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DES IDEES NAPOLEONIENNES.* T HAT "the id...
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* Dcs Iddes NapoUonicnncs. Pur LooiB NAP...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Modern Italian Poets. If Italian Pre-Emi...
names belonging to an epoch , within the memory of many , living , form an array sufficiently illustrious- to vindicate the Italian poetry of our age from , the imputation of sterility or decadence . Even in that- form of poetic creation least popular for adapted to . modem ideas and tastes—the Epic * one eannot deny that it has maintained the traditions of greatness by recent achievements deserving to class with the best of recent date in this peculiar province ; one cannot ; but eive due praises for vigorous imagination and sustained majestic harmony to the " San Benedetto" and " Italiade" of Angelo Ricci , —epics produced in 1819 and 1824 , each in twelve cantos and the long octave stanza—in the first of which is worked up the story how the Eenedictine Orobe was founded by its patriarch ; in the second that of Chari / emagne and the fall of the Lombard
Kingdom in Italy , with much admixture of the fictitious and supernatural , but general adherence to historic truth , iaany graphic and glowing descriptions , and , pervading the whole , atone of religious earnestness , a tempered enthusiasm that arrests interest , notwithstanding defects and exaggerations . Nor can a distinguished rank be denied to the epic on the Crusades by Tommaso Gbossi ( deceased 1853 ) , the " Lombards of the First Crusade , " a poem in the same forms and metres as those of Ricei , but much more generally popular , and indeed more of a character to attract general readers . In the lyric form , including the ballad and canzone , since Manzoni has remained silent , after Monti and Pindemonte had been removed by death—both in the same year , 1828—beyond comparison the highest powers , the most spontaneous vigour and vibrating harmony of diction distinguished the effusions of the unhappy and prematurely-removed Leopabdi ( deceased 1837 ) , the l left bPetbabchthe
restorer of the canzone on the perfect mode y , poet of meditative philosophy , hut at the same time of scepticism , whose extraordinary classic learning , enthusiasm in study , and refinement of character in no way counteracted the withering effects of a cheerless , hopeless speculation , that rendered the most gifted imaginative writer belonging by birth to the Papal States ( a strange coincidence !) the representative of a school the most negatively infidel , anti-Christian without philosophic sectarianism , to be found in the whole range of modern Italian letters . Yet who can read his Canzone , particularly those to "Italy" and to Angelo Mai on his discovery of the lost " Republica" of Cicero , without recognising in Leopabdi the best title to the heritage of Petbabch and FitiCAJA in that grandly - comprehensive , peculiarly Italian , but most difficult class of compositions , in which , indeed , since early death cut short that brilliant but mournful career , no master of song has succeeded to Leopaedi with effects that have maintained Italian supremacy iiT the music oi'that lyre . Angelo Mazza ( 181 /) contributed , ~ with more celebrated concurrents , to raise the Italian lyric above that character of fantastic exaggeration and frigid pedantry which had been successful with the false taste of a previous age ; and a restoration to nature and simplicity may be indicated as the special merit of the Italian muse in the present century , to be estimated by the comparison between her gifted cultivators of recent dates with such poets as Fbugoni , Metastasio , Gozzi ( considering the latter merely as the lyrist , not in his superior aspects as the essayist and satirist ) and the Jesuit Bondi , who indeed reduced the once fervid utterances of their country ' s lyre to the extreme of iriguTit y by their academic p 6 lisliT t ' a ^ t ^ leXsncmbTotderyr-aTTd-mea surcd uses of Pagan imagery—showing the fullest results of influences springing from that Academia , the widely ranuliedinstitution Avhieli , professing to foster , has been in reality the bane , of Italian genius . ¦¦ . . ¦ The great revolution shook and overthrew not only powers in the Government , but schools in the literature of this country ; and Monti , Foscolo , Manzoni only expressed the moral result of those momentous eventjs , as contemplated and interpreted by genius . The last and greatest of these poets may be said to have ioundedthe modern school of the Italian Lyric , rendering it the vehicle for though ton high subjects , moral , patriotic , religious , and lorconviclions on truth connected with destiny and duty , in accordance with the lessons of experience , the teaching of realities . The founder also of the historic romances—Manzoni—has , iu this walk , had few to rival , none to equal him ; but in the character of the purely sacred poet , a place beside him seems due to Bobghi , one of the . most gifted contributors to Italian hymnology , who raises his voice in strains , fervent , harmonious , ecstatic , borrowing histheuies directly from revelation , but without the least touch of the dogtnntic or sectarian narrow-mindedness . He is surpassed by Sitvio Peixico in fulness and breadth of treatment , in the largeness of mind that apprehends the religious meanings of life and sorrow without confining itself to abstract contemplation ; and that true-hearted , meekly-suffering poet sought in the annaU of his own country the groundwork on which to weave a tapestry of incidents and personages in those blank-verso romances , where the outline is for the most part historic , events and reflections made subservient to the illustrating of principles ever the best and purest . Montanelli , Ubebti , Dexi / Ongaro , Cabbeb , Poebio , wore w ! n « r poets , sharing public favour utter the aecond period of the present century had opened ; but nmong those whose light shone more -brilliantly were two others—Bkuohet , of whom it is said by Cesaiik Cantu that . Vho , proved poetry may sometimes demand instead of the lyre the trumpet r and Tommaso Gbossi , whose reputaiion was founded not only on Iuh more ambitious enio and a historici romance , Marco Visconti , one of tho most brilliant and vivid in this language , but on a series of Novelle , tales in rhymed utanzaa , exhibiting' superior powers in the pathetic and picturesque combiuings of incident , presented with fuscinating sweetness of language , lesa dependent on historic fact than the metrical romances of Pfxi-ico ,
but still preserving fidelity to manners and social aspects at the epochs in which scenes . are placed . It is observable that Milan and its vicinity , or-the Lombards and their enterprises , have supplied almost exclusively the ground andsubject for the works , both in prose and verse , of ! this author , still one of the most popular in Italy . Mabchetti of Bologna , recently deceased , respected in the career of the public character as well as men of letters , belongs to the class of less widely popular , but esteemed and highly finished writers ; pleasing from the flow of graceful versification , elevated and devout , he attained a degree of excellence in the terze rime , which rises to a tone of the prophetic , with bolder eloquence , in his Notte di Dante , a poem describing the immortal exile at the Monastery of Avellano on the Apennines . It must be owned that much of the
best in recent Italian verse impresses far more by execution than conception , by the diction than by the thought ; and the very suavity of this idiom , that offers so many advantages , has proved a source of dangers , an incentive to jejune efforts , supplying unfortunate facilities or contenting with mediocre achievements . Count Teeenzio Mamiani had acquired fame as a philosophic essayist and poet long before he became celebrated among statesmen of liberal principles ; and it is remarkable how many leaders in the recent public events have belonged to the distinguished ranks in the literature of this country—Massimo d'Azeglio , Fakini , Cibbabio , Gtjebbazzi , Montaneixi , and others . Bather didactic and metaphysical than lyrical or impassioned , Mamiani ' s poetry has not the qualities to ensure extensive popularity , but will continue to charm a more select class—the meditative and earnest ;
like the thoughtful Pindemonte , his is a genius that revolves upon itself , marked stronglv by individuality in its productions , preferring the depth to the tumult of the soul , and commanding admiration by beauties of highly-finished style , as well as originality in meaning . He has given a form that reminds of the Greek ; and his peculiar treatment of the hymn , rendered , indeed , a meditation in blank-verse , addressed to and invoking the memory of some sainted being , earthly martyr , or angelic champion—St . Geobge , the Archangel Raphael , St . Tebentius ( patron of his native city , Pesaro ) . -Slit more interesting , as intellectual signs of the . times , are Mamiani ' s half-historic , blank-verse pieces on the " Primitive Church" whichwhile expressing the sincerity _ of his own religious
, , convictions , eloquently attest the persuasion , now shared by almost all superior minds in * Italy , respecting the profound corruption of Catholicism , and deeply injurious scandals to the religious ^ interest from the worldliness and secular pomposity , still more from the ariti-nationaFpolicy of Rome , the effects of whose procedure and pretensions within recent , years have been alienating and irritating to a decree that might alarm _ any counsellors at the Vatican-capable ol reading what is actually the state of minds in Italy . Since the versatile and acute but sometimes very gross satiric poems of the Abate Casti ( 1803 ) whose " Animali Parlanti" so admirably castigates the errors and vices of despotic government ; whose " Poema L 1 IO & I 1 UIO « . *»» V » ¦ « w « - — - — j ; . fj m ' p 1 i J of and
. Tartaro" holds up , so profoundly ironic , a picture politics society in Russia under Cathebine , no writer in the same wa . k had appeared equal to Giusti ( 1809—50 ) , vyhose pieces , mostly brief , and in various metres , were long eagerly sought m MS . before their publication , under any existing government , was possible ; the Item ^ eiiouncer ^ f ^ yxiiimy-Jiypacrisy , and social falsehood of cvery _ kind , often exquisitely humorous in his exposures of affectation and pretension , Gtosti could strike higher chords with more , thrilling effect ' when the wrongs of Italy , the false systems of her governments , the subjection of religion to worldly interests , were the themes of his indignation . Yet , with his keen sense of the ludicrous , and impatient resentment of wrong , there is a vein ot deep melancholy , a sad reflectiveness , thatseems to throw its shadow over all life ' s picture , like Hamlet ' s , leading to the conclusion that all is " wcarv , stale , flat , and unprofitable , " whence an
undertone , the most opposite to mirthfulness , pervades his writings , better understood and more distinctly pronounced in lnai . hle , prefixed to the first complete edition of these poems , at Florence , lhis volume contains matter ascribed to , but never acknowledged by him , which must qualify our estimate of Giusti , if admitted to be indeed his , being unfortunately open to the gravest objections for blasphemous levity—a fault not found in any avowed productions by this admired and dreaded satirist , who habitually maintains respect for silent , unaffected virtues , and , though severe against tho abuses , allows himself no licence implying hostility against the principles of first
or doctrines of Christianity , In 1840 , a volume lyrics attracted more permanent attention to a poet already known for the ephemeral successes of improvisation—Regoldi , who has since continued among the popular writers of Piedmont ; and having travelled much over Italy and the East , has taken his themes , like another OniLDE Harold , from various sites and local memories , ^ iot without fervour of feeling and language , sometimes rising into Harmonious grandeur . But two years previously had appeared the first volume , " Canzone and Idylls , " from one destined to outshine all living competitors ( Manzoni certainly excepted ) , and assume incontestable rank as t he poet of the day in this country ^ -Giovanni Pbati . native of the Italian Tyrol .
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Des Idees Napoleoniennes.* T Hat "The Id...
DES IDEES NAPOLEONIENNES . * T HAT " the ideas of ' Napoleonic" deserve ' peculiar ""^^ J- at the present time we readily concede to tho editor , who has been careful to supply us with a London edition of t »> o work of Louis Napoleon which he issued from Carlton Terrace in tho yeaivl 8 S » .
* Dcs Iddes Napouonicnncs. Pur Looib Nap...
* Dcs Iddes NapoUonicnncs . Pur LooiB NAPOLKON K onapautb . Avoo un AvertisBoment do 1 'Bditcur . J . ondrea : W . Jeffs .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), May 26, 1860, page 13, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_26051860/page/13/
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