Volume I Part 4 (1/2)

Goldoni's instinct led hie He vainly attempted to for his youth he studied at a college in Pavia, but was expelled for giving free vent to his literary propensities in satire He practised as an advocate at the Venetian bar, practised at Pisa in the sah he courted Themis, his real predilections drew hi talent was a comedy in outline; _Il Gondoliere Veneziano_, represented at Milan in 1733 In the next year he produced a painfully bad tragedy at Verona entitled _Belisario_ Several pieces of a edy, followed Yet he had not taken to the theatre as a profession; and it was not until the year 1746, when he joined the cohorn, in the capacity of their paid playwright, that he entered definitely upon the career of author for the stage

During the years when Goldoni was thus wavering between law and literature, he attempted edies, tragi-comedies, farces, _scenari_ for iue was partly written His facile talent adapted itself to every style in turn All this while he recognised that his strength lay neither in the direction of poetry nor in that of serious draenius for comedy; and he felt born to educate Italian taste in that species We have already seen how deeply he deplored the degeneration of the _Commedia dell' Arte_; and yet some of his pieces had been performed by the best improvisatory actors then alive, Sacchi the famous Truffaldino, and Darbes the no less celebrated Pantalone

While scribbling Harlequinades, Goldoni never lost sight of the refor meditated; and this was to substitute written comedies of character, in the style of Moliere and the ancients, for the old comedies _all' i cautiously On the one hand, he had to consider the adherents of the elder style On the other hand, he was forced to hues which increased their dependence upon professional playwrights[61] Accordingly, he advanced with circumspection In the _Momolo Cortesan_, which he composed for the Pantalone of Sacchi's co part ritten The rest was left to improvisation Nevertheless, this piece was constructed on different principles frooverned the _Co a coradual steps to wean his actors fro hiscould be done _per saltum_ It was necessary to prepare transitions, and to pass through the development of imperfect species to the exhibition of the type he had in view This seems to have been the principle on which he acted But Goldoni was so pliable and easy-going, so apt to take the cue froestions offered to his versatile ability, that he frequently lost sight of this leading principle His Muse wore Harlequin's robe ofto effect the meditated revolution This indecision at the commencement of his career exposed him to Gozzi's piratical attacks, and exercised, I think, a prejudicial influence over his subsequent career as playwright But it was not in the character of the man to act otherwise He could not divest hienial adaptability to the circumstances in which he was placed from time to time Some natures are destined to achieve their ends by condescension Goldoni's was essentially a nature of this kind And the fact reions alien from his purpose, he kept one aim in view and finally achieved it What survives of solid in his work, is the select series of plays produced upon the lines of the reform he calculated

It was at Pisa in 1746 that the _Capocomico_ Medebac induced Goldoni to join his troupe The proposal was that a theatre at Venice should be hired for five or six years, and that Goldoni should dedicate his whole talents to the coood pecuniary offers were made; for it seems that each comedy was paid at the rate of thirty sequins, or about 12 sterling Goldoni accepted Then travelling with his new partners by the road through Modena, he reached Venice in July 1747 His first venture, with a play called _Tognetto_ or _Tonino bela grazia_, was a failure A couple of pathetic pieces which folloon more favour with the public Darbes, whom Goldoni learned to appreciate and use with excellent effect, seconded his efforts admirably; and in 1748 circu-cherished schely he wrote the _Vedova Scaltra_, which is distinctly a co the carnival season of 1749, and was received with intelligent sympathy by the Venetians This induced Goldoni to pursue the course he had begun _La Putta Onorata_ obtained a siondolier class, whose sentiments and manners had been studied in its composition Goldoni's novelties had by this time roused the jealousy of rivals and the opposition of Conservatives

A parody of the _Vedova Scaltra_ appeared at the theatre of S Sah, to attract attention

Goldoni received a check in mid-career, which became serious when the Carnival of 1749 closed with the total failure of a new piece fro to the quick, and piqued in his self-esteem, with the sense of his own inexhaustible and facile forces rendering the hazard light, Goldoni publicly declared his intention of producing sixteen new comedies within the next twelve calendar months

He kept his promise, but at a considerable cost both to his position as playwright and his health With the general public, the ood-humour, and the variety of subjects treated in his famous sixteen plays, created an indescribable enthusiasht well-earned laurels to Goldoni, together with the good-will of the fickleenemies, the supporters of the old drama, the literary purists, and the Conservatives who could not stous eyes In the heat of volcanic co with several felicitous and brilliant works of art The worst of his perforainst him by critics like Carlo Gozzi The best were confounded in one plausible condemnation

[Illustration: TARTAGLIA (1620)

_Illustrating the Italian Commedia dell' Arte, or Impromptu Comedy_]

From this point forward for the next six years Goldoni met with no forht The man in question was the Abbe Chiari, a relic of the seventeenth century, pompous and bombastic in style, a blatant member of the Arcadian Academy, a bastard brother of Pindar in the hts, a prolific scribbler of melodramatic pieces in rhymed Martellian verses,[62] and, after all his qualifications are suht the public ear

Venice divided itself into factions for Chiari and Goldoni On a smaller scale, the Bononcini and Handel conflicts of London, the Gluck and Piccini riots of Paris, were repeated Thefeature of this contest for Goldoni, was that Chiari, less gifted with originality, aped each of his new inventions Against Goldoni's _Paainst his _Avventuriere Onorato_ an _Avventuriere alla Moda_, against his _Padre per Aainst his _Moliere_ a _Moliere ainst his _Sposa Persiana_ a _Schiava Chinese_, against his _Filosofo Inglese_ a _Filosofo Veneziano_, against his _Scozzese_ a _Bella Pellegrina_ In spite of their ame of battledore and shuttlecock between Chiari and Goldoni enabled the literary Conservatives to regard both playwrights as flying under one flag But before the Granelleschi opened fire in earnest, Venetian society continued for five years to be pretty equally divided in its sylaring faults, which passed for brilliant qualities with the vulgar, won him numerous admirers Carlo Gozzi has described this state of contention:[63]

”I partigiani ogni giorno crescevano, Chi vuole _Originale_ et chi _Saccheggio_; Tutto il paese a roio

Nelle case i fratelli contendevano, Le ni loco acerba e la tenzone, Tutto e scolio, tutto e dissensione”

IV

The Granelleschi, in their zeal for sound literature, were justly enraged against the ranting, arrogant, boh the nised Goldoni's merits, they resented his slovenly and slipshod style Carlo Gozzi, less tolerant and far more satirical than his elder brother, confounded both poets in a co This was obviously unfair to Goldoni, hatever his faults of diction her than the Abbe But Goldoni was guilty of an unpardonable sin in Gozzi's eyes He had declared war against the _Commedia dell' Arte_, for which Gozzi entertained the partiality of one as himself an excellent impromptu actor The other reasons of this bitter hatred are sufficiently explained in those chapters of the Meht

At last Gozzi thought the ti a decisive blow[64] The Granelleschi professed sincere admiration for an obscure burlesque Florentine poet of the fifteenth century called Burchiello

Taking somatical sentences for prophecies, Gozzi compiled a sort of co over Venice in the year 1756 were described It was entitled _La Tartana degl' Influssi per l'anno bisestile_ 1756,[65] and was modelled upon an almanac for country-folk, published at Treviso under the name of a certain Schieson[66] For each quarter of the year a _capitolo_ in _terza rima_ ritten, and a prophecy in octave stanzas was dedicated to each h the _Tartana_ contained satires upon society in general, a considerable part was directed specially against Chiari and Goldoni The introductory address to the readers strikes the keynote

The month of February deals with comedies, the month of November with Martellian verses, and the month of December invokes the speedy return of Sacchi and his coal Finally, in the sonnet addressed to the bookseller at the end of the book, the two poets are mentioned by name Gozzi declared hiue, an opponent of rhy the French Alexandrine measure, and a zealous adherent of the old _Coard to Sacchi's company was speedily fulfilled; for the earthquake of Lisbon happening in 1755, they were obliged to quit the scene of that lugubrious disaster Soon after their return to Venice, Gozzi appears to have courted their friendshi+p This we gather froiani del Sacchi Truffaldino_ which he published in 1761[67]

Irritated by the _Tartana degli Influssi_, Goldoni, who usually kept silence under literary attacks, took up the pen and wrote as follows:[68]--

”Ho veduta stampata una Tartana Piena di versi rancidi sciapiti, Versi da spaventare una befana, Versi dal saggio imitator conditi Con sale acuto della maladicenza, Piena di falsi sentimenti arditi; Ma conceder si pu questa licenza A chi in collera va colla fortuna, Che per lui non ha ione alcuna, Chi non prova gli assunti e gli argomenti, Fa come il can che abbaia alla luna”

I have transcribed these verses for several reasons; first, that e for themselves of Goldoni's poetical style; secondly, because the last six lines profoundly irritated Gozzi; and thirdly, because they engaged him in the production of his first semi-dramatic pasquinade upon their author

We need not describe the battle of sonnets, squibs, and paed after the appearance of Gozzi's _Tartana_ The Granelleschi were now coonists; and they spared no pains to do so Men of birth and parts condescended to the filthiest ribaldry and the e personalities On the whole, it must be allowed that the Granelleschi displayed superior wit and style Gozzi, in particular, showed real powers for burlesque satire in his _Marfisa Bizzarra_; and some of his occasional pieces are composed with a terseness and directness worthy of the classical age of Florentine literature Goldoni replied from time to time, but feebly In a poem entitled _La Tavola Rotonda_, he described his foronist as:[69]

”Un Lombardo che affetta esser cruscante Col riso in bocca e col veleno in petto”

This seeent, description of Carlo Gozzi, who, in spite of his theoretical puris with correctness or distinction, and who veiled a really caustic te upon the charges brought against hi neither a scholar nor a poet, Goldoni admits their truth with frankness:[70]