Small Moral Works

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The Operette morali (Italian: Operette morali [opeˈrette moˈraːli]) is a collection of twenty-four prose works, comprising dialogues and novellas, written in a middle style with irony, composed by the poet and writer Giacomo Leopardi between 1824 and 1832. The work was published in a definitive edition in Naples in 1835, following two intermediate editions in 1827 and 1834. Antonio Ranieri, a longtime friend of Leopardi's, had it published in the original text in 1845. Unlike the Canti, the Operette morali were conceived during a single year, 1824, although the various editions demonstrate the addition of subsequent dialogues and adjustments to the final message. The Operette morali represent the literary culmination of nearly the entirety of the material contained in the Zibaldone. The themes are those characteristic of the poet: the relationship between humanity and history, with its peers, and particularly with Nature, of which Leopardi develops a personal philosophical vision; the contrast between the values of the past and the static and degenerate condition of the present; the power of illusions, glory, and tedium. These themes are reconsidered in light of a radical change that occurred in the writer's outlook: reason is no longer merely an obstacle to happiness, but the only human instrument capable of escaping despair. The Operette morali were frequently confused with a similar project by the author's father, Monaldo Leopardi, which achieved considerable success. As a result, Giacomo was often erroneously cited as the author of his father's work.