Reviews
Giambattista Basile's the Tale of Tales, or Entertainment for Little Ones by Giambattista Basile
kate_mnt's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
alphadesigner's review against another edition
4.0
Rating a classic is tough. On one hand, it should be viewed in its historical context. On the other, to be truly valuable to a modern reader, it should also relate to the present in some way. There’s a lot of value in the Tale of Tales—the sheer amount of allegories used for the motions of the Sun across the sky alone makes it a baroque masterpiece. But then, there are the usual bitter pills to swallow—romanticization of rape, and blatant, passionate racism. Pretty much like the Arabian Nights, total immersion is impossible. But there’s enough beauty in here worth salvaging.
dietsmarrissjohnson's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
stratski's review against another edition
4.0
Verzameling sprookjes in hetzelfde genre als de Decamerone, maar een stuk minder stichtelijk een daardoor ook veel entertainender. Minder hoofse liefde, meer onvervalste lust. En meer synoniemen voor het opkomen van de zon dan je ooit voor mogelijk had gehouden.
nerzola's review against another edition
4.0
Il più delle volte i travagli sono per l'uomo picconi e pale che gli spianano la strada a quella buona fortuna che lui non s'immaginava.
eyecoco's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely an entertaining read and I laughed at the crass language while I cringed at other moments. Obviously a product of its time but reading it here and now still makes you want to roll your eyes sometimes.
Still would recommend this book for anyone interested in fairytales and how they have evolved. The footnotes gave some interesting insights in the day and age of the time the stories take place.
Still would recommend this book for anyone interested in fairytales and how they have evolved. The footnotes gave some interesting insights in the day and age of the time the stories take place.
manwithanagenda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
In 'The Tale of Tales' Princess Zosa is cursed to marry only Tadeo, the Prince of Round-Field, who is enchanted to sleep forever unless a woman fills a pitcher with tears in three days. Zosa falls alseep before the end of the third day and the remainder of the vessel is filled by a Moorish slave girl who takes the Prince for her own.
In folk-tale fashion Zosa, with magical help, infects the now pregnant Queen with "a burning desire to hear tales". Fifty tales are to to be told over five days by ten sharp-tongued old women. Zosa plans to use these tales to show Tadeo his wife's treachery and win him for herself.
Giambattista Basile collected these folk tales in southern Italy in the early 17th century. Most of them are the earliest known versions of these tales, including 'Rapunzel', 'Sleeping Beauty' and 'Puss in Boots'. While many of these stories ring familiar, they are overwhelmed with rape, greed, murder, theft and diarrhea. These stories make the original 'Grimm's Fairy Tales' look like a picnic, hot iron dancing shoes and all.
It took me over a year to finish this, mostly because the style of fairy tales can get monotonous and because this edition is loaded with academic and translator notes pointing out word play that didn't translate and unpicking the cultural references of 400 years ago. Most of the humor involves poop, but everything else needed explanation.
These is such a wealth of information here. The baroque court of Naples and thriving artistic community comes alive with the high use of metaphor - the sun and the moon are personified in at least sixty different ways, sweeping away stars, depositing daylight, etc. - and the reactions and commentary of the 'Tales' audience. The stories themselves reveal a complicated world where people live and die at the whims of royalty, and monsters are often your neighbors.
Reflecting a very specific place in the Europe of 400 years ago, there is no cultural sensitivity here. At most there is occasional sympathy given to the impoverished. From story to story families can forgive each other or murder each other without the moral being affected. A king will do many things to please his queen, murdering her to marry the next thing is acceptable. Ogres are Others and, even when they are helpful or completely justified in their anger, no one bats an eye at murdering them. Our villain, the Moorish slave girl turned Queen, is a loathsome caricature but the reader flinches when reading of her ultimate fate.
These are not for the faint of heart, but anyone interested in the evolution of the story in the European tradition or in cultural history should give these stories a go.
In folk-tale fashion Zosa, with magical help, infects the now pregnant Queen with "a burning desire to hear tales". Fifty tales are to to be told over five days by ten sharp-tongued old women. Zosa plans to use these tales to show Tadeo his wife's treachery and win him for herself.
Giambattista Basile collected these folk tales in southern Italy in the early 17th century. Most of them are the earliest known versions of these tales, including 'Rapunzel', 'Sleeping Beauty' and 'Puss in Boots'. While many of these stories ring familiar, they are overwhelmed with rape, greed, murder, theft and diarrhea. These stories make the original 'Grimm's Fairy Tales' look like a picnic, hot iron dancing shoes and all.
It took me over a year to finish this, mostly because the style of fairy tales can get monotonous and because this edition is loaded with academic and translator notes pointing out word play that didn't translate and unpicking the cultural references of 400 years ago. Most of the humor involves poop, but everything else needed explanation.
These is such a wealth of information here. The baroque court of Naples and thriving artistic community comes alive with the high use of metaphor - the sun and the moon are personified in at least sixty different ways, sweeping away stars, depositing daylight, etc. - and the reactions and commentary of the 'Tales' audience. The stories themselves reveal a complicated world where people live and die at the whims of royalty, and monsters are often your neighbors.
Reflecting a very specific place in the Europe of 400 years ago, there is no cultural sensitivity here. At most there is occasional sympathy given to the impoverished. From story to story families can forgive each other or murder each other without the moral being affected. A king will do many things to please his queen, murdering her to marry the next thing is acceptable. Ogres are Others and, even when they are helpful or completely justified in their anger, no one bats an eye at murdering them. Our villain, the Moorish slave girl turned Queen, is a loathsome caricature but the reader flinches when reading of her ultimate fate.
These are not for the faint of heart, but anyone interested in the evolution of the story in the European tradition or in cultural history should give these stories a go.
doomkittiekhan's review against another edition
4.0
Whoa. Another side of the fairytale genre I was not familiar with. A fascinating read if you are interested in fairytales beyond the worlds of Lang, Andersen, and Grimm. Lots of giants that eat broccoli!