I like the way Manzoni once again employs another simile from nature. In the previous chapter he describes a riot of nature, while here he focuses in on a specific detail in the manner of Dante in describing the dying mother and child lying down together so that they might die in this position: "Just as the flower blooming on a stem and the unopened bud beside it fall with the same swipe of the scythe that levels all the grass in the field".
The other thing I liked is when the mob is chasing Renzo and he is forced to brandish his knife, saying: "Whoever's got the gut, come on! You want to be anointed, you swine? I'll anoint you alright!" His blade will puncture the obsessive fantasies and stupidities of his pursuers and demonstrate the real and concrete meaning of the word anoint (che l’ungerò io davvero con questo).
Renzo jumping onto a cart belonging to the monatti in order to make good his escape has a cinematic quality to it, as one sees in action films.
I'd been wondering why the monatti have been described in such unmitigated diabolical terms given their unenviable task and the vital role they played serving the community. Then there's the unforgettable scene of a mother handing over her daughter, so heart rending even the monatto is moved:
"The monatto placed a hand over his heart, and then, with the utmost care, almost obsequiously—more from the new sentiment that had overtaken him than the unexpected compensation—set about making room on the cart for the lifeless girl."
Plague driven death and despair continue unabated, as does the inhumanity of the monattos (“evil, ghastly … sinister and cruel”; “ghouls” declaring “Long live the plague! Death to the rabble“). Unenviable task, vital role indeed: were the monattos always despicable or were they driven to their inhumanity by their mission? It’s always darkest before the dawn (per English theologian and historian Thomas Fuller). We can only hope so.
The novel humanizes the despised monatti. I think always think this is important and intriguing work a novel does, humanizing a despised class.
Renzo approaching the lazaretto in search of Lucia reminds me of Ben-Hur in the leper colony (as a youth, I loved Ben-Hur, and the mark it left on me shows in my own publshed novel).
The monnatti shouting in praise of the plague was one of the most striking scenes in the novel for me. Renzo finds a use for the dead too, using them to escape the hateful mob of the living.
Oh my, how Manzoni has woven the threads of this novel to arrive at this breathtaking scene; the crafting is amazing, the author's ability to touch our hearts is just profound here.
What struck me most in this portrait of the victims and the monatti was that money was able to buy care for the body of the dead child and a decent burial (and apparently also the power to stay at home with one's illness and fatalities instead of being marched off to the lazaretto) -- but only money. Yes, the scene is touching, but it's only made possible by the deep injustice of it, and the cynicism.
I like the way Manzoni once again employs another simile from nature. In the previous chapter he describes a riot of nature, while here he focuses in on a specific detail in the manner of Dante in describing the dying mother and child lying down together so that they might die in this position: "Just as the flower blooming on a stem and the unopened bud beside it fall with the same swipe of the scythe that levels all the grass in the field".
The other thing I liked is when the mob is chasing Renzo and he is forced to brandish his knife, saying: "Whoever's got the gut, come on! You want to be anointed, you swine? I'll anoint you alright!" His blade will puncture the obsessive fantasies and stupidities of his pursuers and demonstrate the real and concrete meaning of the word anoint (che l’ungerò io davvero con questo).
Renzo jumping onto a cart belonging to the monatti in order to make good his escape has a cinematic quality to it, as one sees in action films.
I'd been wondering why the monatti have been described in such unmitigated diabolical terms given their unenviable task and the vital role they played serving the community. Then there's the unforgettable scene of a mother handing over her daughter, so heart rending even the monatto is moved:
"The monatto placed a hand over his heart, and then, with the utmost care, almost obsequiously—more from the new sentiment that had overtaken him than the unexpected compensation—set about making room on the cart for the lifeless girl."
Plague driven death and despair continue unabated, as does the inhumanity of the monattos (“evil, ghastly … sinister and cruel”; “ghouls” declaring “Long live the plague! Death to the rabble“). Unenviable task, vital role indeed: were the monattos always despicable or were they driven to their inhumanity by their mission? It’s always darkest before the dawn (per English theologian and historian Thomas Fuller). We can only hope so.
The novel humanizes the despised monatti. I think always think this is important and intriguing work a novel does, humanizing a despised class.
Renzo approaching the lazaretto in search of Lucia reminds me of Ben-Hur in the leper colony (as a youth, I loved Ben-Hur, and the mark it left on me shows in my own publshed novel).
The monnatti shouting in praise of the plague was one of the most striking scenes in the novel for me. Renzo finds a use for the dead too, using them to escape the hateful mob of the living.
Oh my, how Manzoni has woven the threads of this novel to arrive at this breathtaking scene; the crafting is amazing, the author's ability to touch our hearts is just profound here.
A song based on Cecilia's story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=q7yNllUr0nc&fbclid=IwAR1JXg-chMDzLqnjntD7SW0vGAvxjis4G9oh-MkO2onCVM3lXnlxDWBmRk0
What struck me most in this portrait of the victims and the monatti was that money was able to buy care for the body of the dead child and a decent burial (and apparently also the power to stay at home with one's illness and fatalities instead of being marched off to the lazaretto) -- but only money. Yes, the scene is touching, but it's only made possible by the deep injustice of it, and the cynicism.