Week 14 - Extra Reading

(Image from Wiki)

Most of the stories from this section of reading pertained to marriage, the devil, or hunting of some sort. It was very clear to see how religion affects Italian folklore because nearly every piece had a reference to the devil or to fulfilling an oath. There is also an emphasis on the physical beauty of the world and it is valued quite heavily. The first story stuck out to me the most because it seemed to resemble the Beauty and the Beast story line a lot (although Beauty and the Beast is said to be situated in France). I wonder how that transition came to be!

However, I learned much about the Italian view of cleverness. All of the tales in this section had an emphasis on how main characters out-witted enemies and obstacles alike. There seemed to be an understanding that there is a responsibility to family that must go unquestioned. I found the writing style to be very straightforward without many literary devices in use.

Bibliography: Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Frederick Crane can be found on MythFolklore blog.