Product Description

Greatly admired by Sir Walter Scott and the subject of a Requiem Mass by Verdi,Manzoni's THE BETROTHED is a work of immense historical significance.It is both a powerful dramatic account in its own right and one which marks the literary ghenesis of standard Italian.Remarkable for the intensity of its portrayal of plague-ravaged seventeenth-century Lombardy,through the lives of two loversTHE BETROTHED explores the corrupt and oppressive rule of Lombardy's Spanish oppressors and also,by implication,of the later Austrians.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41495 in Books
• Published on: 1983-11-24
• Original language: Italian
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 720 pages

Synopsis
Set in Lombardy during the Spanish occupation of the late 1620s, The Betrothed tells the story of two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, prevented from marrying by the petty tyrant Don Rodrigo, who desires Lucia for himself. Forced to flee, they are then cruelly separated, and must face many dangers including plague, famine and imprisonment, and confront a variety of strange characters the mysterious Nun of Monza, the fiery Father Cristoforo and the sinister Unnamed' in their struggle to be reunited. A vigorous portrayal of enduring passion, The Betrothed's exploration of love, power and faith presents a whirling panorama of seventeenth-century Italian life and is one of the greatest European historical novels.

Customer Reviews

I Promessi Sposi
I have had friends planning trips to Italy ask me for reading suggestions. "I Promessi Sposi" (The Betrothed) is always at the top of the list. For the reader seeking deeper knowledge of Italy this book serves a couple of purposes.

First of all, like War and Peace, it is an historical novel with well-drawn characters inserted into an accurately described place and time. The novel takes place in Lombardy (the area in northern Italy surrounding Milan) between 1628 and 1631. It describes the story of Renzo and Lucia, and the extraordinary difficulties they encountered getting married. The centerpiece of the tale is the Great Plague of Milan, brought to northern Italy by French and German troops engaged in the 30-Years' War. Manzoni's description of the horrible conditions that descended upon Milan is riveting. I Promessi Sposi gives the reader great insight into the history and culture of post-renaissance Italy. Because the book is so good, one can absorb an enormous amount of history painlessly.

Secondly, because this is truly the greatest Italian novel, all educated Italians are familiar with it. I can promise the reader who travels to Italy that he will surprise those he meets when he displays familiarity with this beloved and extremely Italian work. I remember discussing the book with several Italians while having dinner in a small village near Milan. I mentioned an episode in the book that I said had taken place near Lake Como.
"Lecco!" I was instantly corrected. They all knew the book and my bonehead error was not allowed to pass.

Intellectually a child of the French Enlightenment, Manzoni became a devout catholic and the book reflects his deeply felt religious beliefs. Don't let his didacticism put you off. This is a beautiful book. One hundred years ago it was standard reading even in America, but sadly it is largely ignored here. Get a copy and let Manzoni take you back to another place and time. It's an adventure you will enjoy.
-Bill McGann, author of "The Story of the Tour de France"

Italy's great nineteenth century literary epic
Manzoni's magisterial work fulfils a similar role in Italy to that of War and Peace in Russia, Middlemarch in England and Moby Dick in the United States; that of its country's great nineteenth century literary epic. And it is the match for any of the aforementioned in quality. Although basically a picaresque love story it is also very much a humorous but sharp satire against all forms of corruption, oppression and tyranny, whether they be state, religious or familial. In an act to save his skin against threats from a local despot, a priest in a mountain village evades carrying out a promised marriage ceremony between two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia. His dishonesty leads to the unfortunate couple having to part and go their separate ways through the turmoil of seventeenth century Spanish-occupied Milan and beyond into the surrounding principalities. Along the way they experience a series of adventures and encounters with local tyrants and saints, and endure the famines, plagues and ruinous wars that marked that region in that epoch. The description of these historical events is at once dramatic, sweeping and deeply sympathetic. It is likely that Manzoni was influenced by Walter Scott but is much superior in every way. Panoramic, colourful, moving, humorous, exciting, authentic; this is one of the masterworks of world literature.

The classic Italian novel
If you were educated in Italy, this may bring back bad memories of school (as Huckleberry Finn does for me). For everyone else it can just be a pleasure. It's a historical novel, but like anything of the highest class, it transcends genre. Set in the early seventeenth century in and around Milan, it's the story of two betrothed, separated by whim of a local lord, struggling to reunite against a backdrop of great events. There are plenty of great characters along the way (both a nun and a monk play supporting roles); it's often funny; it avoids excess sentimentality; and it's always interesting.