Alessandro Manzoni: Life and Works

Overview

• Lecture on the life and works of Alessandro Manzoni, major Italian novelist and poet.
• Chronological account from his birth (1785) to death, highlighting key events, literary production, and political context.
• Focus on The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi), Manzoni’s religious conversion, and involvement in Risorgimento-era Italy.

Early Life and Family

• Born in Milan, 1785.
• Son of Count Pietro Manzoni and Giulia Beccaria.
• Maternal grandfather: Cesare Beccaria, author of influential work advocating abolition of the death penalty.
• Parents separated; mother moved to London then Paris with Carlo Imbonati.
• Possible paternity rumors: Giovanni Verri suggested by some sources.
• Raised by his father under a strict education during adolescence.

Political and Intellectual Influences

• Early sympathies with Jacobin positions during French Revolution and Directory period.
• Literary neoclassicism influence: Giuseppe Parini and Vincenzo Monti.
• Wrote an idyll and sermons around 1800.
• Shift toward liberal positions in early 1800s; associated with liberal intellectuals like Cuoco and Lo Monaco.
• Exposed to Enlightenment circles in Lecco and Paris; friend of Claude Pouillet (anti-Napoleonic).

Paris Period and Family Events (1805–1810)

• Joined his mother in Paris in 1805; mother’s partner Carlo Imbonati dies while there.
• Father Pietro Manzoni dies in 1807; Alessandro inherits wealth.
• Married Enrichetta Blondel in 1808 with a Calvinist ceremony.

Religious Conversion and Sacred Works

• Famous conversion around 1810; episode linked to Napoleon’s 1810 marriage triggered agoraphobia and spiritual crisis.
• Conversion was gradual; earlier contacts with Jansenist circles preceded the public episode.
• Sacred poems written from 1812 onward: Sacred Hymns (1812), Eternal (1815), Resurrection in the Name of Mary, Christmas, The Passion, Pentecost, Fragments of All Saints.
• Sacred production intensifies during 1810s and 1820s.

Literary Career and Romantic Contacts

• By the 1810s Manzoni meets first Italian Romantics: Giovanni Berchet, Ernest Pescetti, Tommaso Grossi, and dialect poet Carlo Porta.
• Active in Milanese literary environment including the Conciliatore periodical (founded 1818–1819 by Berchet and Silvio Pellico).
• Wrote dramatic and poetic works in 1820s–1830s: The Count of Carmagnola, Spartacus (unfinished), 2 March 1821 and 5 March 1821 (plays), Adelchi.
• Important essays and letters: Speech on Some Points of Lombard History; Letter to Mossi Scese (1823) explaining his poetics and thought; a letter on Romanticism.

The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi) — Genesis and Editions

• Initial draft written between 1821 and 1823 titled Fermo and Lucia (early form of the novel).
• Historical appendix on the infamous column written alongside first draft.
• 1827: First edition of I Promessi Sposi published.
• Manzoni revised language to adopt contemporary Tuscan in later editions after Florence visits.
• Produced a definitive revision known as the “forty-year edition” (published in installments up to 1842).

Table: Key Works and Dates

Personal Life: Later Years

• Enrichetta Blondel bore about ten children; she died in 1833 from complications of childbirth.
• Manzoni wrote a Christmas poem in 1833 mourning her death.
• Married widow Teresa Borri in 1838.
• Mother Giulia Beccaria died in 1841.
• Continued work on The Betrothed revisions; final major edition completed and serialized by 1842.

Political Involvement and Risorgimento

• Supporter of Italian unification (Risorgimento) and liberal causes.
• 1848 revolutions: Milanese uprising temporarily drove out Austrian troops; Austrians later returned.
• During unrest, Manzoni relocated near Novara with his wife for safety.
• Appointed senator of the Kingdom of Sardinia shortly before final unification.
• Kingdom of Italy declared March 17, 1861; Manzoni lived to see unification and national figures like Garibaldi visit him (circa 1862).
• Participated in political-cultural debates, including support for moving capital to Florence in 1864.
• Wrote on linguistic unity and language standardization in later years.

Final Years, Death, and Legacy

• Focused on linguistic studies and an essay on language unity in his final period.
• Died in 1873 at age 88 (note: lecture mentions age 88; lifespan 1785–1873).
• Composer Giuseppe Verdi later composed a Requiem to commemorate Manzoni’s death.
• Widely regarded as author of Italy’s greatest historical novel, The Betrothed.

Key Terms and Definitions

• Jacobins: Radical political club of the French Revolution influencing early Manzoni.
• Neoclassicism: Literary movement emphasizing classical models; early influence on Manzoni.
• Jansenism: Religious movement stressing original sin and predestination; influenced Manzoni’s religious turn.
• Conciliatore: Milanese literary periodical (1818–1819) central to Romantic debates.
• Risorgimento: 19th-century movement for Italian unification.

Action Items / Next Steps (for students)

• Read primary excerpts: opening chapters of The Betrothed and the historical appendix.
• Study Manzoni’s 1823 Letter to Mossi Scese for poetics and literary theory.
• Compare early draft (Fermo and Lucia) with later editions to track linguistic revisions.
• Review context: 1810s–1840s Italian political events (Napoleon, 1848 revolutions, 1861 unification).
• Watch the next lecture on the genesis of The Betrothed for detailed textual analysis.