Over and above reflecting upon the “character” as a quality of each single man (and reveal its effects upon social relationships: for example in the Operette or the Pensieri), Leopardi executes a complex analysis of “character” as quality of an entire people, and indeed of more peoples (the “southerners” and “northerners”). >From this last point of view come his reflections contained in his creative works, for example in the Discorso sugli Italian/Speech on the Italians, in which he probably goes to greater extremes of originality as compared to the analyses  contained in the Zibaldone: where, for example, on the basis of sensationalistic XVIII century thought, the differences between “characters” of peoples are in large part attributed to external factors, such as climate:

 

Differences between southern characters (which are “easily bendable, and susceptible to every kind of impression”) and northerners, in antiquity and now [74-5, 931-2, 1848, 3676-82] – “we judge the character of men by the way they put themselves to us” [194-5] – differences in character (of men, languages and nations) according to climate [1798, 2928, 3247-53, 3891-93, 4031-33] – “in small countries, and amongst the men and  society of little spirit, one learns a great deal more about human nature, and about character in general, as well as the accidental characteristics of men” [2405-8] – “firmness of character is of two types, that are born of principles not at all in juxtaposition, one from will power, and intelligence, etc.; the other from stupidity of spirit, from the inability to exercise the powers of reason, to understand etc. and thus change opinion” [3446-7] – “Each one of us, and the more so delicate souls, sensitive and susceptible, having reached a certain age has had experience within himself of more and more characters”, thanks to the continual modification of the “physical, moral and intellectual characteristics” [4064-5].