SOURCE: A preface to Cavalleria Rusticana, and Other Stories, by Giovanni Verga, translated by D. H. Lawrence, 1928. Reprint by Greenwood Press, 1975, pp. 7-33.

Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, and essayist noted for his introduction of the themes of modern psychology to English fiction. In his lifetime he was a controversial figure, both for the explicit sexuality he portrayed in his novels and for his unconventional personal life. Much of the criticism of Lawrence's work concerns his highly individualistic moral system, which was based on absolute freedom of expression, particularly sexual expression. In the following excerpt, Lawrence notes Verga's interest in peasant characters as they exemplify the passion, naivete, and spontaneity lacking in urban-dwelling sophisticates. Lawrence argues that Verga did not glorify his peasant characters or glamorize their impoverished state.

Cavalleria Rusticana is in many ways the most interesting of the Verga books. The volume of short stories...