But D'Annunzio had other fields to conquer. Turning to the drama he produced, in rapid succession, a series of notable plays including Cita Morta' (1898) ; Giocconda' ; 'La Gloria' (18'99) ; Francesca da (1901) ; figlia di Jorio' (1904) ; a 'fiaccola sotto it (1905) ; and two tragedies, Nave!' (1908) and (1909). The interludes between the writing of these plays he had filled in with a vast amount of journalistic and critical work, poems and short stories. A collection of the latter, (No velle della Pescara,' appeared in 1902. The younger literary set of Italy gathered about him, and his became a name to conjure by. (Forse the si forseghe no appeared 1910.
On account of the non-moral tone in the characters of many of his novels and short stories, certain critics continued to bitterly at tack him; and this, combined with his incessant desire for something new, took him to the French capital where he wrote Martyre de Saint Sabastien' (1911) ; Canzoni della Gesta d'Oltremare' (1912) ; Chevrefeulle' (1913) ; and a very elaborate photo play based upon historical incidents in the second Punic War. (La Leda senza Cigno' was Tniblished in 1917.
When the European War broke out D'An hunzio volunteered as a private in the Italian army, in the aviation squad; and entered into the conflict with all the enthusiasm of his ardent nature. He was rapidly promoted and in May 1915 he was made a lieutenant. Other military honors followed. By his personal example and with his pen and his voice he stirred Italy to the actualities of the war as no other man was able to. In Rome and other cities, in the army and behind the lines, his voice carried the weight of his reputation as the national poet and the mouthpiece of the nation. As the na tional press representative at the front he wrote some of the most vivid and intimate descrip tions of war conditions penned during the European struggle. In January he was deco rated with the French Croix de guerre; and this was followed by still other retognitions of his signal service.
D'Annunzio inherited Carducci's literary mantle as the most prominent of his admirers, the most faithful of his disciples and the most ardent of his champions. As a word painter
D'Annunzio is an artist of magnificent vision. His style is brilliantly perfect. In every thing he writes is the touch of the poet of plastic beauty unsurpassed in Italian literature. But most of the characters in his novels and shorter stories lack the saving sense of hu manity. They rave and rant and make beauti ful, poetical, touching speeches and take them selves very seriously; but they do nothing worthy of their high pretensions, nor do they, for the most part, in any way advance the ends of the story; for they are the brilliant dreams of a poet rather than the sane creations of a great novelist and painter of human nature. D'Annunzio is too much the subjective poet to be a great story teller. He misses scores of op portunities to develop his plots when the de velopment is self-evident. The same fault is apparent in his dramas and his short stories. It is as a poet, therefore, that he must live or die. Few
any Italian writers have equalled him in his command of rhythm, his sense of music, his richness, splendor and accuracy of language, his vividness of perception and his wonderful power of reproduction. These, in their highest form, are essentially the gifts of the poet. In his novels, short stories, dramas, tragedies, poems, even in his spectacular photo play, D'Annunzio is ever the poet; and it is the power of his poetic art that has made him popu lar in spite of their artistic defects and lack of moral notives. See FRANCESCA DA RIMINI ; LA CITTA MORTE ; LA GIOCCONDA. Consult Bor gese, 'Gabriel D'Annunzio' (Naples 1909) ; Col lision-Morley,
Italian Literature' (Boston 1912) ; Gargiulo,
(Bari 1912) ; D'Annunzio, (The Triumph of Death' (New York 1896 ) Intruder' (New York 1898) ;
Victim' (London 180'));
Virgins of the Rocks' (London 1899);
Dead City' (Chirnirn 10021 (Fratwesca da Rimini' (New York 1902);