Dr. Walsh`s research interests are 18th- and 19th-century Italian literature, Italian theater, canon formation, literary histories, self-promotion and periodical culture. She is currently working on a book project on Ugo Foscolo and his quest to become one of the foremost Italian tragedians of the period. Rachel is also working on a critical edition of the Arcadian Academy`s manifesto La bellezza della volgar poesia (1700).