The Betrothed (Manzoni novel)
The Betrothed (Italian: I promessi sposi Italian: [i proˈmessi ˈspɔːzi]) is an Italian historical novel by Alessandro Manzoni, first published in 1827, in three volumes, and significantly revised and rewritten until the definitive version published between 1840 and 1842. It has been called the most famous and widely read novel in the Italian language.[1]
Author
I promessi sposi
Charles Swan
Lombardy, 1628–30
1827 (first version)
1842 (revised version)
(Title pages give wrong dates because of delays in publication)
1828
720
853.72
PQ4714.A2
I promessi sposi at Italian Wikisource
The Betrothed at Wikisource
Set in the Duchy of Milan in 1628, during the years of Spanish rule, the novel is also noted for its extraordinary description of the plague that struck Milan around 1630.
The novel deals with a variety of themes, for example: the illusory nature of political power and the inherent injustice of any legal system; the range of character among the Christian clergy from the cowardice of the parish priest Don Abbondio to the heroic sanctity of others (the friar Padre Cristoforo, the cardinal Federico Borromeo); and the unwavering strength of love (the relationship between Renzo and Lucia, and their struggle to finally meet again and be married). The novel is renowned for offering keen insights into the meanderings of the human mind.
Writing and publication[edit]
Manzoni found the basis for his novel in 1821 when he read a 1627 Italian edict that specified penalties for any priest who refused to perform a marriage when requested to do so.[2] More material for his story came from Giuseppe Ripamonti's Milanese Chronicles.[1]
The first version, Fermo e Lucia, was written between April 1821 and September 1823.[3] He then heavily revised it, finishing in August 1825; it was published on 15 June 1827, after two years of corrections and proof-checking. Manzoni's chosen title, Gli sposi promessi, was changed for the sake of euphony shortly before its final commitment to printing.
In the early 19th century, there was still controversy as to what form the standard literary language of Italy should take. Manzoni was firmly in favour of the dialect of Florence and, as he himself put it, after "washing his clothes in the Arno [the river passing through Florence]", he revised the novel's language for its republication in 1842, cleansing it of many Lombard regionalisms. The original name of one of the protagonists, Fermo, was changed for the same reason to Lorenzo.
Significance[edit]
The novel is commonly described as "the most widely read work in the Italian language."[5] It became a model for subsequent Italian literary fiction.[5] Scholar Sergio Pacifici states that no other Italian literary work, with the exception of the Divine Comedy, "has been the object of more intense scrutiny or more intense scholarship."[5]
Many Italians believe that the novel is not fully appreciated abroad.[5] In Italy the novel is considered a true masterpiece of world literature and a basis for the modern Italian language,[6] and as such is widely studied in Italian secondary schools (usually in the second year, when students are 15). Many expressions, quotes and names from the novel are still commonly used in Italian, such as Perpetua (meaning a priest's house worker) or Questo matrimonio non s'ha da fare ("This marriage is not to be performed", used ironically).
The novel is not only about love and power: the great questions about evil, about innocents suffering, are the underlying theme of the book. The chapters 31–34, about the famine and the plague, are a powerful picture of material and moral devastation. Manzoni does not offer simple answers but leaves those questions open for the reader to meditate on.[7] The main idea, proposed throughout the novel, is that, against the many injustices that they suffer in their life, the poor can only hope, at best, in a small anticipation of the divine justice, which can be expected in its entirety only in the afterlife: therefore life should be lived with faith and endurance, in the expectation of a reward in the afterlife.
The Betrothed has similarities with Walter Scott's historic novel Ivanhoe, although evidently distinct.[8]
I promessi sposi was made into an opera of the same name by Amilcare Ponchielli[9] in 1856 and by Errico Petrella[10] in 1869. There have been many film versions of I promessi sposi, including I promessi sposi (1908),[11] The Betrothed (1941)[12] The Betrothed (1990),[13] and Renzo and Lucia, made for television in 2004.[14] A "modern opera" version, called The Betrothed Lovers, was written and produced by Michele Guardi with music by Pippo Flora, and first performed in 2010.
In May 2015, at a weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis asked engaged couples to read the novel for edification before marriage.[15]
The novel has been adapted into films on several occasions including:
