ITALIAN FANTASIES
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Israel Zangwill
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"Italian Fantasies" (1910) by Israel Zangwill is a collection of philosophical and literary essays inspired by the author's travels through Italy. Rather than a conventional travelogue, the book presents a series of meditative "fantasies" that use Italian art, religion, history, and landscape as springboards for profound reflections on faith, beauty, death, science, and human civilization. The work opens with a rhapsodic prelude celebrating Italy's natural beauty and artistic heritage, from the Alps to Naples, Venice to Florence. Zangwill moves between lyrical appreciation of Italian scenery and sharp philosophical critique, examining the tension between Pagan and Christian traditions, the persistence of Catholic devotion alongside modern skepticism, and the irony of institutional religion. A central fantasy, "The Carpenter's Wife," imaginatively transports the narrator to ancient Nazareth, where he encounters Mary (Miriam) and the Holy Family in their humble domestic setting, offering a humanizing portrayal of biblical figures that contrasts sharply with their later glorification. This capriccio explores how the simple Jewish mother became transformed through centuries into the magnificent Madonna of Catholic devotion. The essays range widely: from the Naples Aquarium as a meditation on evolution and design, to attacks on the "absurdity" of diminishing humanity's cosmic importance through astronomy, to critiques of empty religious practice versus genuine spiritual insight. Zangwill examines how institutions betray their founders (St. Francis), how history becomes myth (Lucrezia Borgia), and how art both reveals and obscures truth. Throughout, Zangwill displays his characteristic wit, erudition, and iconoclasm. He challenges both orthodox religion and reductive scientism, advocating instead for what he calls the "autocosm" - each person's inner universe of meaning - while acknowledging the claims of objective reality. The book is simultaneously a love letter to Italian culture and a philosophical meditation on the human condition, blending travel writing, art criticism, religious commentary, and metaphysical speculation into a unique literary form.
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Book Excerpt
ITALIAN FANTASIES
ITALIAN FANTASIES
BY
ISRAEL ZANGWILL
AUTHOR OF “CHILDREN OF THE GHETTO” “BLIND CHILDREN” “THE GREY WIG” ETC. ETC.
WITH COLOURED FRONTISPIECE
LONDON WILLIAM HEINEMANN 1910
_Copyright, London, 1910, by William Heinemann, and_ _Washington, U.S.A., by The Macmillan Company_
AUTHOR’S NOTE
The germ of this book may be found in three essays under the same title published in “Harper’s Magazine” in 1903 and 1904, which had the inestimable advantage of being illustrated by the late Louis Loeb, “the joyous comrade” to whose dear memory this imperfect half of what was planned as a joint labour of love must now be dedicated.
I. Z.
ALL ROADS LEAD FROM ROME
CONTENTS
PAGE OF BEAUTY, FAITH, AND DEATH: A RHAPSODY BY WAY OF PRELUDE 1
FANTASIA NAPOLITANA: BEING A REVERIE OF AQUARIUMS, MUSEUMS, AND DEAD CHRISTS 17
THE CARPENTER’S WIFE: A CAPRICCIO 43
THE EARTH THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE: OR THE ABSURDITY OF ASTRONOMY 77
OF AUTOCOSMS WITHOUT FACTS: OR THE EMPTINESS OF RELIGIONS 84
OF FACTS WITHOUT AUTOCOSMS: OR THE IRRELEVANCY OF SCIENCE 104
OF FACTS WITH ALIEN AUTOCOSMS: OR THE FUTILITY OF CULTURE 120
ST. FRANCIS: OR THE IRONY OF INSTITUTIONS 137
THE GAY DOGES: OR THE FAILURE OF SOCIETY AND THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF SOCIALISM 159
THE SUPERMAN OF LETTERS: OR THE HYPOCRISY OF POLITICS 172
LUCREZIA BORGIA: OR THE MYTH OF HISTORY 186
SICILY AND THE ALBERGO SAMUELE BUTLER: OR THE FICTION OF CHRONOLOGY 195
INTERMEZZO 205
LACHRYMÆ RERUM AT MANTUA: WITH A DENUNCIATION OF D’ANNUNZIO 214
OF DEAD SUBLIMITIES, SERENE MAGNIFICENCES, AND GAGGED POETS 227
VARIATIONS ON A THEME 241
HIGH ART AND LOW 249
AN EXCURSION INTO THE GROTESQUE: WITH A GLANCE AT OLD MAPS AND MODERN FALLACIES 259
AN EXCURSION INTO HEAVEN AND HELL: WITH A DEPRECIATION OF DANTE 280
ST. GIULIA AND FEMALE SUFFRAGE 298
ICY ITALY: WITH VENICE RISING FROM THE SEA 307
THE DYING CARNIVAL 315
NAPOLEON AND BYRON IN ITALY: OR LETTERS AND ACTION 320
THE CONSOLATIONS OF PHLEBOTOMY: A PARADOX AT PAVIA 331
RISORGIMENTO: WITH SOME REMARKS ON SAN MARINO AND THE MILLENNIUM 337
Transcriber’s Notes can be found at the end of this eBook.
OF BEAUTY, FAITH, AND DEATH: A RHAPSODY BY WAY OF PRELUDE
I too have crossed the Alps, and Hannibal himself had no such baggage of dreams and memories, such fife-and-drum of lyrics, such horns of ivory, such emblazoned...