ABSTRACT

Nevertheless, “verismo” is now used almost exclusively to describe a specific type of literary realism defined by Luigi Capuana and Giovanni Verga, who in their theoretical works and prefaces succeeded in formulating a con­ vincing literary aesthetic.6 Its general coherence with the work of Emile Zola eventually led to the establishment of the homogeneous set of characteristics presented in modern literary histories: the regional character and inherent pes­ simism of the stories; the blind passion of the protagonists; a quasi-scientific and detached approach to describing both the social, cultural, and political climate in which the characters function and their psychological thought processes; and the importance of a language appropriate to the social and geo­ graphical situation of the characters.7 In this kind of literature, the author must become intimately familiar with his characters: their customs, way of thinking, traditions, and language-an approach Verga called “scienza del cuore umano” (“science o f the human heart”).8 Literary verismo thus focuses on the

logical and tragic development o f the protagonists’ character as a consequence of the “fateful, endless and often wearisome and agitated path trod by human­ ity to achieve progress,” which leaves the weak by the wayside.9 It is important to keep in mind that a focus on the weak is not equivalent to a focus on the lowest social classes. Characters are frequently drawn from the middle class, and although never completed, later installments of Verga’s cycle I vinti-“The Duchess of Leyra” and “The Man of Luxury”—were intended to explore aristocratic realms.10