Il linguaggio degli affetti. “Fede e bellezza” e il romanzo di Gertrude

The relationship between Niccolò Tommaseo and Alessandro Manzoni – a relationship with literary, linguistic, political, historical and cultural implications – represents the focus of this article. In particular, the essay explores the influence of the 1827 edition of The Betrothed on the young Dalmatian, who followed the last stages of the correction and printing of Manzoni’s text. Both the marginal notes written on the copy that Manzoni gave him and the review published in the “Antologia” are renowned; on the contrary, the influence exercised on Fede e bellezza (1840 and 1852) has not yet received an in-depth analysis. Rather than focusing on the influence of edifying themes, I concentrate on more appealing topics, such as sin and fault. Prominence is indeed given to Gertrude, rather than to Lucia and Manzoni is often evoked