The Betrothed
The Betrothed

Author: Alessandro Manzoni

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2024-09-03

Total Pages: 705

ISBN-13: 0812978811

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Italy’s greatest novel and a masterpiece of world literature, The Betrothed chronicles the unforgettable romance of Renzo and Lucia, who endure tyranny, war, famine, and plague to be together. Published in 1827 but set two centuries earlier, against the tumultuous backdrop of seventeenth-century Lombardy during the Thirty Years’ War, The Betrothed is the story of two peasant lovers who want nothing more than to marry. Their region of northern Italy is under Spanish occupation, and when the vicious Spaniard Don Rodrigo blocks their union in an attempt to take Lucia for himself, the couple must struggle to persevere against his plots—which include false charges against Renzo and the kidnapping of Lucia by a robber baron called the Unnamed—while beset by the hazards of war, bread riots, and a terrifying outbreak of bubonic plague. First and foremost a love story, the novel also weaves issues of faith, justice, power, and truth into a sweeping epic in the tradition of Ivanhoe, Les Misérables, and War and Peace. Groundbreakingly populist in its day and hugely influential to succeeding generations, Alessandro Manzoni’s masterwork has long been considered one of Italy’s national treasures. Translated by Archibald Colquhoun

The Betrothed
The Betrothed

Author: Alessandro Manzoni

Publisher: CONVIVIVM

Published: 1898

Total Pages: 633

ISBN-13:

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The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi) is a famous Italian novel written by Alessandro Manzoni in the 19th century. It is considered one of the greatest works of Italian literature and an important masterpiece of European fiction. The novel tells the story of two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, who live in a small town in Lombardy, Italy. Their plans to marry are thwarted by the cruel and powerful Don Rodrigo, who desires Lucia for himself. The story takes place during a period of famine, war, and plague, and the couple faces many challenges as they try to reunite and build a life together. The novel explores themes of love, faith, social justice, and the human condition. It also provides a rich historical and cultural portrayal of life in 17th-century Italy, with vivid descriptions of customs, traditions, and everyday life. "I Promessi Sposi" has been widely translated and adapted for stage and screen, and it remains a beloved classic of Italian literature. It has been praised for its realistic and compassionate depiction of ordinary people, and for its ability to capture the spirit of a tumultuous period in Italian history. Overall, "I Promessi Sposi" is a must-read for anyone interested in Italian literature, historical fiction, or simply a compelling story of love and resilience in the face of adversity.

On the Historical Novel
On the Historical Novel

Author: Alessandro Manzoni

Publisher: U of Nebraska Press

Published: 1996-01-01

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 9780803282261

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Alessandro Manzoni was a giant of nineteenth-century European literature whose I promessi sposi (The Betrothed, 1928) is ranked with War and Peace as marking the summit of the historical novel. Manzoni wrote “Del romanzo storico” (“On the Historical Novel”) during the twenty years he spent revising I promessi sposi. This first English translation of On the Historical Novel reflects the insights of a great craftsman and the misgivings of a profound thinker. It brings up to the nineteenth century the long war between poetry and history, tracing the idea of the historical novel from its origins in classical antiquity. It declares the historical novel—and presumably I promessi sposi itself—dead as a genre. Or perhaps it justifies I promessi sposi as the climax of a genre and the end of a stage of human consciousness. Its importance lies both in its prospective and in its retrospective contributions to literary debate.