Atene nella letteratura di viaggio del primo Novecento

In contrast to the rise of naturalist currents in the late 19th century, also in anti-symbolist function, Maurras and Barrès devote attention to the cultural traditions of Europe, rediscovering, in their travel reports, the value and meaning of the Classic. The two writers set themselves to deduce this concept from the comparison between the archaeological remains, the ancient texts and the cultural and political needs of their present. Through their reflections, they strive to determine both the ontological roots of ancient art and the possibility of applying them to a political vision of the future, without yet calling into question those aberrant or rigidly ideological perspectives that would later compromise the reception of their best works.