Overview

Composed in the 1630s, Giambattista Basile's The Tale of Tales, later known as the Pentameron, is a sophisticated, affectionate, often wicked parody of Boccaccio's 14th century masterpiece, the Decameron, containing fifty tales within an intricate framing story. Importantly, among its stories are the earliest literary versions of famous fairy tales such as Cinderella, Rapunzel, The Sleeping Beauty and Hansel and Gretel. This is only the fourth translation of the complete text into English. With its scholarly introduction, notes, and up-to-date bibliography, it will appeal to anyone studying European literature or the fairy tale in general, its history and subsequent development, as well as anyone wishing to trace specific themes within the genre and their different treatments.

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9781527511538

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Christopher Stace is an independent scholar. After reading Classics at university, he embarked on a career of teaching and writing. He has translated Greek tragedy, Roman comedy, legends of the lives of St. Francis, St. Clare and St. George, and The Golden Legend (1998), and made a variety of contributions to periodicals in the UK and Italy, including regular reviews for the Times Literary Supplement. His recent publications have included an analysis of the 17th century Franciscan fresco-cycle at Borgo a Mozzano (Tuscany), A sua immagine, and a translation of Res Gestae (c.1300), a collection of Latin stories followed by spiritual interpretations for the use of preachers.

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