This introduction lays the foundation for a thorough engagement with the phenomenon of 'literature' in general and Italian literature in particular. It enables a scientific approach to literature and opens pathways to literary scholarly thinking and work. Its aim is to reflect on the multifaceted contexts in which literature exists and to sharpen the focus on central aspects of study: the interactions between literature and historical processes, literature as art and as part of human communication, which has always included rhetoric, and the question of literary genres. To this end, the introduction illustrates various possibilities for one of the most intriguing tasks of literary studies, text analysis and interpretation, through numerous text examples.