The Defeat

Alfredo OrianiProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 520K words
Chapters: 52

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.La disfatta by Alfredo OrianiAuthor: Oriani, Alfredo, 1852-1909,Language: Italian, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Dec 9, 2006

Editor's review

La disfatta is a novel by the Italian writer Alfredo Oriani; the title means "defeat" and itself conveys the work's grave concern with fate, will, and failure. Oriani lived in Italy from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, and his writing often has an argumentative intellectual quality, with characters struggling between ideals and reality. The novel suits readers interested in the literary and intellectual atmosphere of post-unification Italy and can serve as a literary sample for understanding the spiritual state of Italian intellectuals of the time. As a public-domain eBook it preserves the original text; the language is Italian, the narrative is dense, and psychological and discursive elements may be plentiful, so it requires patience. It is better read as a spiritual biography of a "failure" than as a plot-driven novel.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Advanced readers learning Italian who want to read public-domain originals
Scholarly readers studying modern Italian literature and Oriani
Those interested in the intellectual history of late nineteenth-century Europe
Serious fiction readers who can accept much discussion and psychological description

Not a good fit for

Readers who do not read Italian and do not intend to use a translation
Popular fiction readers who prefer strong plots and fast pacing
Readers needing an authoritative annotated edition or complete research materials

Reading tips

First learn about Oriani's era and the intellectual background after Italian unification, then enter the text.
As you read, note how the theme of "defeat" recurs in characters' choices and discussions.
For the Italian text, read closely in sections; with long sentences, first sort out the main clause, then review the modifiers.
Read alongside works on modern Italian history to help understand the novel's reflection of its era.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What does the title "La disfatta" mean?

In Italian it means "defeat" or "rout," pointing to the work's concern with failure, fate, and the characters' spiritual predicament; the specific meaning should be understood in light of the characters and plot in the text.

What is the language and edition situation of this book?

The original is in Italian; it is a public-domain eBook, usually retaining only the main text without scholarly annotations or an introduction. Readers needing background material should look separately for research materials on the author and the era.

What language foundation is needed to read this book?

Intermediate or higher Italian reading ability is recommended. The text was written long ago, and its sentence patterns and vocabulary differ from modern Italian; beginners should use a dictionary or translation for support.

Is it suitable as an introduction to Italian literature?

Not really a first choice for beginners. Oriani's narrative has a heavy discursive component and is better suited to readers who have already encountered modern Italian fiction and are willing to read slowly.

Comments

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About the author

Alfredo Oriani Author · Italian · 1852–1909

Alfredo Oriani (1852–1909) was an Italian novelist, historian and social critic, born in Faenza in 1852 and died in Casola Valsenio in 1909. His writing spanned the novel, history and political commentary. Thirteen of his works are held in this collection, including the multi-volume La lotta politica in Italia, the two volumes of Il Nemico, and works such as La disfatta, Olocausto, No: Romanzo and Al di là: romanzo. His novels often concern the entanglement of individual lives with historical change, while his historical and political writings trace the course of Italian political life, and his thought carries a nationalist tinge. Public information is limited and few details of his life survive, yet his extant works show that he holds a place in Italian literary and intellectual history, with wide-ranging subjects and a style that combines narrative with argument.