historical fiction
Some people have asked me why I wrote Lionardo DiCapua’s story as historical fiction rather than non-fictional history. My original intent when I started the project was to write non-fictional history. After researching the available materials, and especially after Adele and I translated Nicollo Amenta’s La Vita di Lionardo Dicapua, I realized that there were periods in Lionardo’s life (and undoubtably some characters) about which nothing was known.
Lionardo DiCapua’s story: eruption of vesuvius
The painting introducing this blog, by Domenico Gargiulo, summarizes the religious fervor. Putti flies near San Gennaro, patron of Naples who calms the angry giant. Vesuvius erupts in 1631. We know that Lionardo was at the Ratio studiorum in Naples on that December day. Amenta never mentions either the eruption or the effects it had on Lionardo. But one can imagine how frightened a 14 y/o boy living far from home would be. This is how I framed the vignette in my book, From Superstition to Science.
Lionardo DiCapua’s story: unorthodox
Amenta and others, reveal the fact that Lionardo’s opposition to some of Aristotle’s tenets began at a young age. Lionardo was raised in a Catholic family, in a provincial village, a far distance (in those days) from Naples. How did he come to his unorthodox beliefs? Who influenced him? In my own life, I have been fortunate to have had teachers who opened my mind to new ideas that had a profound impact on my thinking. I assume that Lionardo must have as well.
Lionardo DiCapua’s story: advanced education
After his parents’ death, Lionardo moved just a few yards across the compound to live with his uncle and aunt. The local priest told Uncle Horace that Lionardo had exceeded all the educational opportunities in the village. Horace arranged to have the boy interviewed by the Jesuits, who accepted him into their Ratio Studiorum in Naples. I created the character of Don Ruggero di Romano, a Jesuit teacher. Don teaches the principles of Atomism, Stoicism, and Skepticism to Lionardo and his friend Tommaso Cornelio.
Lionardo DiCapua’s story: plays, essays, poetry and sonnets
Amenta mentions that, as a young man, Lionardo had written plays, essays and poetry, including two thousand love sonnets. He must have had a beloved, an inamorata, who inspired him to write thousands of sonnets. Hence, the character of Celestina, who became his lover. Celestina provides the opportunity for other interesting side stories that are the fictional part of my book.
And then there are the many other unanswered questions about Lionardo’s life:
Lionardo DiCapua’s story: bandits
1) Who robbed him as he rode to Naples to have his writings published? In those days in southern Italy, banditry was common. Some of the groups of bandits worked for wealthy nobles. Nobles who protected the crooks from the law and the courts, which they controlled. Were the brigands connected to the ruling Mayorga family despised by Lionardo and the people of Bagnoli, Irpino? Amenta tells us that some of his essays were political in nature. Were any of his essays written against the Mayorga? At least one paper I reviewed stated that both of those answers were “yes” or at least “probably”. The briganti wanted his horse, any money he might have carried, his boots, perhaps his cape. But why would they care about his writings, when, most likely they were illiterate? I created the fictional character of Cesco, who answers those questions for us.
Lionardo DiCapua’s story: notaio’s journals
2) One of Lionardo’s most interesting political writings was the constitution that he and his nephew wrote. They wrote it for the newly formed Republic of Bagnoli, Irpino during the revolution in the kingdom in 1647. I searched for the document in the Bagnoli, Irpino library without success. I was referred to the regional commune in Avellino. There I discovered the journals of the Notaio from Bagnoli, Irpino for the years immediately before and after the revolution. Unfortunately the journals for the actual year were gone. Did someone back in the day intentionally discard them because of the likely political nature of the recordings?
After the restitution of the Mayorga family in Bagnoli, Irpino, the Mayorga marked Lionardo and accused him of a murder he did not commit. This forced Lionardo to escape to Benevento (a separate country in those days, included in the Papal States). Here he remained for about a year while his friends and family worked to free him of the charge.
These are some of the reasons I wrote From Superstition to Science as historical fiction emphasizing known history. Read more of the unanswered questions regarding his life in the next post.
image credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Domenico_Gargiulo_-_The_eruption_of_the_Vesuvius_in_1631.JPG
Thanks for reading. Please read part 6 of my blog, Searching for Lionardo DiCapua.
