Il saggio come genere letterario della modernità

The article is dedicated to the essay, the reasons for its statement and the analysis of its structure and purpose, studied in their connections with the main social and cultural phenomena that have characterized modernity. The traits that its founder - universally recognized in Montaigne - and the great vitality, which is revealed in its extraordinary adaptability to the communicative tools of modernity, primarily the periodical press, and in its capacity to contaminate themselves with other literary genres. The structure and purpose of the essay are further clarified through a comparison with the treatise, which has significantly different characteristics. In the conclusions, the author evaluates the possible evolutions of this literary genre in the scenarios determined by the crisis of traditional publishing and the affirmation of new communication environments, especially those based on new digital technologies.