Summary
Highlights
The video introduces "I Malavoglia," the first novel in Giovanni Verga's "Ciclo dei Vinti," published in 1881. It tells the story of the Toscano family, nicknamed "Malavoglia" due to their industrious nature, who are fishermen living in Aci Trezza, a small village near Catania. The narrative spans from 1863 to 1878, a period marked by significant historical changes in Italy.
The family tree of the Toscano (Malavoglia) family is outlined, led by patriarch Padron Ntoni, who lives with his son Bastianazzo, daughter-in-law Maruzza, and their five children: Ntoni, Luca, Mena, Alessi, and Lia. The family's misfortunes begin in 1863 when Ntoni is conscripted into the military. To compensate for the loss of Ntoni's labor, Padron Ntoni buys a load of lupini beans on credit from the usurer Zio Crocifisso. Bastianazzo, transporting the lupini, dies in a shipwreck, the lupini are lost, their boat 'Provvidenza' is damaged, and the family is left in debt.
More tragedies strike the family: Luca dies in the Battle of Lissa (1866), Mena's engagement is broken, and the family is forced to sell their ancestral home, 'Casa del Nespolo,' to pay off debts. The 'Provvidenza' is shipwrecked again, and Maruzza dies of cholera. Ntoni, after failing to find fortune elsewhere, returns and gets involved in a brawl, leading to his imprisonment. During his trial, rumors of his sister Lia's alleged relationship with Don Michele surface, further damaging the family's reputation.
Padron Ntoni, old and ill, is hospitalized where he eventually dies before he can return to his beloved home. Lia, ostracized due to the rumors, leaves the village and becomes a prostitute. Mena, out of shame for Lia, refuses to marry her beloved Alfio. Alessi, through hard work in fishing, manages to repurchase the 'Casa del Nespolo' and lives there with his wife Nunziata and their children. Ntoni, upon his release from prison, realizes he can no longer stay in the village and departs, marking a final, bitter farewell to his family and past.
The narrative structure of the novel is discussed, contrasting Ntoni's linear character trajectory with the circular nature of the Malavoglia family's story, which predominantly unfolds within the confined space of the village. This contrast highlights the dynamic characters versus the static and traditional ones. The static state of the village is forever compromised, despite the partial recomposition of the family unit. The novel concludes with Ntoni's departure, a definitive emotional separation.
According to Luperini, "I Malavoglia" features two temporal cadences: a cyclical time (marked by seasons, agricultural work, fishing, and religious festivals) and a historical time (spanning 1863-1878, detailing the Toscano family's misfortunes in conjunction with historical events). This temporal tension reflects the conflict between the archaic world and the 'river of progress.' Similarly, space is divided into a reassuring internal space (the village) and a threatening external space (taxes, the telegraph, military conscription, cholera) that negatively impacts the village.
Verga employs several narrative techniques: 'straniamento' (estrangement), where familiar events are viewed from an outsider's perspective, making them seem unusual; free indirect discourse, which blends the narrator's voice with the characters' thoughts without explicit attribution; and impersonality, where the author's presence is minimized, allowing the popular perspective to dominate. Straniamento, in particular, filters the genuine sentiments of the protagonists through the dispassionate view of the village, distorting universal values. Free indirect discourse is key to conveying characters' and the community's thoughts, often reflecting an oral style. Impersonality involves the author's regression into the cultural level of the depicted environment, notably in "I Malavoglia."