October Revolution

The October Revolution is mentioned in the critical account of Lampedusa as an example of his private admiration for revolutions whose ideologies had proved effective. The reference distinguishes his interest in their historical force from his distaste for the rhetoric that often accompanied political ideals.

Place in Lampedusa’s View of Ideology

The account describes Lampedusa as a Stendhalian who admired ideologies when they had demonstrated their effectiveness. On that basis, it characterizes him as a secret admirer of every revolution, explicitly including the October Revolution. The reference presents the Revolution not as an episode in the novel’s plot, but as evidence of the breadth of his political interest.

Ideological Force and Political Rhetoric

Lampedusa’s approval of effective ideology did not entail approval of revolutionary or national rhetoric. The account contrasts his acceptance of the Risorgimento’s ideology with his stronger distaste for its rhetoric, which he sought to correct in his writing. The October Revolution therefore belongs to a distinction between the practical force of an ideology and the language used to celebrate it.