Madri.... per ridere : romanzo

"Madri.... per ridere : romanzo" by Cesare Tronconi is a novel written in the late 19th century. It appears to be a caustic social satire about hypocrisy, respectability, and the making of “mothers” and women shaped by appearances rather than virtue. The story centers on Maddalena, a striking and increasingly calculating young woman from a modest family, whose transformation is catalyzed by a seductive neighbor, Severina, and a secret attraction to Severina’s brother. Expect a sharp critique of bourgeois morals, the education of girls, and the gap between public piety and private appetites. The opening of the work moves from a sardonic funeral scene—where mourners shun two ominous women—to a vehement letter that brands Maddalena “the Evil,” then rewinds to her origins. We meet her parents, the punctilious ex-dogana clerk Ildebrando and the devout, simple Caterina; her birth is framed by superstitious omens, and her childhood is marked by precocious will, emotional opacity, and social ostracism at a snobbish school. As an adolescent she grows restless and is drawn to Severina, a poised “widow” whose perfumed, sensuous apartment and conversation school Maddalena in toilette, allure, and worldly cynicism. Under this influence, she refashions herself, spurns a safe suitor, and quietly cultivates a flirtation with Severina’s brother, while the narration sketches the type of idle, debt-driven beaux who live off charm—hinting at the kind of man she may be courting. (This is an automatically generated summary.)