Romola - Softcover
Romola is an epic novel by George Eliot, set in the evocative atmosphere of Florence, an Italian city during the height of the European Renaissance in the 15th century.
Published in multiple volumes during 1862 and 1863, Romola examines Florence from numerous viewpoints. The intellectual, artistic and social change sweeping the city provides a vivid and fertile ground for an epic tale, and it is with passion for the Renaissance and Italy itself that George Eliot composed this novel. The common threads running through the three phases of the story are our protagonists: Tito, a young scholar who observes and immerses himself in Florentine society and Romola de' Bardi; daughter to renowned classical scholar Bardo de' Bardi.
The story opens in 1492; a momentous year which saw the historic voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas, and the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent; a defining, iconic noble of the illustrious Medici family. We are introduced to various characters; a shipwrecked trader, a monk and merchants, who lend authentic, multi-faceted qualities to the narrative, informed by the extensive research Eliot undertook.
The second stage abruptly moves onto 1894 as the geopolitical situation is in a state of flux. The French-Italian Wars are raging, with Florence itself in peril - panic and looting have set in, with the old Medici palace among the places fallen prey to thieves. The French invaders wish for a reception, but Tito must first aid a person in danger from his distant past.
The final stage of the book is set in 1496. Florence is a damaged city, exhausted by the war and consequent famine. An extended period of plight aids religious fervor, culminating in the Bonfire of the Vanities. What's more, Venice has declared war and political turmoil involving supporters of the Medici family has erupted anew, and the very streets of Florence threaten to burst into riot and anarchy.
In telling an energetic and wonderful tale steeped in art, culture and chaotic political events, Romola informs the reader of Renaissance history. Eliot is careful to balance the story between drama and thrills, and the enlightening qualities of good history - a feat he accomplishes with impressive finesse.
Published in multiple volumes during 1862 and 1863, Romola examines Florence from numerous viewpoints. The intellectual, artistic and social change sweeping the city provides a vivid and fertile ground for an epic tale, and it is with passion for the Renaissance and Italy itself that George Eliot composed this novel. The common threads running through the three phases of the story are our protagonists: Tito, a young scholar who observes and immerses himself in Florentine society and Romola de' Bardi; daughter to renowned classical scholar Bardo de' Bardi.
The story opens in 1492; a momentous year which saw the historic voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas, and the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent; a defining, iconic noble of the illustrious Medici family. We are introduced to various characters; a shipwrecked trader, a monk and merchants, who lend authentic, multi-faceted qualities to the narrative, informed by the extensive research Eliot undertook.
The second stage abruptly moves onto 1894 as the geopolitical situation is in a state of flux. The French-Italian Wars are raging, with Florence itself in peril - panic and looting have set in, with the old Medici palace among the places fallen prey to thieves. The French invaders wish for a reception, but Tito must first aid a person in danger from his distant past.
The final stage of the book is set in 1496. Florence is a damaged city, exhausted by the war and consequent famine. An extended period of plight aids religious fervor, culminating in the Bonfire of the Vanities. What's more, Venice has declared war and political turmoil involving supporters of the Medici family has erupted anew, and the very streets of Florence threaten to burst into riot and anarchy.
In telling an energetic and wonderful tale steeped in art, culture and chaotic political events, Romola informs the reader of Renaissance history. Eliot is careful to balance the story between drama and thrills, and the enlightening qualities of good history - a feat he accomplishes with impressive finesse.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Back Cover:
'There is no book of mine about which I more thoroughly feel that I swear by every sentence as having been written with my best blood.'. So wrote George Eliot of Romola, the novel which argues her most profound and utopian vision of the position of women. Romola's patient subservience to her scholar-father Bardo, her unhappy marriage to supple and treacherous Tito, and her passionate intellectual and spiritual awakening take place in Renaissance Florence which, like Victorian Britain, was caught up in a period of ferment and transition. Romola appeared in 1862-3 to high praise by Victorians from Tennyson and Trollope to Henry James, and discerning modern readers will recognize it as George Eliot's first mature masterpiece. In her introduction to this new edition, Dorothea Barrett explores the issues of gender and learning, desire and scholarship, and the interweaving of history and fiction which she identifies at the centre of the novel.
From the Inside Flap:
George Eliot's Romola, writes Robert Kiely in his Introduction, embodies the author's "wrestling with her own best theories of history and human nature as a creative experiment of the highest order." Set in Florence in 1492, a time of great political and religious turmoil, Eliot's novel blends vivid fictional characters with historical figures such as Savonarola, Machiavelli, and the Medicis. When Romola, the virtuous daughter of a blind scholar, marries Tito Melema, a charismatic young Greek, she is bound to a man whose escalating betrayals threaten to destroy all that she holds dear. Profoundly inspired by Savonarola's teachings, then crushed by the religious leader's ultimate failure, Romola finds her salvation in noble self-sacrifice. This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the 1878 Cabinet Edition.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherCreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
- Publication date2016
- ISBN 10 1540318400
- ISBN 13 9781540318404
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages250
- Rating
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
Romola
Published by
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
(2016)
ISBN 10: 1540318400
ISBN 13: 9781540318404
Used
Softcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00068949073
Buy Used
US$ 249.52
Convert currency