MANZONI, nuln-zo'ne, ALESSANDRO (1785 1873). An Italian poet and novelist, born at Milan, March 7, 1785. Having completed his early training at Milan and Pavia, he accom panied his mother to Paris in 1805, and with her he frequented some of the most fashionable Ions, especially those in which the eneyelop(edie and rationalistic ideas of the preceding century still retained a hold. But the skeptical opinions that this Parisian sojourn gave him were not to last. His acquaintance with the French scholar Fauriel began at this time and greatly influenced his later artistic development. Back in Milan in 1808, he married Enriehetta Blonde], a follower of the Reformed religion. The couple went to Paris, and there in 1810 the marriage was resolemnized according to the rites of the Catholic faith, which the wife embraced and which Manzoni practiced from this time on with sincere ardor. After 1810 lie made his home in the region of Milan. He was on terms of close friendship with such writers as Massimo d'Azeglio. who married his daughter, Tornmaso Grossi, the nov elist, and Berchet. Although an avowed patriot, lie played no very public part in the struggles for political independence, so that he was in cluded in no proscription. He became a Senator in 1860. He (lied May 22, 1873. During his youthful period Manzoni prodneed poems after the manner of the school of classicists, reflecting his earlier skeptical feelings. e.g. the Trionfo della liberta, obviously written under the in fluence of Monti: a composition in blank verse entitled In morte di l'arbo Imbonati, and the Urania. The period between 1816 and 1825 was his most active one in the production of works in both prose and verse, To it belong the bid sacri, which are full of exalted religious senti ment, one or two political canzoni, and the poem that made him really famous. the Cinque maggio, an ode on the death of Napoleon (1821). Of this same period are his dramatic compositions with which lie hoped to inaugurate a reform in the Italian theatre. They arc the ('ante di Cor n/Tit/no/re and the Adele!! i, the former published in 1820 and the latter in 1822 (at Milan). Admir able as literary performances. they are not
adaptable to scenic production, and neither was well received at home, although Goethe warmly praised the Conte di rormagnola. In connection with these pieces \lanzoni enunciated the follow ing principles: the dramatic composer should adapt the poetic invention to the historic fact and not follow the contrary practice; the unities of time and place need not be obse•ved; the style and the dialogue 'should be perfectly natural; and the Chorus, a sort of commentary on the events enacted, should provide a place in which the author may freely express his own feelings. Of the prose publications of Manzoni, the first to be noted is the Morale eattolico 1819), a reply to Sismondi's strictures upon Catholicism. His masterpipee is the novel I promessi sposi (Milan, 1825-26), which is more remarkable as an excellently framed psycholog ical novel than as an historic novel. The story relates events supposed to have taken place in Lombardy during the years 162S to 1631. and as background to the account of the marriage of two peasants. long thwarted by a tyrannous local potentate, gives a picture of the manners of the time. The novel contains a most graphic description of the ravages of the plague in Milan in 1630. I promessi sposi has passed through about 150 Italian editions. and has been trans lated into very many modern languages. Con vinced that pure Tuscan was the only true literary Dalian, he revised the form of the tale with a view to expunging Gallicisms and Lombard dia lect expressions, and republished it in 1840. With the second edition of I promcssi sposi appeared a sort of sequel to it, the Colonna infame, much inferior to the earlier work, and really only an historical and legal essay.
Consult: ()pert. rarie di A. Munzoni 1845-70, with additional prose works) ; the edi tion of his letters or Dpistolario, by Sfo•za (Milan, 1882-83) ; Vismara, Biblioqra/io man zoniana 1875) Bersezio, .t. .11tul off, studio biogralieo e eritiro (Turin, 1873) ; De Gubernatis, A. Manzoni„Oudio biogralico (Flor ence. 1879) : C. Ca ntft, .1, Manzoni, rentiniseen:e (Milan, 1885) ; V. Waille, Lc romantisme de Manz-oni 1800).