Parere sulla istituzione di un giornale letterario (Opinion on the foundation of a literary journal)

In February 1815 Foscolo agreed to meet figures from the Austrian government in secret to decide on the possibility of publishing a literary journal, in the midst of a threatening political climate created by the discovery of a plot that had involved many of the writer's friends between December 1814 and January 1815.

The aim of the Austrian government was to favour the transition to the new regime with the participation of intellectuals by creating an opportunity for discussion that involved different social and cultural forces.

Foscolo's participation in the planning stage of the initiative (from which “Biblioteca Italiana” was born), which was halted abruptly by the author's departure for Switzerland, is one of the most controversial parts of his life story. The Austrian chose the author because of the independence Foscolo had shown in the years of Napoleonic rule and his constant assumption of critical positions of the literary figures subjugated to France; at this time Foscolo also enjoyed international prestige. It is more difficult to comprehend Foscolo's decision to accept the proposal, which inevitably exposed him to accusations of betrayal and compliance with the Austrian government.

Parere is another stage in the poet's reflections on the role of literature and the relationship between the literary figure and the world of power; it resumes the polemic against the pro-French literary figures during the Napoleonic years, criticizing the compliant magazines that had made literature mercenary. Then it reiterates, in more general and moderate terms compared to the Pavia lectures, literature's role in social mediation, "calming passions" and "directing opinions to calm and tranquillity". So literature's role is to infuse harmony into social relations, teaching citizens to reflect and be balanced.