Leopard: book description
In 1954 Giuseppe Tomasi from Lampedusa started writing a novel Leopard today considered a timeless classic, a true masterpiece of Italian literature, made famous by the cinematographic reproduction of Luchino Visconti.
The author, born in 1896 and deceased in 1957, of noble birth and with the title of Duke of Palma and Prince of Lampedusa, was inspired by the events and history of his great-grandfather when writing the novel. Title Leopard refers to the cat depicted on the coat of arms of the famous Sicilian family of Salina, to which the protagonists of the work belong. The novel was initially rejected by major publishers the work was published posthumously in 1958. The plot intertwines the events of the Salina family with the social and political changes of the Risorgimento period offering an in-depth analysis of Sicilian society in this historical context.
Leopard fits into the traditional historical novel: the work is planted in Sicily precisely in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, under Bourbon rule, overturned by Risorgimento and from Arrival Thousand. The characters’ events, such as Tancredi’s love for Angelica, are interwoven with historical events such as Garibaldi’s landing at Marsala. The story has been developing for a long time from 1860 to 1910.
Leopard: environment
The choice to set the story in Sicily aims to present Prince Salina’s point of view, which coincides with that of the author-narrator. The immobility of Sicily in the nineteenth century plays a vital role in painting and A vision of the world very pessimistic and without hope.
Quote “All Sicilian manifestations are dreamlike, even the most violent: our sensuality is a desire for death, a desire for sensuous immobility. This violence of landscape, this cruelty of climate, this constant tension in every aspect†reflects Prince Salina’s perception of the world.
Salina Palace in Palermo and Donnafugata Estate
The Salina Palace in Palermo becomes a symbol of the situation before the political changes, while the Manor of Donnafugata represents change itself, but also nostalgia for memories from the past. The contrast between these two places reflects the separation between the old nobility and the forces of change that characterize the historical context described in the novel.
This opposition is perceived in the description of two lunches held in two homes. Lunch at a villa in Palermo is painted with meticulous detail and follows all the rules that prescribe a princely feast. However, this opulence marks the end of an era in which nobility was of predominant importance. Dinner at the Villa Salina is described with wrinkled pomp, in keeping with the style of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies at the time.
The impressive number of guests alone added grandeur to the table, covered with a delicately patched tablecloth. The prince himself was responsible for serving the soup, an activity that, while tiring, symbolized the authoritative responsibility of the head of the family. On the other hand, in addition to the Salina family, Mayor Sedara also attended the lunch in Donnafugata, which signaled the union of a nobleman and a wealthy peasant and thus a change in the political situation.
The descriptions of the landscape especially the sun and dust, which burn and wither the surrounding environment, take on a symbolic, expressive value of the immobility of the Sicilian world.
Leopard: main themes
The pessimistic tone of the novel emerges from the author’s point of view, expressed primarily through the inner monologues and speeches of Prince Fabrizio Salina. The main topic of the novel revolves around Sicilians’ refusal to accept the changes, a concept voiced in the dialogue between the Prince and Chevalley. This conversation reflects the real impossibility of changing the Sicilian situation: the change is only reflected in the transfer of power to the enriched bourgeoisie, with which the aristocracy is forced to ally itself.
However, this transformation does not represent progress, as the bourgeoisie take over from the aristocrats without bringing better values ​​with them. On the contrary, they become money-hungry individuals who are also destined to succumb. It then becomes the main topic of reflection on life and above all on death which the author considers the only hope.
The Prince’s reply to Chevalley emphasizes the fact that the Sicilians will not change; they will continue to remain motionless, as various foreign dominions block their initiative over time, causing only inertia, immobility, and destruction. After the death of the prince, the novel ends with the image of the now elderly daughters clearing the floor of objects that have now become useless memories.
