...Globalization and the Internet are smothering cultural regionalism, that sense of place that flourished in simpler times. These two villains are also prime suspects in the death of reading. Or so alarming reports about our homogenous and dumbed-down culture would have it, but as this book shows...

... had thought would kill it off. This introductory chapter sets out the book's primary claims. First, cultural regionalism, and regional literature in particular, is flourishing. Second, a reading class, habitual readers of print with a distinct demographic profile, has emerged from the general public...

...This chapter looks at Italy, a country that presents a paradox: political, economic, and cultural regionalism are intense, yet literary regionalism is surprisingly weak. The Italian case reveals the types of structural and political filters that, despite favorable cultural conditions, can prevent...