The Adventures of Roderick Random — Page 4
Although nothing could be more ludicrous and unnatural than the figures they drew, they did not want patrons and admirers; and the world actually began to be infected with the spirit of knight-errantry, when Cervantes, by an inimitable piece of ridicule, reformed the taste of mankind, representing chivalry in the right point of view, and converting romance to purposes far more useful and entertaining, by making it assume the sock, and point out the follies of ordinary life.
Sebbene nulla potesse essere più ridicolo e innaturale delle figure che disegnavano, non mancavano di mecenati e ammiratori; e il mondo cominciò davvero a essere contagiato dallo spirito della cavalleria errante, quando Cervantes, con un'incomparabile opera di ridicolo, riformò il gusto dell'umanità, rappresentando la cavalleria dal giusto punto di vista, e convertendo il romanzo a scopi ben più utili e dilettevoli, facendogli indossare il socco e indicando le follie della vita ordinaria.
The same method has been practised by other Spanish and French authors, and by none more successfully than by Monsieur Le Sage, who, in his Adventures of Gil Blas, has described the knavery and foibles of life, with infinite humour and sagacity.
Lo stesso metodo è stato adottato da altri autori spagnoli e francesi, e da nessuno con maggior successo che dal signor Le Sage, il quale, nelle sue Avventure di Gil Blas, ha descritto le furfanterie e le debolezze della vita con infinita arguzia e sagacia.
The following sheets I have modelled on his plan, taking me liberty, however, to differ from him in the execution, where I thought his particular situations were uncommon, extravagant, or peculiar to the country in which the scene is laid.
Le pagine seguenti le ho modellate sul suo piano, prendendomi tuttavia la libertà di discostarmi da lui nell'esecuzione, laddove ritenevo che le sue particolari situazioni fossero insolite, stravaganti, o peculiari del paese in cui la scena è ambientata.
The disgraces of Gil Blas are, for the most part, such as rather excite mirth than compassion; he himself laughs at them; and his transitions from distress to happiness, or at least ease, are so sudden, that neither the reader has time to pity him, nor himself to be acquainted with affliction.
Le disgrazie di Gil Blas sono, per la maggior parte, di quelle che suscitano ilarità più che compassione; egli stesso ne ride; e le sue transizioni dalla sofferenza alla felicità, o almeno alla tranquillità, sono così improvvise che né il lettore ha il tempo di compatirlo, né egli stesso di fare la conoscenza dell'afflizione.
This conduct, in my opinion, not only deviates from probability, but prevents that generous indignation, which ought to animate the reader against the sordid and vicious disposition of the world.
Questo comportamento, a mio avviso, non solo si discosta dalla verosimiglianza, ma impedisce quella generosa indignazione che dovrebbe animare il lettore contro la sordida e viziosa disposizione del mondo.
Vocabulary
- Sebbene
- Conjunction meaning 'although' or 'even though'
- nulla
- Nothing; not anything at all
- potesse
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'potere'; could, was able to
- essere
- To be; fundamental auxiliary and linking verb
- più
- More; also used to mean 'no longer' with negation
- ridicolo
- Ridiculous; deserving of mockery or laughter
- innaturale
- Unnatural; contrary to nature or normal behavior
- figure
- Figures; shapes, characters, or visual representations
- disegnavano
- They were drawing or depicting; imperfect tense of disegnare
- mancavano
- They lacked; were missing something; imperfect of mancare
- mecenati
- Patrons; wealthy supporters of artists or writers
- ammiratori
- Admirers; people who admire or appreciate someone
- mondo
- World; the earth or society in general
- cominciò
- He/she/it began; past tense of cominciare
- davvero
- Really, truly; used to emphasize a statement
- contagiato
- Infected, contaminated; spread like a disease
- spirito
- Spirit; the animating essence or attitude of something
- cavalleria
- Chivalry; the medieval knightly code of honor
- errante
- Wandering, errant; roaming without a fixed destination
- quando
- When; temporal conjunction or adverb
- incomparabile
- Incomparable; without equal, matchless in quality
- opera
- Work; a literary, artistic, or musical composition
- riformò
- He reformed; changed or improved something; past of riformare
- gusto
- Taste; aesthetic sensibility or preference
- umanità
- Humanity; humankind or the quality of being human
- rappresentando
- Representing, depicting; showing something in a certain way
- giusto
- Right, correct, just; proper or accurate
- punto
- Point; a specific location, moment, or perspective
- vista
- View, sight; perspective or visual outlook
- convertendo
- Converting, transforming; changing into something else
- romanzo
- Novel; a long work of prose fiction
- scopi
- Purposes, aims; goals or intended objectives
- ben
- Well; adverb emphasizing a quality or degree
- utili
- Useful; serving a practical purpose or benefit
- dilettevoli
- Delightful, entertaining; pleasing and enjoyable
- facendogli
- Making him do; combined gerund of fare with pronoun
- indossare
- To wear; to put on a garment or costume
- indicando
- Indicating, pointing out; showing or revealing something
- follie
- Follies, madnesses; foolish or absurd behaviors
- vita
- Life; existence or the way one lives
- ordinaria
- Ordinary, everyday; common and unremarkable
- stesso
- Same; identical or the very same thing
- metodo
- Method; a systematic way of doing something
- stato
- Been; past participle of essere, also means 'state'
- adottato
- Adopted; taken up or accepted as one's own
- altri
- Others; other people or additional individuals
- autori
- Authors; writers of books or other works
- spagnoli
- Spanish; relating to Spain or its people
- francesi
- French; relating to France or its people
- nessuno
- No one, nobody; not a single person
- maggior
- Greater, major; of higher degree or importance
- successo
- Success; a favorable or desired outcome
- signor
- Mr., sir; polite title for an adult man
- quale
- Which, who; relative pronoun or interrogative
- Avventure
- Adventures; exciting or unusual experiences or journeys
- descritto
- Described; past participle of descrivere, to describe
- furfanterie
- Rogueries, knaveries; tricks or dishonest behaviors
- debolezze
- Weaknesses; failings or lack of strength in character
- infinita
- Infinite, endless; without limits or very great in amount
- arguzia
- Wit, cleverness; sharp and insightful intelligence
- sagacia
- Sagacity; keen mental discernment and good judgment
- pagine
- Pages; leaves of a book or document
- seguenti
- Following; coming after in order or sequence
- modellate
- Modeled, shaped; formed according to a pattern
- piano
- Plan; a scheme or model to be followed
- prendendomi
- Taking for myself; reflexive gerund of prendere
- tuttavia
- Nevertheless, however; introduces a contrasting statement
- libertà
- Liberty, freedom; the right to act or choose freely
- discostarmi
- To distance myself; to deviate or differ from something
- esecuzione
- Execution; the carrying out or performance of something
- laddove
- Where, whereas; conjunction indicating place or contrast
- ritenevo
- I believed, considered; imperfect of ritenere
- particolari
- Particular, specific; details or specific circumstances
- situazioni
- Situations; sets of circumstances at a given moment
- fossero
- Were; imperfect subjunctive of essere
- insolite
- Unusual, uncommon; not ordinary or expected
- stravaganti
- Extravagant, bizarre; wildly unusual or eccentric
- peculiari
- Peculiar, distinctive; characteristic of a specific place
- paese
- Country, village; a nation or small town
- cui
- Which, whose, whom; relative pronoun used after prepositions
- scena
- Scene; the setting or stage of a narrative
- ambientata
- Set, situated; placed in a particular setting or environment
- disgrazie
- Misfortunes, mishaps; unfortunate events or calamities
- parte
- Part; a portion, role, or section of something
- quelle
- Those; feminine plural demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- suscitano
- They arouse, provoke; stir up emotions or reactions
- ilarità
- Hilarity; great amusement or cheerful laughter
- compassione
- Compassion; sympathy and concern for others' suffering
- egli
- He; formal third person masculine singular subject pronoun
- ne
- Of it/them; partitive pronoun replacing a quantity phrase
- ride
- He/she laughs; third person singular of ridere
- transizioni
- Transitions; passages or changes from one state to another
- sofferenza
- Suffering; pain or distress endured by a person
- felicità
- Happiness, felicity; a state of joy and contentment
- almeno
- At least; introducing a minimum condition or expectation
- tranquillità
- Tranquility; a state of calm and peacefulness
- così
- So, thus; in this way or to such a degree
- improvvise
- Sudden, unexpected; happening without warning or preparation
- né
- Neither, nor; negative conjunction linking two elements
- lettore
- Reader; a person who reads books or texts
- tempo
- Time; the ongoing sequence of events or a period
- compatirlo
- To pity him; to feel sympathy or compassion for him
- fare
- To do, make; fundamental and versatile Italian verb
- conoscenza
- Acquaintance, knowledge; familiarity gained through experience
- afflizione
- Affliction; great pain, distress, or suffering
- Questo
- This; masculine singular demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- comportamento
- Behavior, conduct; the way a person acts
- avviso
- Opinion, notice; a judgment or piece of advice
- solo
- Only, alone; just one or without others
- discosta
- Departs, deviates; moves away from a norm or standard
- verosimiglianza
- Verisimilitude; the appearance of being true or realistic
- impedisce
- Prevents, hinders; stops something from happening
- quella
- That; feminine singular demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- generosa
- Generous, noble; showing a noble or magnanimous spirit
- indignazione
- Indignation; strong displeasure at something unjust
- dovrebbe
- Should, ought to; conditional of dovere
- animare
- To animate, inspire; to give life or vigor to something
- contro
- Against; preposition indicating opposition or contrast
- sordida
- Sordid, squalid; morally dirty or shamefully base
- viziosa
- Vicious, depraved; morally corrupt or wicked
- disposizione
- Disposition; a person's inherent qualities of character
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