Dear Robert and fellow list members,
Herewith is a rather delayed response to your request about further
information concerning the Romanzo genre mentioned by Paul Diffley.
I of course agree with Paul that there were a lot of 'fictional' writings
about during the '600, but I still don't think that this gainsays my point
about the very success of Italian hagiography in its multiple genres
interfering with the emergence of more extended prose works similar to the
English novel. (And when I Promessi sposi does arrive it contains little
hagiographical throwbacks such as the famous exemplum story of the nut
tree told to Lucia and her mother by the monk seeking alms). But let's
leave that aside for the moment, because here I just want to list some
references which might be of use/interest:
A. N. Mancini, 'Il romanzo nel '600: saggio di bibliografia', in STUDI
SEICENTESCHI, vols XI and XII, 1970 (pp. 205-74) and 1971 (pp. 444-98)
D. Conrieri, 'Il romanzo ligure dell'eta' barocca', ANNALI DELLA SCUOLA
NORMALE SUPERIORE DI PISA, ser. III, vol. IV (1974), in particular pp.
1069-1106 'il romanzo religioso'.
M. Musciarello, 'La societa' del romanzo: il romanzo spirituale barocco',
Palermo, 1979
E. De Troya, 'La maraviglia della santita': significati e strutture del
romanzo religioso barocco', Padova, 1980
C. Janacco & M. Capucci eds., (rev. A. Balduino), STORIA LETTERARIA
ITALIA, vol. VIII IL SEICENTO, (Padova, 1986), ch. 7, 'Fiabe, novella,
romanzo', especially pp. 656ff (this last item in particular contains a
useful survey and comprehensive bibliography).
Unfortunately, between turning my Ph. D, HAGIOGRAPHY AND ECCLESIASTICAL
HISTORIOGRAPHY IN LATE SIXTEENTH CENTURY AND EARLY SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
ITALY: PIETRO MARIA CAMPI DI PIACENZA, 1569-1649 (Warburg Institute,
Univ of London, 1991) into my book LITURGY, SANCTITY AND HISTORY IN
TRIDENTINE ITALY (Cambridge, 1995), a section on 'Hagiography as popular
literature: the romanzo sacro' (pp. 66-71) got left out. One of these days
I hope to return to the subject. In the meantime I recommend anyone who
wants entertainment the aforementioned IL CAPPUCINO SCOZZESE by Giovanni
Battista Rinuccini (Macerata, 1644 and numerous other edns) - Happy
reading!
Simon Ditchfield
Department of History
University of York
YORK YO10 5DD
U.K.
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