Giambattista Basile

Nancy L. Canepa

The Tale of Tales, made up of forty-nine fairy tales within a fiftieth frame story, contains the earliest versions of celebrated stories like Rapunzel, All-Fur, Hansel and Gretel, The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. The tales are bawdy and irreverent but also tender and whimsical, acute in psychological characterization and encyclopedic in description. They are also evocative of marvelous worlds of fairy-tale unreality as well as of the everyday rituals of life in seventeenth-century Naples. Yet because the original is written in the nonstandard Neopolitan dialect of Italian—and was last translated fully into English in 1932—this important piece of Baroque literature has long been inaccessible to both the general public and most fairy-tale scholars. Giambattista Basile’s "The Tale of Tales, or Entertainment for Little Ones" is a modern translation that preserves the distinctive character of Basile’s original. Working directly from the original Neopolitan version, translator Nancy L. Canepa takes pains to maintain the idiosyncratic tone of The Tale of Tales as well as the work’s unpredictable structure. This edition keeps the repetition, experimental syntax, and inventive metaphors of the original version intact, bringing Basile’s words directly to twenty-first-century readers for the first time. This volume is also fully annotated, so as to elucidate any unfamiliar cultural references alongside the text. Giambattista Basile’s "The Tale of Tales, or Entertainment for Little Ones" is also lushly illustrated and includes a foreword, an introduction, an illustrator’s note, and a complete bibliography. The publication of The Tale of Tales marked not only a culmination of the interest in the popular culture and folk traditions of the Renaissance period but also the beginning of the era of the artful and sophisticated "authored" fairy tale that inspired and influenced later writers like Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm. Giambattista Basile’s "The Tale of Tales, or Entertainment for Little Ones" offers an excellent point of departure for reflection about what constitutes Italian culture, as well as for discussion of the relevance that forms of early modern culture like fairy tales still hold for us today. This volume is vital reading for fairy-tale scholars and anyone interested in cultural history.

Giambattista Basile's The Tale of Tales, Or, Entertainment for Little Ones

Lo cunto de li cunti

A rollicking, bawdy collection of 50 fairy tales told by 10 storytellers over five days follows the compilation efforts of 17th-century Italian poet Giambattista Basile and traces the experiences of a cursed princess who would win back her betrothed.

The Tale of Tales

Sun, Moon and Talia

Brothers Grimm

Charles Perrault

W. R. S. Ralston

Henry W. Hewett

Every version of Cinderella in one collection: The Cat Cinderella The Little Glass Slipper Aschenputtel The Baba Yaga The Little Glass Slipper Katie Woodencloak Tattercoats Ashey Pelt The Sharp Grey Sheep Rashin-Coatie Cap O'Rushes The Hearth Cat The Princess and The Golden Shoes The Twelve Months Yeh-Shen Kongji and Patzzi Bawang Putih And Bawang Merah The Story of Tam and Cam, Fair, Brown, and Trembling ... " And more ... " The definitive Cinderella collection. Every single version for one bargain price! " "If you love Cinderella, or if you just love fairy tales in general, this is the book for you! Highly recommended!" " Amazon customer review 12/26/2013

The Ultimate Collection

Cinderella

Stories from Pentamerone

Petrosinella

Pentamerone. English Stories from the Pentamerone

Pentamerone. English

Era uma vez um conto de fadas recheado por outros 49 contos de fadas. Este é O conto dos contos, com que Giambattista Basile nos presenteou no início do século XVII. Escrito em napolitano para entretenimento da corte, O conto dos contos inspirou mestres da literatura como os irmãos Grimm e Charles Perrault, ou do desenho animado como Walt Disney. Nos cinquenta contos que compõem o Conto, ogros horrendos de bom coração, donzelas não muito castas, príncipes valentes e princesas mimadas, dragões malvados, rapazes tolos, mas audazes, animais falantes, belíssimas fadas, reis e rainhas, são elevados pela primeira vez à categoria de personagens da literatura, com seus encantamentos e magias. O Conto percorre o imaginário popular, sobretudo napolitano, mas também vai buscar na mitologia e na tradição de outros povos seus argumentos. Histórias que circulavam entre o povo miúdo e no mais das vezes eram contadas às crianças, são reelaboradas em chave irônica, quase iconoclasta, o que vale ao livro o subtítulo de o entretenimento dos pequeninos, "o que não queira dizer (como alguns, e entre estes Grimm, acreditaram, tomando ao pé da letra o título jocoso) que fosse composto para crianças. Era, ao contrário, composto para homens, para homens literatos, experientes e vividos, que sabiam entender e saborear coisas complicadas e engenhosas" (Benedetto Croce). Pela primeira vez se contou a história da moça obrigada pela madrasta a limpar a casa (A gata borralheira); do gato esperto que faz o dono enriquecer (O gato de botas); da menina presa numa torre que joga os cabelos para o namorado (Rapunzel); das duas crianças deixadas no bosque pelo pai a pedido da madrasta (João e Maria), e tantas outras memoráveis figuras encantadas que hoje fazem parte do nosso imaginário. São histórias engraçadas e assustadoras, românticas e terríveis, em que o autor não poupa os detalhes sórdidos, eróticos e escatológicos, embaladas pelas alegorias e metáforas intermináveis próprias do período barroco. Entrar no mundo mágico e exuberante criado por Basile é participar do maravilhoso e do atemporal, do fascínio de quase quatrocentos anos de literatura.

PENTAMERON ou o Entretenimento dos pequeninos

O contos dos Contos

Alexandre Dumas

Hans Christian Andersen

Dix contes merveilleux

Le roi des taupes et sa fille

Giambattista Basile's 'Stories from the Pentamerone' stands as a cornerstone in the genre of fairy tale collections, predating even the Brothers Grimm. Composed in the vibrant Neapolitan language, this seminal 17th-century work is notable for its rich literary style and its pivotal role in preserving the oldest recorded forms of many European fairy tales we know today. The literary style is Baroque in nature, characterized by ornate detail and a complexity of plot and characters that provide a decadent texture to the tales. Basile's collection, filled with magic, wit, and morality, investigates the themes of justice, love, and destiny, all interwoven within the fantastical narrative fabric that has inspired countless authors and sparked the imaginations of readers for centuries. Giambattista Basile (1575-1632) was both a courtier and a man of letters, whose immersion in the royal courts of the Italian Baroque period profoundly influenced his storytelling. The collection reflects Basile's exposure to the dark undercurrent of courtly life, his scholarly dedication to the Neapolitan culture and language, and his embodiment of the tradition of oral storytelling. His writing captures the essence of a pre-industrial society, providing an invaluable glimpse into Italian folklore and highlighting the universality and enduring nature of the fairy tale. 'Recognized for its contribution to the world's literary heritage, 'Stories from the Pentamerone' is highly recommended for those passionate about folklore, fairy tales, and cultural history. It particularly appeals to readers who relish in exploring the roots of storytelling and the intricate tapestry of motifs shared across cultures. As a work that precedes and profoundly influenced Grimms' Fairy Tales, Basile's collection is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand the foundations upon which the modern concept of the fairy tale was built.

Stories from the Pentamerone

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Pentamerone: Or, the Story of Stories

Da questo libro il film L’ARTE DELLA FELICITÀ di ALESSANDRO RAK, presentato alla Festival internazionale del Cinema di Venezia 2017. Traduzione di Michele Rak Quella tratta dal Cunto de li Cunti (1634-36) è la più antica versione del tradizionale racconto di Cenerentola, che ha poi ispirato Perrault e i fratelli Grimm. La giovane Zezolla, figlia di un principe, viene indotta dalla propria istitutrice a uccidere la matrigna, che sempre si è mostrata crudele con lei. Quando il padre decide di prendere in moglie la maestra, Zezolla, scalzata dalle sei figlie di lei, finisce al lavoro nelle cucine, disprezzata e apostrofata come la «Gatta Cenerentola». Completano il volume tre fra le più apprezzate fiabe del Pentamerone: La pulce, La cerva fatata, La vecchia scorticata.

La gatta Cenerentola e altre fiabe

Prezzemolina viene rinchiusa in una torre incantata da un'orchessa malvagia. Ma grazie alle sue lunghe trecce e al coraggio di un principe troverà la strada della libertà

Giambattista Basile

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