Madri.... per ridere : romanzo by Cesare Tronconi
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"Madri.... per ridere : romanzo" by Cesare Tronconi is a novel written in the late 19th century. It appears to be a caustic social satire about hypocrisy, respectability, and the making of “mothers” and women shaped by appearances rather than virtue. The story centers on Maddalena, a striking and increasingly calculating young woman from a modest family, whose transformation is catalyzed by a seductive neighbor, Severina, and a secret attraction to Severina’s
brother. Expect a sharp critique of bourgeois morals, the education of girls, and the gap between public piety and private appetites. The opening of the work moves from a sardonic funeral scene—where mourners shun two ominous women—to a vehement letter that brands Maddalena “the Evil,” then rewinds to her origins. We meet her parents, the punctilious ex-dogana clerk Ildebrando and the devout, simple Caterina; her birth is framed by superstitious omens, and her childhood is marked by precocious will, emotional opacity, and social ostracism at a snobbish school. As an adolescent she grows restless and is drawn to Severina, a poised “widow” whose perfumed, sensuous apartment and conversation school Maddalena in toilette, allure, and worldly cynicism. Under this influence, she refashions herself, spurns a safe suitor, and quietly cultivates a flirtation with Severina’s brother, while the narration sketches the type of idle, debt-driven beaux who live off charm—hinting at the kind of man she may be courting. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Tronconi, Cesare, 1842-1890 |
|---|---|
| Title | Madri.... per ridere : romanzo |
| Original Publication | Milano: Galli e Omodei, 1877. |
| Credits | Barbara Magni and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Books project.) |
| Language | Italian |
| LoC Class | PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese |
| Subject | Italian fiction -- 19th century |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 77018 |
| Release Date | Oct 9, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 325 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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