Glossary of Terms
achtung!: an interjection meaning, roughly, "look out!" or "take care!"
anti-Semitism: discrimination or ill-will against persons who are Jewish or, sometimes, against persons of Middle Eastern descent
atmospheric: evocative; soft and indistinct
barbarian: a savage, uncivilized individual
barracks: a large building used for housing soldiers (or, in concentration camps, civilian detainees)
commedia della arte: improvised repartee
concentration camps: large prison camps used to confine large numbers of civilians
dramatic irony: irony that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in a play, film, or work of literature
Fascist: a member of the Fascist party; a person with ultra-nationalist views
Heil Hitler: the traditional salute to the German Führer, Adolf Hitler
lazzi: humorous interruption
Ministry: the body of ministers of state
Nazi: a member of the National Socialist German Workers' party, which seized control of Germany in 1933 and initiated a series of horrendous crimes against humanity
Offenbach: Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880), French composer and cellist
piazza: an open, public square (usu. in Italy)
prefect: the dean of a school or college; a person in a position of command (usu. academic)
tragicomedy: a literary work containing elements of both tragedy and comedy
Visigoth: a member of one of the "barbarian" tribes that existed in France until ~507 and in Spain until ~711 after the fall of the Roman Empire
ClassicNote on Life is Beautiful
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