Goethe 's praise

The publication of the Carmagnola aroused considerable interest, not only within Italian literary circles but also in the rest of Europe. Manzoni was overjoyed to receive praise from Goethe (1749-1832). In the periodical Ueber Kunst und Alterthum, Goethe praised the tragedy and its author’s poetic genius most favourably. Goethe also showed his admiration later on, by editing and prefacing Manzoni’s Opere poetiche for the Frommann publishers in Jena<. On 18 June 1827, Goethe sent Manzoni a copy with a signed dedication, following Manzoni’s gift of a copy of the Promessi Sposi. Goethe’s appraisal of the novel was on the whole very positive. As he stated to Eckermann, it surpassed all other works of its kind (“Everything that is of the soul, everything that is of the poet’s heart is perfect, and in everything that is external, such as descriptions and so on, is no less”). Nonetheless, his comment contained a small shadow concerning the extreme historical meticulousness of the third volume, to the detriment of poetic invention, the novel’s most outstanding quality. That same “shadow” led to Manzoni’s exhausting and tormented reflection on the relationship between History and invention, leading to his silent period. The relationship between Goethe and Manzoni constitutes a significant moment in the exchange between the Milanese Romantics and the cultural circles in Weimar<. A relationship which is not documented by means of direct correspondence, but came about thanks to the intelligent initiative of two friends of the authors, the Milanese Gaetano Cattaneo (one of the stalwarts in the teamwork on Manzoni’s novel) and Enrico Mylius from Frankfurt. Mylius was a businessman and banker with many artistic and literary interests who frequented the Ducal Court at Weimar, associating with Herder, Wieland and Goethe; in Milan he frequented the Romantic circles, became acquainted with Manzoni and his work after meeting him through Cattaneo, and went on to promote Manzoni’s work in Germany.