I am having such a fine time reading 16th century Basile's splendid introductions to stories in his Tales of Tales. And while the tales are wicked-wonderful, it is these observations on the human condition that have me enthralled -- I suspect because they remain surprisingly current. Plus ça change...
"...artisans leave their shops, merchants their trade, lawyers their cases, shopkeepers their businesses to go with open mouth to the barber shops and circle of gossipers to hear false news, invented notices, fabricated newssheets." To be fair, Basile describes this as a pleasant activity, to listen to fabricated stories and tales and so, pass the time. But in this day and age, I went first to the current miss-use of story, not to distract us in an entertaining fashion, but to politicize, weaponize, and invent for the sole purpose of thwarting one's public enemies.
"We see crooked and judge straight; but it is so difficult to apply it that few human judgments hit the nail on the head... " Basile, IV, 9, The Crow. 16th c.
"Ingratitude, ladies, is a rusty nail which, hammered into the tree of courtesy, makes it dry up; it is a broken drain which wets and weakens the foundations of affection; it is soot which, falling into the cooking pot of friendship takes away fragrance and flavor." Basile "Cagliuso."
Midori Snyder is the author of nine books for children and adults, published in English, French, Dutch, and Italian. She won the Mythopoeic Award for The Innamorati, a novel inspired by early Roman myth and the Italian "Commedia dell'Arte" tradition....
