In the midst of this turmoil loomed Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837). With craving for beauty, love and glory, with seething men tality, soaring imagination; this solitary soul, without faith or the consolations of religion, beats and breaks his wings on the iron bars of his spiritual prison-house. One by one all ideals, all aspirations drop from him; virtue, love, patriotism crumble; a poet's heart is des olate, empty, despairing; each new pang, each bitter disillusion evokes a poem. (Le Ricor danze' is the mournful story of love unattain able, 'Consalvo' and
Canto di
voice the deepest agony; welcome death is the only refuge from the torments of cruel love. Leopardi does not reproach God, he ignores Him. Brute Nature, II bruto Poter cue a comun danno impera, is the enemy. In
Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873) wrote two tragedies, and (Aclelchi,) ad mired for their resounding verse; and his Sacri) are true hymns of Christian faith; but Manzoni's fame is founded on his novel
Manzoni and Ippolito Nievo will always be contrasted, as will 'I Promissi Sposi,' and
The romantic tragedy was attempted by Giovan Battista Niccolini. His 'Arnaldo da
Brescia) is an epic of symbols ringing with war trumpets, rather than a play. Italy is here represented by Arnaldo, the papal power by Pope Adrian, and imperial tyranny by Federigo III. Patriotism also inspires the poetry of Berchet, Giusti, Carlo Porta and Poerio. Gioacchino Belli (1791-1863) is a master of humorous and patriotic poetry; his sonnets sound the inextinguishable laughter of the Roman people; the tavern and street corner, the priest and Pope, the mendicant and parasite all pass by, as he unrolls his panorama; it is Life,— Roman life. The poetry of Giovanni Pratt and Aleardo Aleardi fanned a flickering flame into the dying embers of romanticism, Giacomo Zanella was applauded for his short poem (Sopra una conchiglia fossile;) but soon these pale stars were extinguished by the ris ing sun of Carducci's classic splendor; and romanticism fled from Italian literature when Nationalism, the patriotic purpose which in spired it, was attained. Though true as repre senting a psychic moment, aromanticism)) was false as a representation of Italian tempera ment.
Third Period.—After the occupation of Rome as the capital of Italy (1870) — fulfil ment of hope long deferred,— Italians faced many discouraging political, social and financial problems incident to the amalgamation of many petty states into one united kingdom. Litera ture reflected this moment of peculiar per plexity. In Giosue Carducci Tersa Italia found its voice; his soul was the soul of the people, his genius the genius of his race; the classicism, earnestness, patriotism of his poetry, are those of the complete and complex Italiano; 'juve is purely classic, 'Levis Gravia' is not free from foreign reminiscence, in (Decennalia) and %iambi ed are the impulses of Juvenal, the grandiloquence of Hugo; 'Rime i Nuove) is the greatest poetry of modern Italy, and is composed in every variety of metre; Barbare,) so-called on account of their pseudo-classic metre, are classic reconstruc tions; 'Ca ira) is an approach to a modern epic. Always Carducci adores Italy; his landscape, his characters, are purely Italian. What beauty in Maria Bionda whose smile is like the sun beam of April novo on 'fields pied with flowers! How far from °Arcadian)) mannerism and frisky lambs, is the life of the Maremma (Idillio Maremmano) plentiful in primeval plowing, with young men lustful and brave, vaulting on wild horses! While poetry flamed, prose literature plodded. Paolo Ferrari and Achille Torelli wrote popular plays and Giuseppe Giacosa held the boards for 30 years. His plays 'La Partita a scacchi' and Conte Rosso) pleased Italian audiences and 'Come le foglie) and Forte' display feeling, and oerception of the Italian problem of a sceptic .nation with an ancient civilization and an outworn faith, fac ing modern civilization. Pasquale Villari's, au thoritative histories, 'La Storia di Girolamo Savonarola e dei suoi tempi,' Michiavelli,' and