Poetry · Chapter
Giovanni Franchi explained
The chapter introduces Giovanni Franchi, a young acolyte of the philosopher Giovanni Bapini, and explores the obsessive curiosity of a woman (the 'threewomen') about the number of Bapini's toes.
What happens
The chapter introduces Giovanni Franchi, a young acolyte of the philosopher Giovanni Bapini, and explores the obsessive curiosity of a woman (the 'threewomen') about the number of Bapini's toes. It contrasts Franchi's youthful, awkward emulation of the philosopher with the woman's speculative, almost mystical pursuit, set against the backdrop of Florence and the stirrings of nationalism.
Themes in this chapter
Identity and Hybridity
Giovanni Franchi's identity is a pale imitation of Bapini's, caught between adolescence and adulthood, and the woman's composite 'threewomen' self reflects fragmented, hybrid instincts.
Sexuality and Gender
The woman's curiosity about Bapini's toes carries erotic undertones, and Franchi's abominable manners and spoiled love-affair highlight gendered dynamics and sexual tension.
Imperialism and Nationalism
The 'National Idea' and the declaration of War, along with the patriotic flags and the Milan Express, evoke the nationalist fervor and imperialist context of the era.
Characters to notice
- Giovanni Franchi
The titular character, a young, hooligan-faced disciple of Giovanni Bapini, whose adolescence defines him and who is caught between his master's influence and the woman's curiosity.
- Giovanni Bapini
The philosopher, whose toes are the object of the woman's speculation; he is cymophanous and importunes mobs, teaching Franchi about earthquakes and women.
- Cesira
The 'threewomen' composed of three instincts, who makes diurnal pilgrimage to the trattoria and obsesses over the number of Bapini's toes.
- Exodus
Mentioned indirectly through the 'incandescent breath of civilizations' and the chase after philosopher's toes, though not directly present.
Key passages
“Giovanni Franchi hooligan-faced and latin-born You imagine what he looked like Looked it as nearly as he could as the philosopher looked His articulations were excellent Still where Giovanni Bapini was cymophanous Giovanni Franchi was merely pale”
Giovanni Franchi, with a rough, Latin face, tried to resemble the philosopher in appearance and speech, but lacked Bapini's luminous quality, appearing only pale in comparison.
Highlights Franchi's derivative identity and the contrast between master and disciple.
“She made diurnal pilgrimage To the trattoria To eat Trout that might have been trained for circuses If minarets grew in miniature whirlpools And mayonnaise that helped her to forget That what is underneath need never matter”
She visited the trattoria daily, eating fantastical trout and mayonnaise that allowed her to ignore deeper truths, focusing instead on her trivial obsession.
Illustrates her escapism and the absurdity of her quest.
“The threewomen was composed of three instincts Each sniffing divergently directed draughts The first instinct first again may renascent gods save us from the enigmatic penetralia of Firstness Was to be faithful to a man first The second to be loyal to herself first She would have to find which self first The third which might as well have been first Was to find out how many toes the philosopher Giovanni Bapini had first”
The woman was a composite of three conflicting instincts: fidelity to a man, loyalty to her own self (requiring self-discovery), and the primal urge to count Bapini's toes.
Reveals her fragmented psyche and the central obsession driving the chapter.