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                           ITALIAN FANTASIES




[Illustration: AN ITALIAN FANTASY

BY STEFANO DA ZEVIO (VERONA).]




                           ITALIAN FANTASIES


                                   BY

                            ISRAEL ZANGWILL

                               AUTHOR OF
                        “CHILDREN OF THE GHETTO”
                    “BLIND CHILDREN” “THE GREY WIG”
                               ETC. ETC.


                             [Illustration]


                       WITH  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 standards and streamered gonfalons, flying and
fluttering, such phalanxes of heroes, such visions of cities to spoil
and riches to rifle—palace and temple, bust and picture, tapestry and
mosaic. My elephants too matched his; my herds of medi