Catherine Percoto she was a writer and poet among the major exponents of the rustic tale in ItalyWith her works she was able to narrate everyday life in Friuli in the mid-800th century, local traditions and the world of women.
From childhood in boarding school to first publication
Caterina Marianna Percoto She was born on February 19, 1812, in San Lorenzo di Soleschiano, in the municipality of Manzano, the only female of seven siblings. In 1821, the family was forced to move to Udine following the death of her father Antonio. Here, Caterina enrolled in theSanta Chiara Boarding School, today's Uccellis Boarding School. Over time the young girl develops a growing repulsion towards theeducation monastic which she considers superficial and superficial. The nuns, in fact, teach young women etiquette, the art of conversation, and everything else that might satisfy male expectations. This is clearly detrimental to their individual development as future women, wives, and mothers. This experience will prompt her to dedicate part of her writings specifically to the female figure.
When in 1829 she was forced to leave the institute for economic reasons, she continued her education independently, approaching the greats of the Italian literature like Manzoni and Dante. At home, she took care of the family business and the education of her brothers with the help of Don Pietro Comelli, who would become her friend. It was he who, in 1839, without Caterina's knowledge, sent some of her literary criticism to the Spark, a cultural newspaper from Trieste. From this moment on, Caterina Percoto's real literary career began thanks to her relationship with thepublisher and mentor Francesco Dall'Ongaro.
The Writings: From the Bucolic Atmospheres of Friuli to Female Pedagogy
Under Dall'Ongaro's advice, Caterina Percoto opens up to bucolic tale focused on the historical and social reality of the Friulian countryside of his time. The resulting portraits are idyllic on the one hand, while on the other, the genuine reality linked to his personal life experience emerges. His first book, entitled Lis Cidulis. Carnian Scenes. From this moment on, prestigious newspapers such as The Trieste Newspaper e The Sunday Council of Friuli begin to publish it.
At the centre of many of her short stories Caterina Percorso places the female figure as in The friend, o The mother-in-law's albumThis attention stems from her strong criticism of the education given to young women, which she herself had experienced. Journalist and politician Pacifico Valussi encouraged Caterina to take an interest in the education of lower-class women, and soon after, she published 14 pedagogical letters. In these writings, entitled A page from my aunt's newspaper – Correspondence from an associate Caterina Percoto transmits the readings of Jean Jacques Rousseau and the pedagogical style of Raffaello Lambruschini.
The political commitment of writing after the "Jalmicco Events"
Caterina Percoto remains deeply shocked by the so-called “Jalmicco Events” of 1848, in which she happens to be an eyewitness. During the First War of Independence, the Austrian army intervened to quell the riots in Udine and the surrounding towns that were defending their belonging to Italian territory. Entire towns caught fire, including Jalmicco, a hamlet of Palmanova, Visco and Bagnaria which following the events added the adjective “Arsa”.
Following these events, Caterina Percoto's writing is tinged with political commitment and stories such as The Woman of Osoppo e The cultivator are highly appreciated by patriots. His literary career will be studded with further achievements such as the publication of Stories In 1863, she published a collection of Friulian fables. In 1867, she met Giuseppe Garibaldi in Udine, and together with Francesco Dall'Ongaro, she frequented the crème de la crème of Florence's cultural circles. In 1871, Minister Cesare Correnti appointed her inspector of Venetian educators. Her last collections of short stories were published in 1878 and 1883.
Caterina Percoto died on August 15, 1887 in her hometown; her tomb is in Udine. The writings of this passionate woman remain, a genuine testimony of her Friulian culture of his time.
