The Mona Lisa

D‘Annunzio, Gabriele, 1863-1938Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 125K words
Chapters: 13

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 Gioconda by Gabriele D'AnnunzioAuthor: D'Annunzio, Gabriele, 1863-1938,Language: Italian, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Nov 3, 2007

Editor's review

La Gioconda is a play by the Italian writer Gabriele D'Annunzio, written in Italian and classified under Romance literatures. D'Annunzio is a key representative of Italian aestheticism and decadentism, and his plays are known for their dense poetic language, intense sensory description, and dramatic conflict. This play revolves around the entanglement of art, love, and desire, with characters whose emotions run high and dialogue rich in rhetorical tension; it is suited to readers interested in Italian literature and drama. While reading, note how the author uses ornate diction to shape the characters' inner lives and how aestheticist sensibilities manifest in the dramatic structure. Because the original is in Italian, non-native readers need some language proficiency and may benefit from reading alongside a translation. As a public-domain eBook, it is convenient for researchers and literature enthusiasts to consult at any time, but it is not suited to readers seeking light stories or popular plots.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate to advanced language learners studying Italian who wish to engage with literary originals
Readers interested in Italian aestheticism and decadent literature
Literature students researching D'Annunzio's plays or modern European drama

Not a good fit for

General readers with no Italian who need a Chinese translation to assist them
Readers who prefer light, popular plots and have little patience for poetic dialogue

Reading tips

Learn about D'Annunzio and the aestheticist background before reading the play
Use a Chinese or English translation to clarify character relationships and the lines of conflict
Read key monologues aloud to appreciate the poetic and rhetorical rhythm of the dialogue

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

Can I read this book without knowing Italian?

The original is in Italian, and reading it directly without Italian will be very difficult. It is advisable to first consult a Chinese or English translation to understand the plot, then compare it with the original to feel the language style, or use it as advanced Italian reading material.

What themes does this play mainly explore?

According to the source, it belongs to D'Annunzio's dramatic works; given his aestheticist leanings, his works generally revolve around conflicts of art, love, and desire, with intense emotions and poetic dialogue. Readers should grasp the specific plot through reading rather than speculating about details from a summary.

Comments

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About the author

D‘Annunzio, Gabriele, 1863-1938 Author

Gabriele D‘Annunzio (1863–1938) was an Italian writer. Thirteen of his works are held in this collection, including The Child of Pleasure, Le Novelle della Pescara, L‘Innocente, La Gioconda, Cabiria: Visione storica del terzo secolo A. C., Le vergini delle rocce, San Pantaleone and Forse che sì forse che no. Public information is limited, but these works show that his writing spans novels, short stories and drama, often dealing with desire, guilt, aristocratic life and historical imagination. His style is known for sensuous description and elaborate rhetoric, with aesthetic and decadent overtones. His works had a certain influence on early twentieth-century Italian literature and popular culture.