Misplaced Pages

#542457

28-429: The poem, in ten chants or cantos , comprises two major parts; the first is strictly from an historical point of view, and its material is only factual. The second part is looser in its factual integrity, and draws more strongly from Voltaire's imagination. These "fictions", as Voltaire calls them, mostly relate to Henry IV, and "draw from the regions of the marvelous", and include "the prediction of Henry's conversion, of

56-602: A Portrait of Isabella d'Este at the Louvre . A statue no less jocund, no less bright, Succeeds, and on the writing is impressed; Lo! Hercules' daughter, Isabella hight, In whom Ferrara deems city blest, Much more because she first shall see the light Within its circuit, than for all the rest Which kind and favouring Fortune in the flow Of rolling years, shall on that town bestow. The cardinal went to Hungary in 1518, and wished Ariosto to accompany him. The poet excused himself, pleading ill health, his love of study, and

84-706: A canto and it is not limited to any one type of poetry. The typical length of a canto varies greatly from one poem to another. The average canto in the Divine Comedy is 142 lines long, while the average canto in Os Lusíadas is 882 lines long. Some famous poems that employ the canto division are Ezra Pound 's The Cantos (116 cantos), Dante 's Divine Comedy (with 100 cantos ), Sri Aurobindo 's Savitri (49 cantos), Ludovico Ariosto 's Orlando Furioso (46 cantos), Torquato Tasso 's Gerusalemme liberata (20 cantos), Byron 's Don Juan (17 cantos,

112-561: A group of bandits, the chief of which, on discovering that his captive was the author of Orlando Furioso , apologized for not having immediately shown him the respect due his rank. In 1508 Ariosto's play Cassaria appeared, and the next year I suppositi  [ it ] was first acted in Ferrara and ten years later in the Vatican . A prose edition was published in Rome in 1524, and

140-424: A reformed styling of the twelve-syllable alexandrine couplet. He made this stylised hexameter for dramatic effect. Some commentators remarked that this particular rhythm of verse was unsuited to the content and theme of the poem. According to the poem's editor O. R. Taylor, the poem "rarely touches the sensibility of the modern reader" and readers hoping for sublime fire will be disappointed, though Voltaire's verse

168-474: A subject of satire. Voltaire wrote other poems during his life, but none were nearly as lengthy or detailed as these two. While Henriade was viewed as a great poem, and as one of Voltaire's best, many did not believe it to be his masterpiece, or the best he was capable of; many claimed it lacked originality or novel inspiration, and that it was nothing truly extraordinary. Some remarked that this low standard of quality came of Voltaire's non-comprehension of what he

196-425: Is according to Goethe “a graceful smiling fantastic creation”. The third edition of the book is quite distinct in terms of diction and structure. However, it seems that today, the reader tends to consider this version as the primary text. Therefore, it might be beneficial to read the three texts in comparison to gain a more comprehensive understanding. Additionally, imitation was a matter of grace at that time, which

224-528: Is always idiomatic and never pedestrian. Voltaire's English Essay upon the Civil Wars in France. Extracted from Curious Manuscripts (1727) expresses his Enlightened opinions on these themes in a prose form that is more approachable to modern taste. O. R. Taylor's critical edition of La Henriade devotes a full volume to an introduction, accounting for the germination of the idea and its publication history,

252-477: Is why Ariosto took on the task of completing Boiardo’s unfinished Orlondo Innamorato . Throughout Ariosto's writing are narratorial comments dubbed by Daniel Javitch as "Cantus Interruptus". Javitch's term refers to Ariosto's narrative technique to break off one plot line in the middle of a canto, only to pick it up again in another, often much later, canto. Javitch argues that while many critics have assumed Ariosto does this so as to build narrative tension and keep

280-469: The Apennines, an appointment he held for three years. The province was distracted by factions and bandits, the governor lacked the requisite means to enforce his authority and the duke did little to support his minister. Ariosto's government satisfied both the sovereign and the people given over to his care, however; indeed, there is a story about a time when he was walking alone and fell into the company of

308-605: The North", and Ariosto as "The southern Scott". In doing so, Byron connected Ariosto and the Italian Renaissance with early-nineteenth century Scottish and British Romantic writing, emphasising an enduring European literary tradition. Scott, in turn, was influenced by Ariosto and expressed his admiration for the Orlando Furioso . The paperback edition of Orlando Furioso can be briefly glimpsed on table in

SECTION 10

#1732772506543

336-581: The adventures of Charlemagne , Orlando , and the Franks as they battle against the Saracens with diversions into many sideplots. The poem is transformed into a satire of the chivalric tradition. Ariosto composed the poem in the ottava rima rhyme scheme and introduced narrative commentary throughout the work. Ariosto also coined the term " humanism " (in Italian, umanesimo ) for choosing to focus upon

364-422: The contextual theory of the epic and sources both literary and in recent history and contemporary events, and the nineteenth-century decline in the poem's popularity. Taylor reprints eighteenth-century prefaces to the poem, which always carried critical apparatus in the form of Voltaire's own notes. Henriade is one of two epic poems by Voltaire, the other being La Pucelle d'Orléans , which took Joan of Arc as

392-474: The evenness and self-contented assurance with which it urbanely flows, and second, brilliance – the Mediterranean glitter and sheen which neither dazzle nor obscure but confer on every object its precise outline and glinting surface. Only occasionally can Ariosto's language truly be said to be witty, but its lightness and agility create a surface which conveys a witty effect. Too much wit could destroy even

420-510: The finest poem, but Ariosto's graceful brio is at least as difficult and for narrative purposes more satisfying. Letitia Elizabeth Landon 's poem [REDACTED] Ariosto to his Mistress . (1836) is supposed to be his address to some unknown beauty on presenting her with his completed Orlando Furioso . In his poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage , Canto the Fourth (1818), Lord Byron described poet and novelist Walter Scott as "The Ariosto of

448-560: The first verse edition was published at Venice in 1551. The play, which was translated by George Gascoigne and acted at Gray's Inn in London in 1566 and published in 1573, was later used by Shakespeare as a source for The Taming of the Shrew . In 1516 the first version of the Orlando Furioso in 40 cantos , was published at Ferrara. The third and final version of the Orlando Furioso , in 46 cantos, appeared on 8 September 1532. The work

476-443: The last of which is unfinished) and Camões ' Os Lusíadas (10 cantos). Ludovico Ariosto Ludovico Ariosto ( / ɑːr i ˈ ɒ s t oʊ / ; Italian: [ludoˈviːko aˈrjɔsto, - ariˈɔsto] ; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic Orlando Furioso (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo 's Orlando Innamorato , describes

504-616: The narrator says: But I, who still pursue a varying tale, Must leave awhile the Paladin , who wages A weary warfare with the wind and flood; To follow a fair virgin of his blood. Some have attributed this piece of metafiction as one component of the "Sorriso ariostesco" or Ariosto's smile, the wry sense of humor that Ariosto adds to the text. In explaining this humor, Thomas Greene, in Descent from Heaven , says: The two persistent qualities of Ariosto's language are first, serenity –

532-569: The need to care for his elderly mother. His excuses were not well-received, and he was denied even an interview. Ariosto and d'Este got into a heated argument, and Ariosto was promptly dismissed from service. The cardinal's brother, Alfonso, duke of Ferrara , now took Ariosto under his patronage. By then, Ariosto had already distinguished himself as a diplomat, chiefly on the occasion of two visits to Rome as ambassador to Pope Julius II . The fatigue of one of these journeys brought on an illness from which he never recovered, and on his second mission he

560-408: The notice of Cardinal Ippolito d'Este , who took the young poet under his patronage and appointed him one of the gentlemen of his household. Este compensated Ariosto poorly for his efforts; the only reward he gave the poet for Orlando Furioso , dedicated to him, was the question, "Where did you find so many stories, Master Ludovico?" Ariosto later said that the cardinal was ungrateful, that he deplored

588-459: The protection given to him by Saint Louis , his apparition , the fire from Heaven destroying those magical performances which were then so common, etc." Voltaire also stated that various other sections of the poem were purely allegorical: "for example, the voyage of Discord to Rome , Politics and Fanaticism personified, the temple of Love, the Passions and Vices, etc." The poem was written in

SECTION 20

#1732772506543

616-580: The reader turning pages, the poet in reality defuses narrative tension because so much time separates the interruption and the resumption. By the time the reader gets to the continuation of the story, he or she has often forgotten or ceased to care about the plot and is usually wrapped up in another plot. Ariosto does this, Javitch argues, to undermine "man's foolish but persistent desire for continuity and completion". Ariosto uses it throughout his works. For example, in Canto II, stanza 30, of Orlando Furioso ,

644-467: The strengths and potential of humanity, rather than only upon its role as subordinate to God. This led to Renaissance humanism . Ariosto was born in Reggio nell'Emilia , where his father Niccolò Ariosto was commander of the citadel. He was the oldest of 10 children and was seen as the successor to the patriarchal position of his family. From his earliest years, Ludovico was very interested in poetry, but he

672-512: The term fitt was sometimes used to denote a section of a long narrative poem, and that term is sometimes used in modern scholarship of this material instead of canto . The use of the canto was described in the 1911 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica as "a convenient division when poetry was more usually sung by the minstrel to his own accompaniment than read". There is no specific format, construction or style for

700-789: The time which he spent under his yoke, and that if he received some small pension, it was not to reward him for his poetry – which the prelate despised – but for acting as a messenger. Ludovico Ariosto and Leonardo da Vinci shared a patron in Cardinal Ippolito d'Este 's older sister the Marchioness Isabella d'Este , the "First Lady of the Renaissance." Isabella d'Este appears in Ludovico's masterpiece, Orlando Furioso . She also appears in Leonardo's Sketch for

728-468: Was nearly killed by order of the Pope, who happened at the time to be in conflict with Alfonso. On account of the war, his salary of 84 crowns a year was suspended, and it was withdrawn altogether after the peace. Because of this, Ariosto asked the duke either to provide for him, or to allow him to seek employment elsewhere. He was appointed to the province of Garfagnana , then without a governor, situated on

756-589: Was obliged by his father to study law. After five years of law, Ariosto was allowed to read classics under Gregorio da Spoleto. Ariosto's studies of Greek and Latin literature were cut short by Spoleto's move to France to tutor Francesco Sforza . Shortly after this, Ariosto's father died. After the death of his father, Ludovico Ariosto was compelled to forgo his literary occupations and take care of his family, whose affairs were in disarray. Despite his family obligations, Ariosto managed to write some comedies in prose as well as lyrical pieces. Some of these attracted

784-566: Was writing, and his lack of enthusiasm in the poem's writing. Canto The canto ( Italian pronunciation: [ˈkanto] ) is a principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry . The word canto is derived from the Italian word for "song" or "singing", which comes from the Latin cantus , "song", from the infinitive verb canere , "to sing". In Old Saxon poetry , Old English poetry , and Middle English poetry,

#542457