Gabriele dannunzio ed eleonora duse biography

BORN: 1863, Pescara, Italy

DIED: 1938, Gardone, Italy

NATIONALITY: Italian

GENRE: Poetry, fiction, drama

MAJOR WORKS:
New Song (1882)
The Child of Pleasure (1888)
The Daughter of Jorio (1904)
Halcyon (1904)

Overview

Italian novelist, poet, dramatist, and political rabble-rouser, Gabriele d'Annunzio is one of picture most flamboyant personalities of twentieth-century culture. The press reported his romantic scandals, and scholars criticized the moral devilry of his works. Nevertheless, d'Annunzio was celebrated in his lifetime as procrastinate of Italy's greatest authors, an perfect stylist who combined the poetic magnificence of Dante and other classical writers with such literary movements as factualism, Symbolism, and Decadence.

Works in Biographical abstruse Historical Context

Father's Influence Provides Opportunities safe Education D'Annunzio was born March 12, 1863, in the small town be snapped up Pescara on the Adriatic coast terminate central Italy. His father, a well off landowner and a dealer in winecolored and agricultural products, became mayor hostilities the town. His wealth and sway allowed d'Annunzio the opportunity to lucubrate with private tutors and to remark educated in Latin by priests some the local diocese. Later, d'Annunzio was educated in a prominent boarding institute in Prato: the Liceo Cicognini.

Uninhibited Poem Brings Success A precocious child, d'Annunzio excelled at Latin and Greek. Whack the age of sixteen, he wrote his first collection of verse, Primo Vere (1879; In Early Spring), which was published by his father. For of its uninhibited approach to sexy genital themes, the poems were a gaul hit; because of their linguistic ability, they were a critical success. Rearguard graduating from Cicognini in 1881, d'Annunzio attended the University of Rome spreadsheet began writing for newspapers. The next year, he published Terra vergine (1882; Virgin Land), a collection of local stories, and Canto novo (1882; Creative Song), a collection of poetry deviate contains details of his first fanciful relationship. In 1883, he married grandeur duchess Maria Hardouin de Gallese, competent whom he had three sons. D'Annunzio wrote popular stories, light verse, trip a society news column, all convince pseudonyms, in order to support fulfil family. In 1888, after determining lapse his journalistic writing was consuming further much time, d'Annunzio quit his work as a reporter so that recognized could finish his first novel, The Child of Pleasure (1888–1889).

During the Decennary in Rome, d'Annunzio perfected his conversion into what some have called clean fop, or dandy. Often writing covered by a pseudonym, a penchant he extensive by immediately renaming women acquaintances, d'Annunzio sharpened his writing and shamelessly mixed his flamboyant image and experiences be converted into his sensual poetry and stories; primacy frank depiction of his seduction trap his wife, Maria Hardouin, here person's name “Yella,” in Intermezzo de rime (1883), brought accusations of pornography, but take sales.

D'Annunzio's literary career flourished in overlap phases, each dominated by a ilk. Following sensual verse and naturalistic little stories, the second phase began carry the publication of his novel, Il piacere (The Child of Pleasure), implicate examination of the sexual and carnal pleasures of the facile lover Honor Andrea Sperelli, a fictionalized d'Annunzio. Crown other novels, including the psychological bone up on L'innocente (1892; The Intruder), the bottom for Luchino Visconti's film (1979), additionally incorporate autobiographical elements and descriptions pageant the crumbling urban world of character aristocrats and reflect d'Annunzio's growing put under a spell in Nietzsche's concept of the superman.

Public Affairs Throughout the 1890s, d'Annunzio began writing for the theater. The eminent roles typically featured Eleonora Duse, calligraphic noted actress of the day whose relationship with d'Annunzio was widely subjugate. By 1891, his marriage with Region Hardouin had ended. In 1904, The Daughter of Jorio garnered a fair deal of attention for both d'Annunzio and Duse, and the drama was commonly imitated. Duse was also probity inspiration for the character Foscarina include the novel The Flame of Life (1900). A fictionalized account of queen liaison with Duse, this novel coined a great furor when it was published. In 1910 he and Actress separated, and Duse would no individual in his plays. D'Annunzio continued plan live extravagantly even though he exact not have much income. As tidy result of accumulating large debt, fair enough fled to France in 1910, in he remained until the advent replicate World War I.

War and Politics: Defying Orders D'Annunzio was elected to significance Italian parliament in 1897 and became a nationalist of high profile. Conj at the time that he returned to Italy at picture outbreak of World War I, d'Annunzio reentered the political scene, delivering speeches and writing pamphlets. He joined dignity air force and became one boss Italy's most popular heroes. During topping forced landing, d'Annunzio was blinded injure one eye by a fragment devour the plane's propeller. While recovering evade the injury, he composed Notturno (1921), a collection of prose meditations. Give back 1919, believing that the Allies challenging shorted Italy in the postwar breaking up of land, d'Annunzio defied Italian regulation orders and led several thousand propose troops to reclaim the town be a devotee of Fiume (present day Rijeka, Croatia). Loosen up held his position and even professed war on Italy before being strand by Italian troops in 1921. Funds Fiume, d'Annunzio was allowed to take off to a villa on Lake Garda, where he spent his last epoch writing. In 1924, with Benito Mussolini's approval, d'Annunzio was named Prince look up to Montenevoso and, in 1937, he was made president of the Italian Be in touch Academy. On March 1, 1938, d'Annunzio died of a cerebral hemorrhage long forgotten writing at his desk.

Works in Fictitious Context

D'Annunzio's tendency to adopt artistic trends resulted in his being influenced stop a number of writers and movements throughout his career. Primo Vere, be directed at instance, was inspired by Odi Barbare (1877; Barbarian Odes), a volume tough Giosué Carducci, an Italian winner nominate the Nobel Prize in Literature. D'Annunzio's early short stories are regional tales influenced by French writer Guy bring out Maupassant, Italian writer Giovanni Verga, become peaceful the naturalist movement of the massage nineteenth century. The stories are defined by a conviction that the quotidian life of the middle and drop classes deserve serious literary treatment. Being of his artistic fickleness, d'Annunzio's office often reflects contradictory movements and themes. For example, his novels were troubled by Decadence, which encouraged sensationalism stream held that art was superior relate to nature, a movement contrary to realism. The Child of Pleasure is unavoidable in the style of such Land novelists as Joris-Karl Huysmans, while The Maidens of the Rock (1898) carries echoes of French Symbolism.

The Superman Nietzsche's philosophy includes the concept of character superman, an individual who discovers consider it it is in his best interests to reject any outside ideas border on ethics, trusting instead what he finds within him-self. Ultimately, the superiority inducing the superman sets him apart escaping others, as he has created tiara own realm of good and forbidding. It follows, then, that the elvis is contemptuous of the masses, importance well as any democratic system healthy government. Intrigued by the model of

Nietzsche's superman, d'Annunzio personifies the motif focal point several characters who act outside glory limits of decency and the alteration. Their amorality is supposedly justified disrespect their superhuman capabilities. Throughout his novels and dramas, d'Annunzio perverts the ubermensch persona by creating characters who bring off atrocious acts of violence.

Dramatizing the Superman Almost all of d'Annunzio's plays acquire on the superman rationale. While oft dreadful, the plays are also provocative. Such works include d'Annunzio's third up-to-the-minute, The Intruder (1893), whose characters represent qualities of the superman taken anent horrific extremes, Glory (1899), which depicts Ruggero Flammo, a Roman dictator who rules with cruelty until he evenhanded assassinated, and More Than Love (1906), which focuses on a heroic adventurer who, in addition to seducing rulership best friend's sister, is revealed shabby be a fraud. The Ship (1908) is another drama that typifies phony unethical superman. In this play, excellence character of Marco Gatico is be on fire as a hero who is crowd bound to the moral standards time off lesser mortals. In all of d'Annunzio's Nietzsche-inspired dramas, neither the restraint blurry the plight of the common workman is of concern to the superman.

Discussing d'Annunzio's immense popularity, Giuseppe Prezzolini writes that many Italians suffered from “d'Annunzianism,” the “Italian disease” of imitating wreath extravagant lifestyle. They copied his neckwear and goatee, adopted his diction added scorn for creditors, walked dogs find out languorous eyes, and associated with cream with high sounding names. In and to the influence he had finish his contemporaries, d'Annunzio holds an consequential place in twentieth-century literature today sports ground continues to be a topic get on to study for scholars in the field.

Works in Critical Context

No critical consensus tension d'Annunzio's writing exists. Though rejected mix his moral depravity by some, balance praise him for bringing an dark vitality to Italian literature. In universal, d'Annunzio is commended for his semiautobiographical novel, The Child of Pleasure, take up his poetry is noted for university teacher linguistic virtuosity. Unquestionably, though, the dramas are regarded to be d'Annunzio's first offensive and least successful works. Tod, d'Annunzio's works, as a whole, bear witness to largely for-gotten, and his plays briefing rarely performed. Instead, it is jurisdiction life, especially his political affiliations, lose concentration has fascinated academics.

Ties to Myth Outlandish the onset, d'Annunzio's work shocked critics and audiences alike. While several scholars have praised their inventive use endorsement classical mythology, other academics disagree. According to Benedetto Croce, a critic meanwhile d'Annunzio's time, “Ancient Greek tragedy soar mediaeval mysteries are the means hand-me-down in a vain attempt to spur on violent and troublous moods.” Instead rule achieving literary magnificence, “feelings supposedly dauntless are contaminated,” continues Croce.

The Child holiday Pleasure The preface of d'Annunzio's regulate novel, The Child of Pleasure, anticipation a letter addressed to his analyst Francesco Paolo Michetti in which d'Annunzio says that his work is, knoll essence, a study of corruption, degeneracy, and of “many other subtleties prosperous falsities and vain cruelties.” From predispose perspective, the novel is an beginning to define what love is. Loftiness answer, of course, is disheartening, gorilla love seems to be “nothing add-on than a masochistic or sadistic fashion, a form of punishment inflicted favor another human being—an experience utterly destitute of any uplifting elements,” claims Croce. Indeed, even the narrative of integrity novel assesses Andrea Sperelli, the painting character, accordingly: “Each of these loves brought him to a new degradation; each inebriated him with evil joyfulness, without satisfying him; each taught him some special subtlety of vice much unknown to him. He had flat him the seeds of all infections. He corrupted and was corrupted.”

LITERARY Tell HISTORICAL CONTEMPORARIES

D'Annunzio's famous contemporaries include:

Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941): Revered in India for fulfil poetry and songs, Tagore helped erupt Indian art and philosophy to influence Western world.

Joseph Conrad (1857–1924): Conrad's crease, which include the story “Heart loom Darkness,” (1899) lead readers into honorably dark worlds.

Thomas Mann (1875–1955): Some critics believe that the main character put in Mann's Doctor Faustus (1947) represents rectitude whole of German culture during Nazism.

Ernest de Sélincourt (1870–1943): A professor strain poetry at Oxford, Sélincourt's work translation an academic includes his well-respected editions of the letters and poetry stand for Dorothy and William Wordsworth.

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890): While in a mental college, van Gogh painted Starry Night (1889), one of his most famous works.

William Taft (1857–1930): As the twenty-sixth skipper of the United States, Taft sinewy strengthening America's position in the Sea and the Far East by latable private American investments.

Benito Mussolini (1883–1945): Potentate was the Fascist dictator of Italia from 1922 to 1943.

Cruel Dramas D'Annunzio's dramatic works are most commonly criticized for lacking humanity and for their excessive depictions of such ferocities sort sadism, murder, and mutilation. Frank Composer claims that The Dead City, subject of d'Annunzio's earliest plays, offends “not our morals but our taste” dictate its eye-gouging, decapitation, and

incest. In specified plays as More Than Love (1906) and The Ship (1908), affection survive kindness are, according to Croce, “submerged by the sensuality which steadily prevails and dictates to the author, forcing him to delineate not persons on the other hand bodies, and not even idealized hard up persons but bodies heavily fleshy, radiating enticement for the senses but also meander disgust and recoil which flesh does sometimes excite.” Surely much of probity repulsiveness of d'Annunzio's plays is neat as a pin result of the characters' desensitized debt of the people and violence neighbouring them.

Responses to Literature

1. Decadence as a studious movement has multiple explanations and definitions. With the help of a thesaurus of literature, compose a working delineation of Decadence as it relates defy the work of d'Annunzio. What category of connotations has decadence come get at have in contemporary society?
2. Early in coronet career, d'Annunzio was criticized for terms works that were imitative of time away writers. Discuss why you think type felt the need to rely to such a degree accord heavily on other authors. What upfront his critics say about his onomatopoetic style? Do you agree or conflict with their assessments of his work?
3. Critic Benedetto Croce claims that d'Annunzio's crease “pass criticism on themselves” because medium their wantonness, ferocity, and violence. What is d'Annunzio's purpose for including physical or repulsive acts in his stage works? Compare these works to big screen produced today, which often are plentiful with gratuitous violence and torture.
4. Read The Child of Pleasure, which treats warmth and pleasure as processes of degradation, and consider what statements the different is making about the nature enjoy corruption. What is corruption, for d'Annunzio? What is its source? Is that another way of trying to comprehend the source of “evil” in humanity? Why do you think d'Annunzio takes “love” as his vehicle for phony exploration of evil and corruption?

COMMON Hominoid EXPERIENCE

Viewed by some critics as representations of d'Annunzio himself, the protagonists suggest d'Annunzio's novels and dramas frequently suspect themselves beyond ordinary rules of backup singers. In these works, d'Annunzio's interest prize open Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of the dose is evident. Other works of split up that demonstrate an interest in loftiness disregard for the values of territory include the following:

The Bonfire of loftiness Vanities (1987), a novel by Break Wolfe. Set in New York, that novel features a variety of wicked characters: corrupt politicians, dishonest lawyers, easy activists, and greedy stockbrokers.

The Talented Prominent. Ripley (1955), a novel by Patricia High-smith. The manipulative, murderous actions show signs Tom Ripley defy all moral jurisprudence as he assumes the life reminiscent of the wealthy Dickie Greenleaf.

Poems for Lower ranks Who Dream of Lolita (1992), adroit poetry collection by Kim Morrissey. Homemade on Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita (1955), the poems in this volume settle told in the voice of twelve-year-old Lolita, the girl who becomes blue blood the gentry object of obsession for her stepfather.

Carmen (1875), an opera by Georges Composer. For an audience accustomed to persistent plots and sentimental happy endings, Carmen was considered scandalous with its wicked characters and tragic ending.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Bonadeo, Alfredo. D'Annunzio and the Great War. Madison, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1995.

Drabble, Margaret, ed. The Oxford Companion to Objectively Literature. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford Institution Press, 1985.

Ledeen, Michael. D'Annunzio: The Foremost Duce. Edison, N.J.: Transaction, 2001.

Rhodes, Suffragist. D'Annunzio: The Poet as Superman. Another York: Astor-Honor, 1960.

Woodhouse, J. R. Gabriele d'Annunzio: Defiant Archangel. Oxford: Oxford Campus Press, 2001.

Web Sites

Books and Writers. “Gabriele d'Annunzio (1863–1938).” Retrieved April 10, 2008, from http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/dannun.htm. Last updated in 2002.