Summary
Highlights
Giovanni Verga, author of 'I Malavoglia' and the novella 'La roba', is introduced. The video encourages viewers to like and subscribe before diving into Verga's life.
Born in Catania in 1840 to a family of landowners, Verga's early education instilled in him a fervent patriotism. His first novel, 'Amore e Patria', remained unpublished. Unlike other Italian authors, Verga studied modern French writers. In 1865, he moved to Florence, then the capital, and later to Milan in 1872, where he engaged with the Scapigliatura movement and wrote novels like 'Eva', 'Eros', and 'Tigre Reale'.
In 1878, Verga shifted towards Verismo, publishing 'Rosso Malpelo' and 'Vita dei Campi', and beginning the 'Ciclo dei Vinti' with 'I Malavoglia' and 'Mastro-don Gesualdo'. He attempted a third novel, 'La Duchessa de Leyra', but didn't finish it. Returning to Catania in 1893, he became reclusive after 1903 due to financial difficulties. Verga's political views became more conservative; he supported intervention in WWI and later became a nationalist. He died in January 1922.
Verga's key works from his time in Florence and Milan include 'Storia di una capinera', 'Eva', 'Eros', and 'Tigre Reale'. These novels explore themes of impossible love, the corruption of society, and the decay of ideals, aligning with the anti-bourgeois sentiments of the Scapigliatura movement.
In 1878, Verga published 'Rosso Malpelo', a story about a red-haired mine boy in an inhumane environment, told in popular language. This marked the beginning of his Verismo. His narrative method is based on 'impersonality': the story must appear real, with the author remaining completely detached, letting the reader face the unvarnished facts.
Verga believed the author should immerse themselves in the characters' perspectives, seeing things through their eyes and expressing them in their words. The reader should feel like they are witnessing the events unfold directly, without the author's intervention or explanation. This narrative approach represents a break from traditional omniscient narration, with the voice telling the story being on the same level as the characters.
Verga depicts popular, rural settings and primitive characters like peasants and fishermen. Their worldview and language differ from the bourgeois writer. The example of 'Rosso Malpelo' illustrates this by presenting a common, ignorant belief, not an intellectual's. Verga adopted impersonality because he believed that observing the struggle for existence gave one no right to judge it; since reality cannot be changed, judging it is pointless. One can only report it as observed, without passion or irrationality.
Verga believed human society is dominated by the 'struggle for life', a concept similar to Thomas Hobbes' state of nature where individuals are driven by instinct and self-interest. For Verga, generosity and altruism are ideals; in reality, people are motivated by self-interest and a desire to overpower others. This universal, unchangeable law means literature cannot change reality but only reproduce and study it objectively.
Verga's Verismo differs from Zola's Naturalism, specifically in narrative technique and ideology. Zola's novels, exemplified by 'Germinal', often reflect the author's viewpoint and judgment through descriptive language, highlighting moral issues. In contrast, Verga maintains strict impersonality, never letting his bourgeois perspective intrude. Zola is a detached scientist; Verga immerses and effaces himself within the subject. Verga's choice of impersonality is linked to the different socio-economic-cultural conditions in Italy compared to France.
Verga's collection 'Vita dei Campi' (1880) includes famous novellas like 'Rosso Malpelo', 'Fantasticheria', 'La Lupa', and 'Cavalleria Rusticana'. These stories showcase Sicilian rural life using impersonality but also a romantic idealization of the past and the conflict between the individual and society. 'Fantasticheria' introduces the 'oyster' metaphor: remaining attached to family and one's humble origins ensures serenity, while detaching means destruction, a theme prefiguring 'I Malavoglia'.
In 1878, Verga planned the 'Ciclo dei Vinti' (Cycle of the Vanquished) to portray Italian society across its classes: the common people ('I Malavoglia'), the landed bourgeoisie ('Mastro-don Gesualdo'), and the aristocracy ('La Duchessa de Leyra', unfinished). The aim, stated in the preface to 'I Malavoglia', was to illustrate the law of overwhelming conquest in society, focusing on those who are vanquished. The struggle for material betterment leads to tragedies, especially for the weak who leave their confined worlds. The 'river of progress' absorbs all, leaving individuals marginalized; the world is full of 'vanquished' by their own desires across all social strata.