A little more scheming from Don Rodrigo on how to rid himself of Renzo, and then this:
“I myself have often observed a dear little impish boy, a little too impish, to be honest, but showing signs of wanting to become a fine man.”
Manzoni observing his little son, Enrico (child number six), who in later life would saddle his father with debts thanks to his free-wheeling lifestyle and sloppy business practices.
Leaving behind Pescarenico and Monza, we are about to enter the city of Milan: “Climbing up one of those paths to higher ground, Renzo saw the great monument of the Milan cathedral, the Duomo, rising from across the plain, as if it stood not in the middle of a city but of a desert.”
When I first arrived in Milan almost fifty years ago, in October of 1975—alone, hampered by shyness, and barely knowing Italian—I still immediately made my way to the center of the city to gaze at this “eighth wonder of the world.”
Page 198. No ordinary day? You could say that again. So begins our entry into the city and into the violence of the mob.
How well does this illustration capture the sight described on page 200?
Some folktale allusions today--Griso described as a “famished wolf” in search of Lucia. While country peasant Renzo reminds me of foolish Juan Bobo, a popular folktale character from Puerto Rico. Also, narrator enjoins us to play his game of keeping track of all the characters, like a “herd of guinea pigs, which he allows to run free in the yard all day.” What fun! 😅
"I have often observed him...attempting to round up his heard of guinea pigs...One heads right, and while the little shepherd runs to corral him back, one, two, or three others escape to the left in every direction." The best metaphor for writing a novel that I have ever read!