There are other minor irritants – such as the feeble illustrations, which are mostly borrowed from cheap Victorian editions of the novels. Yet Carlisle has produced a richly considered study that brings one close to the heart and mind of a great writer and a wise soul. Niccolò Machiavelli – In this story, Machiavelli often talks with Tito and other Florentines (particularly in Nello's shop) about all matters political and philosophical in Florence. His observations add a commentary to the ongoing events in the city.

Whereas 6,000 copies of The Mill on the Floss had sold within the first two months of publication, it took a whole year to sell 1,714 copies of Romola, and by September 1865, it was being remaindered. Yet the book’s very atypicality renders it interesting. Skidelsky, William (13 May 2012). "The 10 best historical novels". The Guardian . Retrieved 30 July 2023. Bardo de' Bardi – Blind classical scholar living in Florence. He has one estranged son, Dino, and a daughter, Romola. Bardo is a descendant of the once-powerful Bardi family, but is living in poverty with his daughter, who helps him with his classical studies. He is an ally of the Medici family. He maintains a classical library, and tries to preserve it beyond his own death.Goodlad, Lauren M.E. 2015. The adulterous geopolitical aesthetic. In The Victorian geopolitical aesthetic: Realism, sovereignty, and transnational experience, 161–207. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Why feature Romola in a celebration of the 200th anniversary of George Eliot’s birth? As an historical novel, it is atypical of Eliot’s output, and is the least popular of Eliot’s major works.

sceptic, Matteo Franco, who wants hotter sauce than any of us.’‘Because he has a strong opinion of himself,’ flashes out Luigi, Blumberg, Ilana M. 2013. Sacrificial Value: Beyond the Cash Nexus in George Eliot’s Romola. In Economic Women: Essays on Desire and Dispossession in Nineteenth-Century British Culture, ed. Lana L. Dalley and Jill Rappoport, 60–76. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.

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Political turmoil erupts in Florence. Five supporters of the Medici family are sentenced to death, including Romola's godfather, Bernardo del Nero. She learns that Tito has played a role in their arrest. Romola pleads with Savonarola to intervene, but he refuses. Romola's faith in Savonarola and Florence is shaken, and once again she leaves the city. Meanwhile, Florence is under papal pressure to expel Savonarola. His arrest is effected by rioters, who then turn their attention to several of the city's political elite. Tito becomes a target of the rioters, but he escapes the mob by diving into the Arno River. However, upon leaving the river, Tito is killed by Baldassarre. The final blow comes to Romola when her godfather, Bernardo Del Nero, the only person in the world she still loves, is arrested for helping the Medicis in their plotting to return to Florence. Romola knows that Tito has been a spy for both political factions; he has gained his own safety by betraying others. Romola reveals to Tito her knowledge of Baldassare’s story and the truth of the old man’s accusations against him. Romola tries to prevent Bernardo’s execution by pleading with Savonarola to intervene and gain his release, but the preacher refuses. Disillusioned and sorrowful over her godfather’s death, Tito’s betrayals, and Savonarola’s falseness, Romola leaves Florence to seek a new life. Bonaparte, Felicia. 1979. The Triptych and the Cross: The Central Myths of George Eliot’s Poetic Imagination. New York: New York University Press. Savonarola was the overshadowing figure of Florentine life at that time, as he is the overshadowing figure of Romola. To provide you with information requested from us, relating to our products or services. To provide information on other products which we feel may be of interest to you, where you have consented to receive such information.