditional approach to literary studies, which often treats literature as a separate, specialized field. Instead, the volume introduces a new type of criticism that is part of a broader process of understanding the development of media and culture. This approach integrates the human and social sciences, providing a more holistic and interdisciplinary framework for the study of literature.

Giovanni Ragone is Full Professor of Media Studies at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. His research focuses on the ties between media, arts, literatures and imaginary, education, publishing, advertising, digital heritage, technologies and communication of cultural heritage. His works include Introduzione alla sociologia della letteratura (1996), Un secolo di libri (1999), L’editoria in Italia. Storia e scenari per il XXI secolo (2005), Classici dietro le quinte (2009), I cantieri della memoria (2011), Lo spettacolo della fine. Le catastrofi ambientali nell’immaginario e nei media (2012), Radici della sociologia dell'immaginario (2015), Analogie 3. Il medium pubblicità (2015), Transluoghi. Storytelling, beni culturali, turismo esperienziale (2016), Per la mediologia della letteratura (2019), Mediologia e serialità (nella letteratura e oltre) (2021), Sulla genesi del medium romanzo (2021), Serialità e media. Tracce per una teoria (2023), and Serial Fiction in the Western World: History and Theory (2026).

Antonio Rafele is Professor of Media Studies at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, and a Research Fellow at University Paris–Sorbonne, France. His research focuses on modernity, visual culture, and the intersections between literature, cinema, and media. His publications include La métropole, Benjamin et Simmel (2010), Representations of Fashion (2013), Qui è il mio spazio: Media e Romanticismo (2023), Lacrime di vetro: Arte e vita nervosa (2024), and Serial Fiction in the Western World: History and Theory (2026).