SOURCE: “Alessandro Manzoni,” in Modern Italian Poets: Essays and Versions, Books for Libraries Press, 1972, pp. 126-74.

In the following excerpt, originally published in 1887, Howells provides an introduction to European Romanticism, briefly surveys Manzoni's life, and evaluates his verse dramas and poetry—quoting extensively from selected works.

I

It was not till the turbulent days of the Napoleonic age were past, that the theories and thoughts of Romance were introduced into Italy. When these days came to an end, the whole political character of the peninsula reverted, as nearly as possible, to that of the times preceding the revolutions. The Bourbons were restored to Naples, the Pope to Rome, the Dukes and Grand Dukes to their several states, the House of Savoy to Piedmont, and the Austrians to Venice and Lombardy; and it was agreed among all these despotic governments that there was to be no Italy save, as...