stylistic aspects of Operettas moral lessons along the lines of American I. Calvin: Report of G. Report by M. Mancinelli LEOPARDI LESSONS AND AMERICAN
Reading "American Lessons" by Italo Calvino simultaneously with the "moral Operetta" by Giacomo Leopardi, I had the impression that the poet had written Marche his work following the advice given by Calvin in his lectures.
Obviously this is impossible, but it is clear that Calvin has written the lessons in mind the style of Leopardi. Lessons in fact there are many calls by both the Calvin Zibaldone and other writings of the poet Marche, this brief report will attempt to highlight the points where "Lightness", "Speed" and other aspects of style counsel by Calvin future writers emerge with greater relevance in their Operetta
Before doing this we summarize briefly the "Memos".
genesis of
On June 6, 1984 Calvin was invited by 'Harvard University to give a series of six lectures that
traditionally take place during the' academic year : The Charles Eliot Norton Lectures Poetry.
Calvin wrote about it on the five themes of "Lightness", the "Speed", the 'accuracy' of
"Visibility" and "Multiplicity" (the sixth was to write in America).
He was preparing to leave when a stroke killed him.
The conference summed up, in theory, all the concerns and interests of Calvin writer, essayist
, engaged intellectual.
scholars are full of references and show the whole training (studies, readings, etc.) the writer of Genoa.
analyzed for the themes presented by Calvin highlighting how these are reflected in the "moral Operettas".
"Lightness"
Calvino devotes the first lessons of American light-weight opposition, claiming to support the reasons for the lightness, the lightness in what he thinks of having "more to say." His work as a writer was in fact a subtraction of weight, he tried to remove weight especially for the structures of narrative and language. For Calvin then the lightness is a value that he recognizes in past works, see this in the current and projected into the future.
He says that at the beginning of his writing the "categorical imperative" was to represent their company. As soon as the young writer tried to follow this rule noticed that there was a huge gap between the facts of the world and its desire to offer an agile and sharp style. To overcome this hurdle Calvin compares himself to Perseus: " The only hero able to cut off Medusa's head is Perseus, who flies with winged sandals, who does not turn his gaze on the face of the Gorgon but only on its reflection in the bronze shield. Thus Perseus comes to my aid at this very moment, while I was already captivated by the grip of stone, as happens to me every time I try a historical-autobiographical. Better to let the My speech composed of images of mythology. To cut off Medusa's head without being turned to stone, Perseus supports himself on what is lighter, winds and clouds, and fixes his gaze on what can be revealed only by indirect vision, an image captured by a mirror. Now I feel the temptation to see this myth as an allegory of the poet's relationship with the world, a lesson in the method to follow when writing. "
Leopardi in his operettas are issues that are dearest to him: the man's relationship with history, with its kind and, in particular with the nature of a personal vision which Leopardi mature philosophical comparison between the values \u200b\u200bof the past and this static situation, and degenerate, and the illusions of power, glory and boredom. The "Lightness" in dealing with these issues is almost a must to make pleasant reading for an audience as broad as possible, we must admit that the poet has achieved his goal as, for example, in the "dialogue of Torquato Tasso his familiar spirit "Torquato longs for Eleanor and the Genie will meet the promises it to him in dreams, even after having said that we should not idealize women too, because they are not angels but human, and that among the real things and things you dream there's no difference, rather than dreaming of being by far the sweetest and most beautiful than they can ever be real ones. The three topics are therefore those concerning the consistency of the true nature of pleasure and boredom. After the conversation of two characters the reader expects a final containing some theory about the topics, instead Leopardi ends the dialogue with Nihilism, but lightly.
rate. Goodbye. But listen. Your conversation comforted me very well. She does not stop my sadness, but for the most part this time is like a very dark night without moon or stars, while I am with you, looks like the dark of twilight, rather grateful that annoying. Lest from now on I will call you or find when he wants, tell me where you usually live.
Genius. Have not you known? In some generous liquor.
"Speed"
Regarding the second issue addressed by Calvin, or the speed, its explicit reference to Leopardi, the writer mentions it when the Genoese Zibaldone develops his reflections on speed and get to talk about the style : "The rapidity and brevity of style because it has the soul like a crowd of ideas Simultaneous succedentesi so quickly that seem simultaneous, and are waving the soul in such an abundance of thoughts, feelings and spiritual imaginativeness, she or is not able to embrace them all, and each fully, or do not have time to stay idle, and has no feelings. The power of poetic style, which largely one and the same rapidity, it is not pleasant for other than for these effects, and is not in another. The excitement of ideas simultaneously, and can be derived from each isolated word, or his or metaphorical, and their location, and by the turn of phrase, and the same suppression of other words or phrases (November 3, 1821). " Obviously these considerations are exemplified in the overall design of all operettas, but one in particular the theme of time and speed, I think, is a very special space. I refer to the dialogue of Frederick Ruysch and his Mummies : quest'operetta addresses the theme of death. Frederick Ruysch is a scientist who holds the mummies inside his lab. One night feels when you step in the mummies that sing a hymn to death. He learns that you fall in the year that allows mathematical died a short time to speak and answer questions live. In this' operetta, we note that Leopardi addressing the issue of death, through the characters of the dialogue in a very limited period of time (the mummies can answer questions for one quarter of an hour), he nevertheless manages to provide its view Ruysch calls to the dead which were in fact the feelings, thoughts I have in the time of death. It is well to know that dying people does not feel fear or pain, but also relief and a sort of languid pleasure
Ruysch. So what is death, if not pain? Dead. pleasure rather than anything else. Know that dying, like falling asleep, not is done in an instant, but gradually. It is true that these degrees are more or less, more or less, depending on the variety of causes and kinds of death. In the last of such moments, the death does not bear any sorrow or pleasure, or even as you sleep. In other precedents can not generate pain because pain is a living thing, and the human senses at that time, that is begun which is death, are dying, that is to say, extremely attenuated forces. It may well be the cause of pleasure, because pleasure is not always a living thing, and indeed perhaps the most beloved human consist of some sort of languor. So that man's senses are capable of pleasure also in extinction, since very often the same languor and pleasure, especially when it frees you from suffering, because you know that the cessation of any pain or discomfort, and pleasure for herself. So the languor of death should be more grateful that frees man from the second most suffering. For me, if the hour of death is not well positioned very carefully to what I felt because I was forbidden by doctors to tire the brain, but I remember that the way they felt, was not very different from the pleasure which is caused to men from the languor of sleep, over time you are asleep.
The other deaths. Even as we seem to remember.
So Leopardi is the subject of death very quickly, remember that mummies remain awake for only a quarter of an hour, and writes quest'operetta so that the player uses just one quarter of an hour to read it all. In addition to a quick example of the dialogue Frederick Ruysch and his Mummies can also be an example of the next issue which will be discussed, the accuracy.
"Accuracy"
Regarding this point, which we quote directly Calvin lists three key points to define "accuracy"
... Accuracy means to me three main things: 1) a design work well defined and well-calculated, 2) the evocation of visual images sharp, incisive, memorable, [...] 3) a language as precise as possible as vocabulary and yield shades of thought and imagination. "
reading these points you may think at first that Leopardi, also nicknamed "the poet of vagueness" can not be the model defined by Calvin as a writer, in fact Zibaldone Leopardi praises of the vagus: "The words out, ancient, and the like are poetical and pleasing, because ideas are of vast and undefined, and not determinable and confused " (September 25, 1821).
Actually Leopardi knows very well how determine the ideas about the vague, is explained in a statement echoed by Calvin Zibaldone. To enjoy the beauty of the vague and indeterminate attention is required very precise composition of each image, in elaborating the details and so on. Calvin says it "The poet of the vagus may be only the poet of
precision. "
said this is known as the Leopards have a clear and precise in each of his operettas, also the evocation of images and characters is perfect, and when there is an explicit reference to a historical figure , eg. Christopher Columbus, is when the characters mentioned are pure fantasy, I can think of fashion and the Dialogue of death.
"Visibility" and "Multiplicity"
Calvin moved in this way, the choice to include the "Visibility" in his essay:
"If I have included the visibility on my list of values \u200b\u200bto be saved is to warn of the danger of losing that we are running a basic human right: the power to focus on visions with closed eyes, to colors and shapes emerge from the alignment of blacks alphabetic characters on a white page, to think in pictures. "
"However, all the" reality "and" fantasy "can take shape only through writing, in which exterior and interior, world and I, experience and imagination appear to consist Minutes of the same matter "
This reminds us of the ability to read and analyze what happens to people, nature etc. and then build a representation. In Operettas Leopardi demonstrates that he looked very well nature and that he got an idea about the relationship between her and the man in the "Dialogue of Nature and an Icelander. This dialogue was written in 1824 and addresses the theme of the nodal nature that is personified and described as a large woman standing with her face and half between the beautiful and terrible. Leopardi lies in the nature the equator and it is here that a meeting between the two, the first Icelandic explains why native land, and then fleeing from nature, it abandoned the other men in his opinion that Iceland is a country hardly habitable. The dialogue between the two ends with the nature of man which explains its indifference towards the human race:
Nature. Perhaps you imagined that the world was made because of you? We now know that the invoices, orders and operations of mine, trattone very few, and I always had the intention to anything but the happiness or unhappiness of men. When I offended you in any way and with what it is half, I do not n'avveggo me, if not very rarely: as, ordinarily, if I pleasure or benefit you, I do not know, and I did not, as you believe, as these things or not those fo these actions, for pleasure or benefit you. And finally, if I happen to pay off your whole species, I will not avvedrei.
In this dialogue, then, in addition to being clear how the Leopards face shape to their imaginations, it also shows the ability to " connection between the facts, among people, between things of the world. " that is what he means Calvin when he speaks of multiplicity.
