The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Complete — Page 9
In the second of these, we saw Smollett beginning to understand the use of incident to indicate consistent development of character.
Nel secondo di questi, abbiamo visto Smollett cominciare a comprendere l'uso dell'incidente per indicare uno sviluppo coerente del carattere.
In Count Fathom, he seems fully to understand this principle of art, though he has not learned to apply it successfully.
Nel Conte Fathom, sembra comprendere appieno questo principio artistico, sebbene non abbia imparato ad applicarlo con successo.
And so, in spite of an excellent conception, Fathom, as I have said, is unreal.
E così, nonostante un'eccellente concezione, Fathom, come ho detto, risulta inverosimile.
After all his villainies, which he perpetrates without any apparent qualms of conscience, it is incredible that he should honestly repent of his crimes.
Dopo tutte le sue malvagità, che perpetra senza alcun apparente scrupolo di coscienza, è incredibile che egli debba sinceramente pentirsi dei suoi crimini.
We are much inclined to doubt when we read that "his vice and ambition was now quite mortified within him," the subsequent testimony of Matthew Bramble, Esq., in Humphry Clinker, to the contrary, notwithstanding.
Siamo molto inclini a dubitare quando leggiamo che «il suo vizio e la sua ambizione erano ormai del tutto mortificati in lui», nonostante la successiva testimonianza contraria di Matthew Bramble, Esq., in Humphry Clinker.
Yet Fathom up to this point is consistently drawn, and drawn for a purpose:—to show that cold-blooded roguery, though successful for a while, will come to grief in the end.
Eppure Fathom fino a questo punto è delineato in modo coerente, e delineato con uno scopo: mostrare che la furfanteria a sangue freddo, pur avendo successo per un certo periodo, finirà inevitabilmente per andare in rovina.
To heighten the effect of his scoundrel, Smollett develops parallel with him the virtuous Count de Melvil.
Per accentuare l'effetto del suo furfante, Smollett sviluppa parallelamente a lui il virtuoso Conte de Melvil.
The author's scheme of thus using one character as the foil of another, though not conspicuous for its originality, shows a decided advance in the theory of constructive technique.
Il piano dell'autore di usare un personaggio come contrasto di un altro, sebbene non si distingua per la sua originalità, mostra un deciso progresso nella teoria della tecnica costruttiva.
Only, as I have said, Smollett's execution is now defective.
Solo che, come ho detto, l'esecuzione di Smollett è ora difettosa.
"But," one will naturally ask, "if Fathom lacks the amusing, and not infrequently stimulating, hurly-burly of Smollett's former novels; if its characters, though well-conceived, are seldom divertingly fantastic and never thoroughly animate; what makes the book interesting?
«Ma», ci si chiederà naturalmente, «se Fathom manca del divertente, e non di rado stimolante, trambusto dei precedenti romanzi di Smollett; se i suoi personaggi, pur ben concepiti, sono raramente fantastici in modo divertente e mai del tutto animati; cosa rende il libro interessante?
Vocabulary
- Nel
- In the, within the (preposition + article)
- secondo
- Second, according to
- di
- Of, from (preposition)
- questi
- These, this (plural demonstrative)
- abbiamo
- We have (present indicative)
- visto
- Seen (past participle)
- cominciare
- To begin, to start
- comprendere
- To understand, to comprise
- uso
- Use, custom, practice
- dell
- Of the (preposition + article contraction)
- incidente
- Incident, event, accident
- per
- For, to, in order to
- indicare
- To indicate, to point out
- uno
- One, a (indefinite article/number)
- sviluppo
- Development, unfolding, growth
- coerente
- Coherent, consistent, logical
- del
- Of the (preposition + article)
- carattere
- Character, nature, type
- Conte
- Count, earl (title)
- sembra
- Seems, appears (third singular present)
- appieno
- Fully, completely, entirely
- questo
- This, this one (demonstrative)
- principio
- Principle, beginning, start
- artistico
- Artistic, relating to art
- sebbene
- Although, even though (conjunction)
- non
- Not (negation)
- abbia
- Has, might have (subjunctive)
- imparato
- Learned (past participle)
- ad
- To, at (preposition before vowels)
- applicarlo
- To apply it (infinitive + pronoun)
- con
- With (preposition)
- successo
- Success, successful outcome
- così
- So, thus, in this way
- nonostante
- Despite, in spite of (preposition)
- un
- A, an (indefinite article)
- eccellente
- Excellent, outstanding, superior
- concezione
- Conception, idea, concept
- come
- As, like, how (conjunction/adverb)
- ho
- I have (present indicative)
- detto
- Said, told (past participle)
- risulta
- Results, turns out (third singular)
- inverosimile
- Implausible, unlikely, unconvincing
- Dopo
- After, following (preposition/adverb)
- tutte
- All (feminine plural)
- le
- The (feminine plural article)
- sue
- His, her, its (feminine plural possessive)
- malvagità
- Wickedness, evil, malice
- che
- That, which, who (relative pronoun)
- perpetra
- Perpetrates, commits (third singular)
- senza
- Without (preposition)
- alcun
- Any, some (before consonants/vowels)
- apparente
- Apparent, seeming, evident
- scrupolo
- Scruple, doubt, hesitation
- coscienza
- Conscience, awareness, consciousness
- incredibile
- Incredible, unbelievable, astounding
- egli
- He (formal personal pronoun)
- debba
- Must, should (subjunctive of dovere)
- sinceramente
- Sincerely, genuinely, honestly
- pentirsi
- To repent, to regret (reflexive)
- dei
- Of the (preposition + plural article)
- suoi
- His, her, its (masculine plural possessive)
- crimini
- Crimes, offenses, misdeeds
- Siamo
- We are (present indicative)
- molto
- Very, much, a lot
- inclini
- Inclined, prone, disposed to
- dubitare
- To doubt, to question, to suspect
- quando
- When, whenever (conjunction/adverb)
- leggiamo
- We read (present indicative)
- il
- The (masculine singular article)
- suo
- His, her, its (masculine singular)
- vizio
- Vice, defect, fault, bad habit
- la
- The (feminine singular article)
- ambizione
- Ambition, desire for success
- erano
- Were (plural past indicative of essere)
- ormai
- Now, by now, already
- tutto
- All, everything, whole (masculine singular)
- mortificati
- Mortified, humiliated, subdued
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