COUNT GASPARO

See also:

• GOZZI, CARLO, COUNT (1722-1806)
• COUNT GASPARO GOZZI (1713-1786)

GOZZI (1713-1786)  , eldest brother of Carlo Gozzi, was born on the 4th of December 1713 . In 1739 he married the poetess Luise Bergalli, and she undertook the management of the theatre of Sant' Angelo, Venice, he supplying the performers with dramas chiefly translated from the French . The speculation proved unfortunate, but meantime he had attained a high reputation for his contributions to the Gazzetta Veneta, and he soon came to be known as one of the ablest critics and purest and most elegant stylists in Italy . For a considerable period he was censor of the press in Venice, and in 1974 he was appointed to reorganize the university system at Padua . He died at Padua on the 26th of December 1786 . His principal writings are Osservatore Veneto periodico (1761), on the model of the English Spectator, and distinguished by its high moral tone and its light and pleasant satire; Lettere famigliari (1755), a collection of short racy pieces in prose and verse, on subjects of general interest; Sermon, poems in blank verse after the manner of Horace; Il Mondo morale (176o), a personification of human passions with inwoven dialogues in the style of Lucian; and Giudizio degli antichi poeti sopra la moderna censura di Dante (1755), a defence of the great poet against the attacks of Bettinelli . He also translated various works from the French and English, including Marmontel's Tales and Pope's Essay on Criticism . His collected works were published at Venice, 1794-1798, in 12 volumes, and several editions have appeared since .