"Racconti" by Ferdinando Martini is a collection of short stories written in the late 19th century. The book features stories set among the Italian aristocracy and bourgeoisie, often centering on familial expectations, marriages, and the complexities of social life. The likely topics include the emotional struggles of well-born women, shifting social norms, and the subtle tragedies woven into the fabric of respectable society. Main characters feature strong-willed women like Adriana and figures
from their circles, whose fates and emotions are shaped as much by custom as by personal desire. The opening of "Racconti" presents the story "L’oriolo", focusing on Adriana di Roccamare, a beautiful, wealthy, and independent-minded woman whose late marriage is considered a social oddity. Through nuanced family conversations and social observations, we see Adriana's reluctance to marry for convention's sake and her eventual pragmatic proposal to the amiable but older Marchese Gaudenzi. Subsequent segments follow Adriana's life after marriage, revealing emotional reserve, melancholy, and hints of unrealized love, especially in her poignant encounter with the unfulfilled Sismondi. The narrative moves fluidly between letters, dialogue, and close interior moments, gradually exposing how societal expectations weigh on personal happiness. The next story, "Peccato e Penitenza," transitions to a group of friends stranded in a Swiss mountain inn, introducing new characters and foreshadowing another tale of inner turmoil beneath polite exteriors. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Reading ease score: 53.5 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read.
Contents
L'oriolo -- Peccato e penitenza -- Gite autunnali -- La Marchesa.
Credits
Barbara Magni and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense - Milano)
