FERRARI, PAOLO. - Playwright, b. at Modena on 5 Apr. 1822, d. at Milano on 9 March 1899. The first in Italy to recognize the need for a dramatic art attentive to moral problems, he gave its finest proof in Cause ed effetti (1871), where the institution of the family, already extolled in Prosa (1858) against Romantic excesses, was defended against the materialism that saw marriage as a mere contract concerning dowry property.
In general, however, ethical inspiration remained merely intentional in F., who not infrequently brought to the surface the prejudices and conventions of the contemporary bourgeoisie. Thus, in Duello (1868), he maintains that, though theoretically condemnable, it is useful in practice; in Ridicola (1872), he holds that the fear of being mocked makes the bachelor cautious in choosing a wife and the husband vigilant in safeguarding domestic honour. Artistically accomplished are the historical comedies Goldoni and Parini. In the rest, F. fails adequately to portray the life of his time; rather than a creator, he is often a reworker of the models of the French theatre.