Would that I could begin a novel with such a splendid introduction as this frame story for Basile's entire collection of tales:
"It is an established proverb, one of ancient coinage, that he who seeks what he shouldn't, finds what he doesn't want; and it is known that the monkey, by shoeing himself with boots, remained caught by the feet, as happened to a ragged slave who never having worn shoes on her feet, wanted to put a crown on her head. But because the grindstone takes off all the rough spots, and there comes a day when everything is paid for, in the end, she who by evil ways had usurped what was meant for others was caught in the wheel of kicks, and the higher she had risen to the top, the greater was her precipitous fall..."
What I love about this quote is how well it describes an archetypal character in many folktales from many cultures: the false bride whose role is to temporarily assume the part meant for the true bride while at the same time giving the true bride an opportunity to complete her rite of passage before making herself known to the groom. The false bride is usually pretty ugly, or in the case of Basile's frame story, she is a "cricket-legged slave girl" --and sufficient to make the groom miserable until he finally discovers the true bride.
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....
