ITALIAN FOLKTALES BECOME A BEDTIME RITUAL

“Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again” C.S. Lewis

Last June, while browsing through the latest issue of The London Review of Books, I came across an essay on the life and works of an Italian author, Italo Calvino (1923-85). He was one of Italy’s greatest and most popular writers.

Because Calvino led an interesting life and was once considered for a Nobel Prize in literature, I researched which of his works were translated into English. To my surprise, Calvino’s most popular work available on Amazon was not one of his novels. This honor went to a 700 page edited volume of 200 Italian folktales lovingly organized by Mr. Calvino. (Copyright 1956, first English translation, 1980)

All of the critic’s reviews of this compilation were over the moon. When first translated in 1980, the Los Angeles Times called the effort “One of the New York Times Best Books of the Year. These traditional stories of Italy, retold by a master, are a treasure.” The New York Times Book Review continued, “This collection stands with the finest collections anywhere.” Finally, Time Magazine opined, “A magic book, and a classic to boot.”

Because my spouse is a full-blooded Italian and a retired elementary school teacher, I thought the collection would make a great addition to our library. Little did I know that for months to come this book of Italian folktales would frequently be our bedtime ritual. The stories are leading us down a rabbit hole filled with the magic of folklore that have nothing to do with the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, or Disney. We finally understood what the renowned expert on interpreting myth, Joseph Campbell, meant when he said, “The folktale is the primer of the picture language of the soul.”

Since we received our well-preserved used copy of the book in July, our evening routine has often included a bedtime story. The retired teacher, who knows how to interpret a yarn with appropriate vocal emphasis, reads each tale aloud. When the story is finished, she reads the short biographical note at the end of the book, giving us some background. In many cases, Calvino has merged different oral versions of the same folktale, from different regions of Italy, adding his own literary embellishments, to construct his own interpretation.  

Next, it is on to Google where we research the oral tradition for each tale and determine if the creative arts have reimagined each ancient story for some modern purpose. To our amazement, many of the folktales introduced by Calvino have been reworked as record albums, children’s picture books, short operas, theater productions, and, in one case, a French movie. Our research reveals that the citizens of Italy know these stories well and are proud of their oral traditions.

As we make our way through the folktales, certain themes emerge. Overall, the stories are delightful, inventive, charming, often unexpected, and occasionally horrific.  Good and humble decisions lead to positive outcomes while poor or selfish acts lead to unwanted results. It is easy to imagine a parent sitting around an ancient hearth relating the milder tales to children to encourage good behavior.

When reading the stories, we are always on the lookout for the numbers three and seven, which seem to provide organizational themes for many of the folktales. Like a good joke, a plot based on “threes” creates more interest than one centered on “twos” or “fours” (e.g. three sisters, three tasks). Moreover, the number three has Biblical implications of something complete and good (e.g. the Trinity, Jesus rising after three days). The number seven also signifies Christian completeness (seven days of creation). Characters in the stories are often affiliated with the number seven to signify an insightful or wise personality.      

Some of my favorite tales revolve around the village idiot as the major protagonist. This character is not mentally disabled but is shown to be a free spirit, and unrealistically optimistic or naïve. His misunderstanding or misuse of common language often leads to comical results and good endings.

As in folktales from around the world, many females, particularly young women, are not treated well. Forgetting to retrieve one object or failing to be obedient will likely result in being cursed with the head of a monster and rejected by the handsome prince. Thankfully, these same characters are resourceful and eventually are transformed back into the most beautiful maidens in the land.

Many stories are so different from familiar folktales that they immediately grab your attention. The apple holds a prominent place as temptation in the Bible and as a symbol of everything from evil to nobility in folktales. Italians from Tuscany concocted their own interpretation. In Apple Girl, a barren queen finally gives birth to an apple “redder and more beautiful than any other.”  The fruit holds within it, a young girl who must endure the violent attacks of an evil stepmother before shedding her bloodstained apple shell to marry the waiting prince. The blood from the attack signifies every young women’s passage from maidenhood to adult. She is now capable of producing her own fruit of the womb.

Calvino’s Italian Folktales may not be everyone’s cup of tea. For the two of us, the nightly anticipation of a new tale followed by a restful sleep makes all the difference. We only have 120 more folktales to go.