Abstract: Starting from synthetic and cursory observations on the dynamics that define the role of translated literature within a semiotic system developed by Lotman and Even-Zohar, this contribution examines the case of translation in Italy at the turning point of the 18th century and the debate on the function of translations in the development of national culture.
Keywords: semiotics, Leopardi, Goethe, Foscolo, debates on translation, Giordani, Di Breme, Madame de Staël, translations of sepulchral poetry
