The 19th century was a revolutionary time in Europe. The continent began the century filled with absolute monarchies and little to no free trade, and ended it dominated by the bourgeoisie, or middle class, and emerging capitalist economies. These fundamental changes in society led to the emergence of revolutionary political thinkers like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who in 1848 released The Communist Manifesto. In The Manifesto they describe what they view to be the cyclical nature of human history. They explain that the current cycle began when the bourgeoisie took power from the nobility and was destined to end when the oppressed working class took that power for themselves. The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa is a novel about
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Neither men is a member of the nobility, but both see themselves pass Fabrizio in terms of power. Despite being related to a noble family, Tancredi is better classified as a member of the bourgeoisie. He has no claim to any throne and is forced to provide for himself to some extent. As described by Marx and Engels, bourgeois men will take advantage of any situation that can improve their social standing. Tancredi is a bona fide example of this. He spends the entire novel climbing Italy’s social ladder. Tancredi always acts in a way that will improve his economic standing, even in his love life. After originally desiring the Prince’s daughter Concetta, he instead decides to marry Don Calogero’s daughter Angelica, a girl who will leave him with “an ephemeral carnal satisfaction and perennial financial peace,” (di Lampedusa, 98). He clearly has feelings for Concetta (it is revealed to Concetta in her old age that Tancredi spent his life talking about her a great deal, even while married to Concetta), but he knew that Angelica, and her money, would serve his needs better. Usually people choose who they will marry based on love (or have their wives chosen for them), but Tancredi treats it as a financial decision, and suffers an unhappy marriage as a result. Tancredi’s view on family fits Marx and Engels's description of a bourgeois family, which in their eyes is nothing more than “a mere money relation,” (Marx, 11). Tancredi is a man willing to betrays those who depend on him in order to improve his place in society. In The Manifesto, Marx and Engels say that “...(the bourgeois) has left no other bond between man and man than naked self interest,” (Marx, 11). Once again, Tancredi’s actions align themselves with those of the bourgeoisie. Despite his
Neither men is a member of the nobility, but both see themselves pass Fabrizio in terms of power. Despite being related to a noble family, Tancredi is better classified as a member of the bourgeoisie. He has no claim to any throne and is forced to provide for himself to some extent. As described by Marx and Engels, bourgeois men will take advantage of any situation that can improve their social standing. Tancredi is a bona fide example of this. He spends the entire novel climbing Italy’s social ladder. Tancredi always acts in a way that will improve his economic standing, even in his love life. After originally desiring the Prince’s daughter Concetta, he instead decides to marry Don Calogero’s daughter Angelica, a girl who will leave him with “an ephemeral carnal satisfaction and perennial financial peace,” (di Lampedusa, 98). He clearly has feelings for Concetta (it is revealed to Concetta in her old age that Tancredi spent his life talking about her a great deal, even while married to Concetta), but he knew that Angelica, and her money, would serve his needs better. Usually people choose who they will marry based on love (or have their wives chosen for them), but Tancredi treats it as a financial decision, and suffers an unhappy marriage as a result. Tancredi’s view on family fits Marx and Engels's description of a bourgeois family, which in their eyes is nothing more than “a mere money relation,” (Marx, 11). Tancredi is a man willing to betrays those who depend on him in order to improve his place in society. In The Manifesto, Marx and Engels say that “...(the bourgeois) has left no other bond between man and man than naked self interest,” (Marx, 11). Once again, Tancredi’s actions align themselves with those of the bourgeoisie. Despite his