Alessandro Alanzoni (1785187:3) , essaying at first the classic manner, entered upon the path more peculiarly his OW II With the Inni sueri (18151. and the ode // cirque Mogyio on Napo leon's death (1821). Disregarding the (-lassie unities of time and place, he composed, between 1817 and 1822, t WO tragedies, II Conte di Canna gnola and the adrlrhi, among the early examples in Italy of the historical drama. lie also gave to the century the first Italian historical novel in his celebrated Promessi sposi, a work of the kind that Scott had already cultivated with so much success. It proved to be a masterpiece, and be eame popular at home and abroad. Not the least merit of the author in connection with this work is that it brought literature nearer to the masses. About \lansoni there grouped themselves many romanticists who imitated his religious and pa triotic hymns, his historical dramas. and his novel. Some of them were Giovanni Berchet (1783-1851), the founder of the Conrilintore: Tommaso Grossi ( 1791-185:3) ; Silvio Pell ico (1789-1854). the author of tragedies and lyrics, but better known for his prose work descriptive of his experience in Austrian prisons. Le vile prigioni; Giuseppe Nieolini (1788-1855), who translated Byron and wrote a biography of Scott; Giuseppe Giusti (1809-50), who produced politi cal satires and burlesque poems; Massimo d'Aze glio11798-1866). %rho wrote the historical novels Ettore Fieramo.sca and Ni•o/O de' Laid. and the autobiography 1 nriri rieordi: Giuseppe Mazzini (1808-72).a patriot and the best critic of the Ro mantic set; and Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi (1804-731, who published many historical novels (Battaglia di' Benerrnto, Beatrice renei. etc.;. As critics and historians. Cesare Bathe (1789- 1853) and Gino Capponi (1792-1876, founder of the Antologia and the .4 rchirio storico italiano) deserve especial mention. The classieist Gia como Leopardi (179,8-1837) stood far above the others of his group. A humanist of marvelous: force, Leopardi strove ever to attain classic ex cellence of form. His ldilli, eanzoni, and ('anti show an entire harmony of form and matter, and thromdi all sounds the note of anguish that emanated from his tortured soul and found further expression in the pessimism of his phi losophy. This prose works, like the Pensieri, are likewise commendable for their form. The critic and expounder of the doctrines of classicism was Pietro Giordani (177-1-1S45); others who put the doctrines into practice were Dionigi Stroeehi (17132-1850). Cesare Montalti (1770-1840), Fran cesco Cassi (177S-1846), Carlo Marone° 4)1), and Giambattista Ni•colini (1782-1861), both of whom produced many tragedies.
Of writers of the past half-century, it is hard to speak with any certainty that one is estimating them at their proper value. Yet a prominent place must be assigned to Giovanni Prati (1815 84), who published collections of lyrics (('anti liryEgi. Ballote, Lside, Psiehe. etc.) and the versified tale Edmenegardn. Also of note for their lyric verse are Aleardo Aleardi (1812-7S, Lettere a 'Turin). Giuseppe Regaldi (1809-83), Giuseppe. Ma•cari (1840-671. Franeesco Ongaro. Stornelli politiei (1303-73), Luigi Men en Mini (1821-72 1 Domenico Carbone (1823-33 ) , Lorenzo Stecehetti (pseudonym of Olindo Guer rini, born 1S45. a rerista or realist), Bernardino Zendrini (1839-79. the translator of Heine), Giosue Carducci (born 1836, the most illustrious figure among contemporary Italian authors, equally great as a poet, and as a critic), Mario 11apisardi (born 1844, an antagonist of Car ducci). Of dramatists there may be noted Pietro Cossa (1830-81, tragedies and historical plays), Paolo Ferrari (1822-89. historical pieces), Paolo Giacometti (1816-82, tragedies), Leo di Castel nuovo (pseudonym of Leopoldo Pulle, born 1835, author of the comedy P'ziochi di paglia), Tom maso Gherardi del Testa (1815-81, a follower of Goldoni), Giuseppe Giacosa (born 1847, writer of dramas on mediaeval subjects, etc.).
Among the more recent prose writers are. in addition to some dramatists already recorded, Ippolito Nievo (1836-61. Confessioni di un ottua genario), and Paolo Emiliani Giudici (1812-72), Luigi Settembrini (1813-76), and Francesco de Sanctis (1818-83), all three literary historians of worth. A list of living writers would inevitably contain, besides the name of Giosue Carducci, the names of the novelists Antonio Fogazzaro (born 1842), Enrico Castelnuovo (born 1S39), Antonio Giulio Barrili (1836), Salvatore Farina (born 1846), Giovanni Verga (born 1840. from whose Caralleria rusticana came the inspiration for Maweagni's opera), Gabriele d'Annunzio (born 1864. a master of style, and a lyric poet and dramatist, as well as a novelist, but unfortu nately too pornographic in his tendencies), Ed mondo de Amicis (born 1848, well known abroad, but rather overrated). :Matilda Serao (born 1856, most successful in her pictures of Neapolitan life, as in Il paesc di cuceagna): and as lyric poets there must be registered Arturo Graf (born 1848), and Ada Negri (born 1870). Lack of space forbids mention of the many disciples of Carducci. We must forbear making a catalogue of living scientific authors and critics. One prop erly prepared would undoubtedly include the names of Graziadio lsaia Ascoli (born 1S29), Angelo de Gubernatis (born 1840), Pasquale Villari (born 1827), Pio Rajna (horn 1849). Alessandro d'Ancona (born 1835), Cesare Loin broso (born 1836), and Domenico Comparetti (born 1835).
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Casini, llanuale di letteratura Bibliography. Casini, llanuale di letteratura Hallam" (2d ed., Florence. 1891); id..`Geschichte der italienischen Litteratur." in Gruber, Gruml riss der romunisehen Philologie, vol. ii. (Strass burg,1896) Gaspary. Gesell Mite der italienischeu Litteratur( Berlin. 1S85-SS) ; id., Die sicilianische Dichterschule des 13.Jahrhunderts ( Berlin, 1878) : Bartoli. Storia (Jolla letteratura italiana (Flor ence, 1878-89) ; D'Ancona and Tlacci. J/anua/e della letteVatura italiana (ib., 1592-94) ; For naciari, Disegno storico della letteratura itoliana lib., 1893) ; Mazzoni, Arriamento alto studio critic() delle lettere italiane (Padua, 1392) ; the collection L'Italia (Minn. 1878-80). comprising Bartnli. I primal due scroll della letteratura itali ana (1HO), lnvernizzi. Il risorgimento (1878), Canello. La stone della letteratura italiana sccolo X17. (1880), Mo•solin, 11 Seicento (1880), and Zanella, Storia della letteratura italiana dalln met() del Settecento ai giorni nostri (1880); Giudici, Storia della letteratura (Florence, 1865) ; id., Storia del teatro in Italia (ib.. 1869) ; Finzi, Lezioni di staria della lettera tura italiana (Turin. 1879-83) ; Torraea. Hann 'ale della letteratura italiana (2d ed., Florence, 1886-87) ; hurting, Gesehichte der Litteratur 1taliens int Zeitalter der Renaissance (Leipzig, 1878-84) ; Roux, Histoire de la litte•ature con temporuine en Italic, 18•39-74 (Paris. 1869-77) ; Settembrini, Lezioni di letteratura italiana. (Naples, 1865-70) ; De Sanctis, Morin della let teratura italiana (3d ed., Naples. 18'79) ; Voigt, Die 11'icdcrbelebuny des klassischen itert alas ( 3d ed., Berlin, 1893 : Symonds, Litera ture," in his Renaissance in Italy( 1s75-86) ; Gar nett, A History of Italian Literature (New York, 1900) ; Howells, Modern Italian Poets (ib.. 1887) ; Lee. The Eighteenth Century in Italy; Ferrari, LetteraIura italiana moderna e eon (cm Poraneu, 1748-1901 (Milan, 1901) ; Turri, Dizio nario storieo-nnrnuule dells letteratura italman r, 1000-1900 (ib.. 1900) ; Giornale, Marico della let tcratura italiana (Turin, 1882) ; and the numer ous special articles and treatises cited by D'An cona and Bacci, in their very useful ilanuale (Florence, 1392-94).