I knew that this was an "important" book. But I was totally unprepared for how readable and entertaining it is. I look forward to reading the new selection every day!
“ troubles, sharpen your wits. Until yesterday Renzo had walked the straight and narrow path in life, without ever having the occasion to tax his brain.”
Ahh bliss.
Wasn’t Agnese the one with the great lawyer idea?
Seems like a little patience with Cristoforo might be prudent.
Agnese's plan at first seemed almost comical after Cristoforo's intensity confronting Don Rodrigo: "Did you think that God made a creature in his own image to give you the pleasure of tormenting her?"--until Lucia's resistance sets up a little dread.
And that little note early on about the rigid strictness of the rules for the padre to "reach the monastery by nightfall"--leads me to anticipate a catastrophe, if not quite yet.
One more thought that came with today's reading--the dread Cristoforo raises in Don Rodrigo, regarding divine justice (even though it doesn't change Don R's behavior)--this is the one place where in the 200 or 400 years between the writing, the action, and the 21st C something seems really to have shifted -- it is impossible for me to imagine any of today's great evildoers (at least in my sense of their evils) as even getting a glimmer of the evil in their actions, let alone having any sort of dread about facing consequences, not even for a moment and certainly not based on the words of a humble supplicant--think of Trump's boast about shooting someone on 5th Avenue, for a simple example close to home.
Im assuming these traditions held in the 17th century as they do now. those who don’t want to read the entire long winded answer, here is the pertinent part in paragraph seven of the answer:
“The professor and the monk are ordained priests; but their tasks in the Church do not directly involve the care of souls. For this reason, neither the professor nor the monk is able to celebrate a valid Catholic wedding—unless the diocesan bishop or the pastor of the parish delegates him to do so.”
I hope Renzo has the presence of mind to cite to Lucia a very important precedent where God countenanced deception in service of a greater good: Jacob's stealing Esau's birthright with the aid of their mother. He can analogize the exigency of the birth of Israel, with the exigency of the advent of their own family and posterity. Indeed, here the deception is less fraught as in the Old Testament/Pentateuch story, as Jacob was the usurper whereas here Don Rodrigo is the usurper and Jacob is Lucia's rightful betrothed.
Don Rodrigo’s cruelty during his confrontation with Father Cristoforo is mixed with a “hint of mysterious terror … added to the anger that [Rodrigo] felt” and with Rodrigo’s “inward shudder of fear”. Will Rodrigo’s “hint of terror” and “inward shudder of fear” in the presence of a man of the cloth reappear as we proceed?
"The reader will have to settle these important questions for him- or herself." If this is a literal translation, I'm wildly impressed with M's political correctness, given the time period!
And now we see that the struggle between humility and aggressive passion in Padre Cristoforo was not just interesting character delineation in chapter 4. It serves a narrative purpose as humility loses the struggle and he "forgets his place" with Don Rodrigo. I have to believe this is going to lead to further developments-- character driving plot.
Unsure as to why Renzo is not worried about the idiot cousin. Given everything that’s gone wrong, trusting a stranger who is also an idiot with the important role of witness seems imprudent.
So I discovered a new word when looking for the use of opposites - antiphrasis. I find the effect quite intriguing, the nuance it lends to the tone.
I looked this up after reading Rodrigo and Christoforo argueing p88: "Don Rodrigo's "compliments", however, drained him of all fury ..."
and "The habit on your cowardly back is the only thing standing between you and the "caresses" I usually bestow on people of your class to teach them manners.
Also reminded of the opening how the soldiers "taught modesty to the women and girls" and would "thin the grapes and relieve the peasants of the trouble of harvesting them"
I knew that this was an "important" book. But I was totally unprepared for how readable and entertaining it is. I look forward to reading the new selection every day!
With each chapter the world in the book expands with new characters. I feel like it's going to take a village to get these two kids married.
And more!
I think it will take a nation.
“ troubles, sharpen your wits. Until yesterday Renzo had walked the straight and narrow path in life, without ever having the occasion to tax his brain.”
Ahh bliss.
Wasn’t Agnese the one with the great lawyer idea?
Seems like a little patience with Cristoforo might be prudent.
BTW do we know the narrator?
curious how to read your question about the narrator -- ?
My bad. I have been so swept in this story that I forgot about the speaker in the introduction.
ahah!
Haha ...I did the exactly the same. My first thought was it was our translator! Poor attention skills on my part.
Agnese's plan at first seemed almost comical after Cristoforo's intensity confronting Don Rodrigo: "Did you think that God made a creature in his own image to give you the pleasure of tormenting her?"--until Lucia's resistance sets up a little dread.
And that little note early on about the rigid strictness of the rules for the padre to "reach the monastery by nightfall"--leads me to anticipate a catastrophe, if not quite yet.
One more thought that came with today's reading--the dread Cristoforo raises in Don Rodrigo, regarding divine justice (even though it doesn't change Don R's behavior)--this is the one place where in the 200 or 400 years between the writing, the action, and the 21st C something seems really to have shifted -- it is impossible for me to imagine any of today's great evildoers (at least in my sense of their evils) as even getting a glimmer of the evil in their actions, let alone having any sort of dread about facing consequences, not even for a moment and certainly not based on the words of a humble supplicant--think of Trump's boast about shooting someone on 5th Avenue, for a simple example close to home.
Agree that this fear of divine justice in powerful evildoers must be exceedingly rare today.
Yes I agree - it caused me to reflect for moment on the time and context.
I wondered why Lucia could not ask Cristoforo to marry her, and after a google found this long answer: https://canonlawmadeeasy.com/2018/03/08/why-cant-these-priests-ever-celebrate-a-valid-catholic-wedding/
Im assuming these traditions held in the 17th century as they do now. those who don’t want to read the entire long winded answer, here is the pertinent part in paragraph seven of the answer:
“The professor and the monk are ordained priests; but their tasks in the Church do not directly involve the care of souls. For this reason, neither the professor nor the monk is able to celebrate a valid Catholic wedding—unless the diocesan bishop or the pastor of the parish delegates him to do so.”
It's not obvious that Cristoforo is an ordained priest,not all monks need to be
I hope Renzo has the presence of mind to cite to Lucia a very important precedent where God countenanced deception in service of a greater good: Jacob's stealing Esau's birthright with the aid of their mother. He can analogize the exigency of the birth of Israel, with the exigency of the advent of their own family and posterity. Indeed, here the deception is less fraught as in the Old Testament/Pentateuch story, as Jacob was the usurper whereas here Don Rodrigo is the usurper and Jacob is Lucia's rightful betrothed.
Don Rodrigo’s cruelty during his confrontation with Father Cristoforo is mixed with a “hint of mysterious terror … added to the anger that [Rodrigo] felt” and with Rodrigo’s “inward shudder of fear”. Will Rodrigo’s “hint of terror” and “inward shudder of fear” in the presence of a man of the cloth reappear as we proceed?
"The reader will have to settle these important questions for him- or herself." If this is a literal translation, I'm wildly impressed with M's political correctness, given the time period!
Sorry, only the masculine in the original
Sigh...we can dare to dream :) But thanks for the info!
would be interesting to know the translator's logic there.
And now we see that the struggle between humility and aggressive passion in Padre Cristoforo was not just interesting character delineation in chapter 4. It serves a narrative purpose as humility loses the struggle and he "forgets his place" with Don Rodrigo. I have to believe this is going to lead to further developments-- character driving plot.
Unsure as to why Renzo is not worried about the idiot cousin. Given everything that’s gone wrong, trusting a stranger who is also an idiot with the important role of witness seems imprudent.
100% agree!
And the characters keep adding up. Pretty soon the whole town will be in on saving the betrothed from the dastardly Don Rodrigo.
will he pull a thomas mann and introduce an important character 50 pages from the end??? (Peepkerkorn in the Magic Mountain)
So I discovered a new word when looking for the use of opposites - antiphrasis. I find the effect quite intriguing, the nuance it lends to the tone.
I looked this up after reading Rodrigo and Christoforo argueing p88: "Don Rodrigo's "compliments", however, drained him of all fury ..."
and "The habit on your cowardly back is the only thing standing between you and the "caresses" I usually bestow on people of your class to teach them manners.
Also reminded of the opening how the soldiers "taught modesty to the women and girls" and would "thin the grapes and relieve the peasants of the trouble of harvesting them"