Historical and Moral Tales

Cesare CantùProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 469K words
Chapters: 47

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.Racconti storici e morali by Cesare CantùAuthor: Cantù, Cesare, 1804-1895,Language: Italian, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: May 28, 2014

Editor's review

This is a collection of historical and moral tales by the Italian writer Cesare Cantù, published as a public-domain ebook. Cantù was a nineteenth-century Italian author whose works often use historical subjects to convey moral lessons, and this book reflects that tendency: through specific historical scenes and character stories, it grounds abstract moral ideas in narrative. For readers learning Italian or interested in nineteenth-century Italian literature and moral discourse, the book offers an accessible textual entry point. The stories are relatively self-contained, suitable for fragmented reading and as extensive reading material in language study. Being a public-domain electronic edition, it is freely available, making it suitable for sampling before deciding whether to delve deeper. Note that the book carries a distinctly period moral outlook, and some of its disquisitions may feel distant from contemporary readers' values; it is best read with a historicized eye, as a sample for understanding the intellectual atmosphere of nineteenth-century Italy rather than as a direct moral guide.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate readers learning Italian who want to use literary texts for extensive reading practice
Literature enthusiasts interested in nineteenth-century Italian literature and moral discourse
Readers who need short story material suitable for reading in segments
Enthusiasts studying public-domain ebooks and the spread of early electronic texts

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for contemporary fiction or fast-paced narrative
Readers with no Italian who are unwilling to use a translation
Readers expecting systematic historical scholarship or academic annotation

Reading tips

Start with a shorter story to gauge the language difficulty and narrative style before deciding on a reading order.
Keep a vocabulary notebook and separately organize recurring terms of moral discussion for easier cross-reference.
After each story, summarize the plot and the moral in two or three sentences to check whether you have grasped the main point.
If the language proves difficult, read alongside an English translation or introductory material to lower the threshold of comprehension.

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 level of Italian is needed to read this book?

The language is nineteenth-century Italian, whose sentence structures and vocabulary are distant from contemporary everyday Italian. It suits intermediate readers who can handle long sentences with the help of a dictionary; beginners are advised to start with the shorter pieces or read alongside a translation.

Is the collection suitable for reading straight through from beginning to end?

The pieces are relatively self-contained and need not be read in strict order. You can choose by length or thematic interest; it suits fragmented reading and makes it easy to revisit particular pieces.

Will the book's moral outlook seem outdated?

Yes. Cantù wrote in the nineteenth century, and his lessons bear a clear imprint of their time. It is best treated as a text for understanding the moral discourse of the period rather than as a guide to be followed wholesale; reading it with a historicized perspective is enough.

Comments

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About the author

Cesare Cantù Author · Italian · 1804–1895

Cesare Cantù (1804–1895) was an Italian historian, writer and publicist, born in Brivio, Lombardy. A prolific author, he wrote both historical studies and literary works. His representative works include the historical novel Margherita Pusterla, the three-volume Gli eretici d'Italia, Il Sacro Macello di Valtellina and Storia degli Italiani. He served as director of the Milan State Archives and founded the Lombard Historical Society in 1873, and is regarded as a representative figure of nineteenth-century Italian Romantic historiography. His writings combine historical narrative with moral reflection, and have had a considerable influence on later Italian national historiography.