The House by the Medlar Tree (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Giovanni Verga
- First Published: 1881
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Impressionistic realism
- Time of Work: Mid-nineteenth century
- Setting: Sicily
- Principal Characters: Padron ’Ntoni, Bastianazzo, La Longa, ’Ntoni, Luca, Mena, Alessio, Lia, Uncle Crucifix Dumbbell, Goosefoot, Don Michele
- Genres: Long fiction, Impressionistic literature
- Subjects: Family or family life, Nineteenth century, Villages, Storms, Bankruptcy or financial crisis, Shipwrecks, Smuggling or smugglers, Italy or Italians, Debtors or creditors
- Locales: Sicily, Italy
The Story:
In the village of Trezza, on the island of Sicily, the Malavoglia family had once been great. Now the only Malavoglia left were Padron ’Ntoni and his little brood in the house by the medlar tree. Nevertheless, they were happy and prosperous, living well on the income brought in by their boat, the Provvidenza.
When the oldest grandson, ’Ntoni, was conscripted, the first sadness fell on the household. In that same year, other things went badly, and the market for fish was poor. With ’Ntoni gone, the money that came in had to be divided with extra...
[The entire page is 2468 words long]
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