Gabriele d'Annunzio: patriot and poet, a dandy and a war hero. That, at least, is how the New York Times Style Magazine describes him in their men's fall fashion issue. Sometimes seen as the precursor to the ideals and techniques of Italian fascism, The Randy Dandy also wrote "Il Piacere" in 1889, considered the manifesto of Italian decadentismo.
In the same issue, one of "the words on the street" is cattivo: "a forgiving reproof for bottom-pinching Roman gigolos and even sitting prime ministers who like to entertain young women in Sardinia, e.g., 'Was it d'Annunzio, Pavese, or that cattivo Berlusconi who said that perfect behavior is born of indifference?'"
Comments
For the life of me, I cannot make sense of the part of the post that revolves around “cattivo.” And “e.g.” is a Latin abbreviation for “for example.” It introduces the “D’Annuzio/Pavese/Berlusconi question; it doesn’t provide an example of the putative discourse (i.e. [!], licentious conduct). Could we have a clarification, please?
D’accordo! One rarely finds what has been advertised/noted/used as bait
–actually discussed
on this site.
Unclear and frustrating!
Did those two objectors actually follow the links and read the NY Times Style Mag story and see the photos, both of the poet and his descendant’s (?) incredibly ridiculous clothes? Those models are seemingly perfect examples of Decadentismo! And the Belusconi reference from the NYT Style Mag – very apt.
“One rarely finds what has been advertised/noted/used as bait–actually discussed on this site.
This particular blog post is literal – d’Annunzio, in fact, was considered the progenitor of Italian Modernism – so no bait-and-switching from where I’m standing.
How about another pertinent example so I can give your complaint due consideration?
minimino – the direct quote pulled from the NYT is meant to be an imagined comment – albeit a catty, snarky comment from a certain type. But if I have to explain it, it loses its power. I think you’d have to read more of the article to understand the tone the author was trying to project.