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Alessandro Manzoni Biography

Name: Alessandro Manzoni Birth Date: March 5, .56) Death Date: .657 Nationality: /talian Gender: Male Occ pations: riter

! rther Reading
8 +he recommended translation of Manzoni's masterpiece, The Betrothed, is "y Archi"ald -ol9uhoun :.;).<= it is complete and very reada"le and has the advantage of "eing "ased on Manzoni's last revised te>t! ?oseph Francis de 2imone, Alessandro Manzoni: Esthetics and Literary Criticism :.;@*<, gives the most comprehensive $nglish revie of Manzoni scholarship and attempts to situate the artist in the literary environment of his time! Ather studies are Archi"ald -ol9uhoun, Manzoni and His Times :.;)@<, and Bernard %all, Alessandro Manzoni :.;)@<! 8 -ol9uhoun, Archi"ald, Manzoni and his times: a biography of the author of The Betrothed ! promessi sposi", %estport, -onn!: 1yperion Bress, .;5;!

"ncyclopedia of #orld Biography Biography

Alessandro Manzoni :.56)#.657< rote ! promessi sposi, or The Betrothed, /taly's most idely read novel! 1is orks signaled the uni9ue direction of /talian romanticism! Alessandro Manzoni as "orn in Milan on March 5, .56)! 1is parents, elderly -ount Bietro and young ,iulia, separated shortly after his "irth! $ducated at religious schools, Manzoni

su"se9uently Coined his mother in Baris, here she as living! /n that cosmopolitan atmosphere, im"ued ith the ideas of the $nlightenment, Manzoni came in contact ith many of the great minds of $urope! 1is poems from this period include DAn the 4eath of -arlo /m"onatiD :.6(*<, a contemplative elegy reflecting genuine fondness for his mother's Barisian lover! Manzoni's Brotestant marriage to $nrichetta Blondel in .6(6 as reconsecrated according to Roman -atholic rites in .6.(! Although many have spoken of his Dconversion,D it ould "e more appropriate to state that Manzoni outgre his early anticlericalism and matured intellectually during the gradual return to his traditional faith! 1is !nni sacri :#acred Hymns< constitutes the artistic representation of this rekindled spirit! +hese hymns, intended to commemorate -hristian holidays, indicate Manzoni's desire to D"ring those great, no"le, human sentiments "ack to the fold of religion from hich they stem!D Although he had planned .' hymns, only ) ere completed: D+he ResurrectionD :.6.'<, D+he Eame of MaryD :.6.'#.6.7<, D-hristmasD :.6.7<, D+he BassionD :.6.@#.6.)<, and DBentecostD :.6.5<, of hich the last is considered artistically most successful! /n all these are found Manzoni's $nlightenment vie s on human e9uality and the "rotherhood of nations fused ith the "elief that religion and the -hurch have "enefited mankind! Dramatic #orks Manzoni's study of theater history, especially the orks of 2hakespeare in French translation, a oke in him the possi"ility of pursuing truth through dramatic orks "ased on psychological realism! 1e sought plausi"le tragedies ith protagonists hose sufferings ould cause the vie er to meditate on life and the transcendent forces at ork upon man! /nsisting that such orks must stem from reality and history##not from farfetched plots or actions##Manzoni rote t o important verse plays! The Count of Carmagnola :.6'(< treats the Renaissance /talian arrior ho, unfairly accused of "etrayal, as condemned to death! 1o ever, in presenting this instance of e>treme inCustice that ould emotionally move the spectator, he neglected character development in the count! Manzoni's preface to this play offered historical "ackground and distinguished "et een invented and real characters in the "elief that the essence of poetry lay in the reconstruction of the moral truths of history, not in the invention of detail or character! Faulted for disregarding the traditional dramatic unities, Manzoni rote a lengthy defense, D0etter to M! -hauvet on the Fnities of +ime and Blace ithin the +ragedyD :.6'(<, in hich he held that all o"stacles to the plausi"ility of a play :for e>ample, o"edience to classical rules< must "e discarded! 1is ne>t play, Adelchi :.6''<, omitted the prefatory historical clarifications, "ut Manzoni appended a commentary that provided the factual "asis for this play on Adelchi, a 0om"ard prince compelled to age ar against -harlemagne! +he essence of the drama concerns the inner conflict of the protagonist, torn "et een desires for revenge and -hristian reconciliation, a dilemma posed "y -harlemagne's repudiation of Brincess $rmengarda, Adelchi's sister! 2et in 5''#55@, this tragedy, lamenting political factionalism, stirred .;th#century /talians "eset "y similar civil strife! Manzoni's 9uest for artistic truth as evidenced in numerous theoretical orks, especially his letter of 2ept! '7, .6'7, to -esare d'Azeglio, hich clarifies Manzoni's vie s on hat romanticism should "e! ReCecting several literary clichGs :among them the presence of itches and ghosts, the idolatrous use of mythology, and the servile imitation of foreign riters<, Manzoni developed a romanticism that as fundamentally religious in feeling and held that a study of real things could lead to the discovery of historical and moral truths! +his conception, differing greatly from that of other $uropean romantics, "rought Manzoni much closer to the realists of the follo ing generation!

I promessi sposi Manzoni "egan his masterpiece in .6'7= it appeared after several revisions and title changes as ! promessi sposi :.6'5<! A are of linguistic and other shortcomings, he dedicated the ne>t .7 years almost e>clusively to recasting this long novel, hich achieved definitive form in .6@(! +his ork, in hich Manzoni assumes the role of editor of a discovered manuscript, affords him ample opportunity to reconstruct historically the events and circumstances of early#.5th#century /taly and to give literary e>pression to his vie of history and man! +he plot consists of the persistent attempts of 0ucia and Renzo to marry despite the o"stacles posed "y the lustful, corrupt no"leman 4on Rodrigo, hose machinations separate the young lovers and e>pose them to fre9uently melodramatic travails! Anly at the end, hen Manzoni has demonstrated that a firm faith in ,od can alleviate man's sufferings, does he eliminate the evil Rodrigo via the plague and permit Renzo and 0ucia to marry in their native village, here they resume their interrupted lives ' years later! +his mere summary cannot pay ade9uate tri"ute to Manzoni's su"tle irony, satirical it, historical kno ledge, and e>traordinary a"ility to create "oth maCor and minor characters to populate the universe that he so credi"ly "rings to life! Manzoni's important role in /talian letters stems from his discovery of a national prose language, his creation of the first modern /talian novel, and his giving literary e>pression to nascent nationalistic ideals! +hese triumphs overshado the polemics surrounding the interpretations of religion and society in this ork, in hich Manzoni truly succeeded in capturing the spiritual essence of his nation