I love baddies who do their homework. There is something so satisfying about an evil plan that sounds solid. The good guys had a clever scheme too. Neither plan worked out, but at least they put in the effort!
Many reminders of the economic woes of the village and the peasants: “the villagers’ scanty suppers”; “the poverty of the crops and the wretchedness of the harvest”; “years when the harvest’s all right… those times are bound to come back sooner or later”.
A reminder as well of the tenuous nature of the wedding plans as Tonio approached the door of Perpetua and Don Abbondio with his brother, “the idiot, Gervaso”, previously referred to as “my fool of a brother Gervaso“. Agnese had contrived of this wedding by ambush scheme for her daughter and prospective son-in-law, and had provided the scant comfort that “This is something I’ve heard from people who know what they’re talking about”, and admonished that “you need two witnesses – quick witted, willing, lads.“ Oy.
“To chase away his foul mood, and to replace the image of the friar invading his thoughts with a completely different one, Don Rodrigo entered a house of ill repute, where he was received with the lavish and deferential cordiality accorded men who make themselves either greatly loved or greatly feared.” Hilarious because it’s true- a little bit of “brothelry” wisdom! 😂😂😂
It struck me as I was reading the paragraph about "the conception of the dreadful deed and the acting upon it" how incredibly balanced this novel is. Every chapter contains brilliant nuggets, like this one, on the human condition, and also, lively dialogue and new plot developments and deep characterization. It is for this reason, I think, that it is so entertaining.
Oh the suspense! And the comic potential. I wonder who’s plan is going to work? The bad guys seem a bit more organized in contrast to Renzo and Agnese’s half-baked plan. While poor Lucia is caught in the middle.
The bravi vs Renzo, Tonio and idiot cousin - that part seems evenly matched. Now for Don Rodrigo and Padre C - well, that’s the X factor for me at this stage
This is a late post, but I loved the opening of chapter 7
"Padre C arrived looking like a good captain who, through no fault of his own, had lost an important battle; distressed but not discouraged, pensive but not panicking, in a hurry but not in flight."
Such a vivid description and matched exactly how I felt today on March 1, 2023.
I am so enjoying reading how Manzoni (and Moore!) write in such a way that describes the human condition so elegantly.
interesting how the meaning of the Shakespeare changes here, and the barbarian's insight seems more immediate and visceral than the version arrived at by way of multiple translations -- like the game of telephone or a google back-translation?
So for villains, is getting up on the wrong side of the bed the right side?
I love baddies who do their homework. There is something so satisfying about an evil plan that sounds solid. The good guys had a clever scheme too. Neither plan worked out, but at least they put in the effort!
Many reminders of the economic woes of the village and the peasants: “the villagers’ scanty suppers”; “the poverty of the crops and the wretchedness of the harvest”; “years when the harvest’s all right… those times are bound to come back sooner or later”.
A reminder as well of the tenuous nature of the wedding plans as Tonio approached the door of Perpetua and Don Abbondio with his brother, “the idiot, Gervaso”, previously referred to as “my fool of a brother Gervaso“. Agnese had contrived of this wedding by ambush scheme for her daughter and prospective son-in-law, and had provided the scant comfort that “This is something I’ve heard from people who know what they’re talking about”, and admonished that “you need two witnesses – quick witted, willing, lads.“ Oy.
This may be the first crime noir. Stumblebum bad guys who make life much worse for everyone including themselves.
For me the scene in the tavern also heightened our sense of Renzo's youthfulness and naivety, an uneven match against Don Rodrigo.
"struggling to find the words to comfort her daughter"...why are the words comfort and confront so similar, in appearance, to each other?
“To chase away his foul mood, and to replace the image of the friar invading his thoughts with a completely different one, Don Rodrigo entered a house of ill repute, where he was received with the lavish and deferential cordiality accorded men who make themselves either greatly loved or greatly feared.” Hilarious because it’s true- a little bit of “brothelry” wisdom! 😂😂😂
It struck me as I was reading the paragraph about "the conception of the dreadful deed and the acting upon it" how incredibly balanced this novel is. Every chapter contains brilliant nuggets, like this one, on the human condition, and also, lively dialogue and new plot developments and deep characterization. It is for this reason, I think, that it is so entertaining.
Oh the suspense! And the comic potential. I wonder who’s plan is going to work? The bad guys seem a bit more organized in contrast to Renzo and Agnese’s half-baked plan. While poor Lucia is caught in the middle.
The bravi vs Renzo, Tonio and idiot cousin - that part seems evenly matched. Now for Don Rodrigo and Padre C - well, that’s the X factor for me at this stage
This is a late post, but I loved the opening of chapter 7
"Padre C arrived looking like a good captain who, through no fault of his own, had lost an important battle; distressed but not discouraged, pensive but not panicking, in a hurry but not in flight."
Such a vivid description and matched exactly how I felt today on March 1, 2023.
I am so enjoying reading how Manzoni (and Moore!) write in such a way that describes the human condition so elegantly.
The paragraph you quote from sounds like Tolstoy: social life as war and war as social life.
interesting how the meaning of the Shakespeare changes here, and the barbarian's insight seems more immediate and visceral than the version arrived at by way of multiple translations -- like the game of telephone or a google back-translation?