Modern Italian Reader [antikvár]

FOREWORD 'JpHE present reader is intended as a practical guide for students of Italian in general, and in particular for those who are interested in the modern aspects of Italian literature and thought, and in the study of contemporary Italian speech. Although Italian, imlike the other great European languages, became crystallized at an early date and has altered little in the last six and a half centuries, yet the need of a close study of nineteenth and twentieth-century authors is very strongly felt by anyone who wishes to obtain a working knowledge of the spoken language of to-day. With one or two exceptions, all the extracts given here belong to the last hundred years, the earliest being a letter by Ugo Foscolo, dated 1822 ; indeed, the majority of the extracts are from the pen of living or recently dead vn'iters. But the selection does not claim to possess a definite critical purpose, nor to be representative of established literary values. It is not so much an anthology of recognized standard authors as a selection of clear, straightforward and racy passages from various sources. Its purpose is simply to provide a linguistic and intellectual stimulus, a fresh and invigorating experience of modern Italian poetry and prose. The vocabulary provides the translation of those words of which the meaning does not appear perfectly obvious ; the rendering so given, it should be noted, is limited in general to the particular acceptation such words bear in the text. Idioms are grouped under their respective keyword ; of some impressionistic expressions, particularly in futuristic poetry, the literal meaning is given. Sincere thanks are offered to the following authors and