Giacomo Leopardi
 | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Giacomo Leopardi |
| Date of Birth: | 1798 |
| Occupation: | landowner, poet |
| Ethnicity: | Italian |
Giacomo Leopardi is one of the most notable poets in all of Italian literature.[1] He was a lifelong truecel and a heightcel. Technically, Leopardi was 165cm tall (5 feet 5 inches) but spinal deformities twisted his spine, causing a hunchback that reduced his effective standing height to 1.41 m (4 feet 8 inches) tall.[2]
In the Italian incelosphere he is not only considered a protocel, but also the precursor of blackpill ideology.
Description and philosophical ideas[edit | edit source]
The main themes of Leopardi's poetry are trueceldom and the suffering of the life he leads. In fact he developed an ideology called "cosmic pessimism" that claims unhappiness is inborn in human life and it is impossible to experience happiness truly.
Leopardi is generally regarded as more of a poet rather than a philosopher, despite this, his philosophical thought is believed by some to have possibly partially influenced Schopenhauer's, though this has little to no evidence aside from their striking similarities. Leopardi's pessimism began with historical pessimism, which is the idea that the development of civilization throughout history has limited human happiness and that ancient peoples were genuinely happier because they retained beneficial illusions. After 1824, Leopardi's historical pessimism developed into cosmic pessimism, where nature itself was seen as a cruel indifferent mistress, viewing happiness as a temporary escape from eternal inevitable suffering. Ultimately, Leopardi writes in La Ginestra (one of his most famous works), that humans ought to recognize their shared vulnerability, fostering solidarity and compassion with one another in this world of endless pain.[3]
Many of Leopardi's philosophical ideas were written down in the Zibaldone, which roughly translates to "disorganized notebook" or “collection of assorted thoughts”, it was only fully published in 1900, over 60 years after his death.
Blackpill[edit | edit source]
In one of his famous poems, named L'ultimo canto di Saffo,[4] in english Last poem of Sappho, Leopardi narrates his desperation after being rejected by a girl and blames the looks nature gave him as cause of his suffering.
some parts of this poem:
How beautiful thou art, O heaven divine,
And thou, O dewy earth! Alas no part Of all this beauty infinite, the gods And cruel fate to wretched Sappho gave! To thy proud realms, O Nature, I, a poor, Unwelcome guest, rejected lover, come;
[...]
All manly deeds in arms, or art, or song,
Appeal in vain unto the ugly looks.
The two last verses sum up Leopardi's blackpill ideology: even if you become superior with your deeds or your artistic work, you won't be successful with women if you are unattractive.
Letter to his brother Carlo[edit | edit source]
On the 8th of December 1822, Giacomo wrote a letter to his brother Carlo where he talks about his life in Rome. Between many things he also writes on the local women, his futile efforts with them, and his escortceling.[citation needed]
Here's the translated extract:
In church, or walking around the streets, there is nowhere to be found even one witch who will acknowledge me.
I've done and keep doing many tours around the city with good looking and elegant young men. With them I've crossed many times women who won't bother to keep up their eyes to look at me. And it's clear that this is not the result of modesty or decency, but of a total and natural indifference and carelessness, typical of all women in this town. Believe me, meeting women in Rome is not only as hard as in Recanati, but possibly even more because of their excessive frivolity which makes them more similar to beasts than human beings. They hold no interest for anything, are very hypocritical, only love going around and have fun and won't have sex with you (believe me) if not with all difficulties of every other place.
At the end, if you want to, you must visit prostitutes, who are way more distrustful and dangerous compared to the past, as you well know
Recanati is the city where Leopardi was born and where he lived most of his youth
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ https://www.superprof.it/blog/imparare-italiano-con-la-poesia/
- ↑ https://www.corrierediarezzo.it/news/ultime-notizie/322543/giacomo-leopardi-segreti-curiosita-e-malattie-il-vero-nome-l-altezza-l-igiene-e-le-lingue.html
- ↑ https://italiantimes.substack.com/p/stop-calling-leopardi-the-poet-of
- ↑ https://it.wikisource.org/wiki/Canti_(Leopardi_-_Donati)/IX._Ultimo_canto_di_Saffo