The sun., 1879-02-23
coyTEuP ORIRY ITALIAN LITERA TURE
nis Tho general bclicf abroad, ovcn among

amy of tho scholars who are thoroughly nc
onniutcd with ancient Italian literature. that
no Italy Of to-day produces nothing worth CON
alteration. " Italian genius" writes an English
Bue.stocking. Miss Frances Power Cobbe " has
lsen silent for two centuries. or. rather ike tho
0ro.o Iuy's ,olconors has been slumberng
upJor IFS layas.' Unuckily for this charming
ADV. the volcanoes Of Italy have never slum-
bared $50 little as in the present century. Tho
sf,a, cruitous from 1902 up to this date out
nuulher % .ariy all that occurred from the year
.pt1 ihctimo mentioned hithcuOl "A modern
Italian book. writes some ono clse " is rs wca-
risomc io rcnd us the Henriadc." And this
writer may be right WIS seized with the same
t,In.oi wcarincss tho fret time took Shakes
tralc IN my hand owing 20 the slight acquaiIa.
npeo them had with the English language
"Of anything TO bo called national literature
sqy. ihird thcgo has been MS yet no sign in
pay" Nud here am involnntarily reminded
oil T,-kos words: If ideas and words were
distinctly weighed and duly considered. they
Wlui al ri Us another sort OF logic and
e.uq.e than what We have been hitherto
t,quaiut'd with"
Thrss people. however. prove naught but
hoir own ignorance OF u subject they profess to
know ull about. In no ngc since Dante has Italy
ind such q manly literature as throughout the
mnotsrnth century. At no time has the lam
ruaca found such bold strong use; and Eos
colo lropnrdi. Gucrrazzi. Carducci and n score
ot othcrw writer's are in dirtion and In vigor Of
thought much nearer TO Dante than pct-nrch
was. As to the prose Of the fourteenth and the
fifteenth century, We cannot expect any one to
compare the cumbrous, pedautic. tautoogcal
forms Of the men who wrote in Latin to make
tscir inno and in Italian to amuse themselves.
vail the clear. straightforward. strong stylo Of
The best Italian thinkers Of our day. II Prof.
iTsni tud not had the patience 10 distribute
slnl commas aud 10000 periods throughout
Ga. riarl'r's history. no one would under
stand word " il. SO long and muddlrd are
his sentences. even with this Improvement. that
Hars'S styie becomes by comparison some
want like that Of Tacitus. SO ?ur as conciscness
is concerned. II national literature means
the expression in prose and verse OF the
thoughts. feelings. and needs peculiar to civ
iii2ation and a people II goodly number OF
good booss are its signs no people Of this pc
ROD has literature 80 intensely national II
France. Germany. and England seem to give in
gr'aicr abundance tokens IT a national literary
lie it il because the number Of their aimless.
insignificant. useless. and immoral books is
alsp superior
Thuy say that letters do not thrive IN slavery:
aRl yet Italian literature offered tho singular
phenomenon Of n spontaneous and luNuriant
growth even when the country was divided into
seven STATES and cnslavcd by Austrian tyranny.
Tho books % the time were not only literary
productions. but doeds. Parini Alacri. Foscolo.
Lcopar'h. 'rch"t. Nircoini. and Giusti as
poets. Giobcrti Mazini. Mimiani. aud others
rs philosophers; Collctta Balbo. Amari. Fer
rar. Ia Farina. Emiliani Guidici. and Cap
uam A. historians; Guerrazzl Manzoni.
pA2,sho. Grossi &c. rs writer's of fiction. have
done more toward the regeneration Of the coun-
try than tho blood # is martyrs. the efforts Of
fs CarbDnari. the armies Of Victor Emanuel
tn volunteers of Glribadi. ami the diplomacy
OF tW0ur. No doubt that II the works Of these
thinkers are Judged by the standard Of the
HS.hruc p'iantry that is too often our guide In
the apprc' citation of classic productions. they are
open 10 criticism. Many Of their works had no
permanent value; they passed ike the tempest
but in passing they scnthed the wicked. with
er,i the base and purified the air Of Italy"
an 10 not hesitate to place them above tho
maloriy oi those purposelcss poems in which
the ilftsrn,h Gnl the sixteenth century held high
re,el; above those clever histories that were
wriurn % .l0rliy vile tyrants. Ibrcye it Is high
trun = agree on fundamental questions and 10
haI % criterion by which we may Judge right
eooSly ~ worldly things. II all philosophical
Asi poht"ai systems; all historical events: all
deeds OF parties. Governments. and nations: all
tie proiutoGs Of the mind In literature as
weiI as in art; and. in one word. all the actions
o, both individnnls and society. were weighed
on tA.s srali-the improvement Of the commu-
niD-a considerably less number Of miscon-
captions and errors on tho value Of human sys-
tens. events. governments. productions. Hnd
RNious would how peryado the world. How
many ot the so-caLed heroes OF the past would
then stand forth in tho shape Of knaves how
nlnny patcrna governments would be stamped
will the mark of in'amy; how many ancient
truths 30 would be called lies how many books
TINT live IN honor would be condemned 20
eternal oblivion. il We would only subordinate
opf N lsments 10 this question: Has this or
tvd iurtncred the welfare Of mankind or of
esY pau thereof? The real and substantial
dnI'rn" betHeen civilization and barbarism
CONSIST, less in possessing or not possessing
kLoNioise and its accessories than in using
tn after according TO the suggested criterion.
whenever men and things are TO be Judged.
FoT thr w.se this Is tho sole and true standard
by Whi'h the progress OF nations ana their
rrspriiv, standing can be measured; and IL
contemporary Italian Literature is weighed In
tins scale. II will be rsalIly perceived that II
tlAHl- u- high H. /; ever stood. aud 1t holds Its
own nc inst any in tie world
lH.r. Generated sal grown wise. has done
hW, ih ih., stock Of ahsurltirs FOR which
be-. $3.50 Ht'ritur' "a SO agreeable TO Ie1plo
Nt' ''lr" Ha.ly for beauty OF form. She works
tg.IH.F H earnestly. aud tn sterling quail
LIS Ht I'i r-''nt writings Will sooner or later
hlft q iI'" rl.'- attention. With the cxcrp-
h1u" Grlnauy. no country carries on histori-
ca" s--r'l with % k-aurr or moro sober
cf'i'. sa'' JOS. ph r'rrlr made himself
tN' = "'' % now philosophy ot history, hy
I'i h"r .'s al than Bos,u't's PloyIeut.ai
lhl'4'".' 'H.' Dr Nlrn's 90 Recurrence, IA phil