“Entertainment for Little Ones”? Corporeality, Eros, and Age in Giambattista Basile’s Pentamerone, with a Focus on the Tale “La vecchia scortecata”
Abstract
This article discusses the themes of corporeality, eros, and age in the most significant work of the Baroque Neapolitan writer Giambattista Basile – Lo cunto de li cunti [The Tale of Tales], also known as Pentamerone (1634–1636), with particular attention given to the analysis of the tale “La vecchia scortecata” [The Skinned Old Lady]. The article begins with a brief reconstruction of the Pentamerone’s structure, exploring the meaning of its subtitle – Lo trattenimento de le peccerille [Entertainment for Little Ones] – along with the presence of macabre elements throughout the work. To illustrate this, a few other tales are shortly considered for their use of macabre and monstrosity in various forms: “Verde Prato” [Green Meadow], “Lo serpe” [The Snake], and “Tre corone” [The Three Crowns]. With a focus on the tale of the skinned old lady, the author of the paper clarifies the link between the motifs of eros and old age, interwoven with the theme of corporeality, and their influence on the behaviours and rewards of the protagonists. Through a detailed textual analysis, the article underlines the role of this conflict in the evolution and the tragicomic resolution of the story. Finally, the cinematic rendition of the narrative in The Tale of Tales by Matteo Garrone (2015) is briefly discussed.
Keywords
corporeality; eros; Giambattista Basile; Matteo Garrone; Pentamerone; old age
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University of Pisa, Higher Normal School of Pisa Italy
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9214-1711
Davide Iengo – MA, studies classical Classical Philology and Ancient History at the University of Pisa and the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa (Italy). His research interests include archaic Greek lyric poetry (Bacchylides, Anacreon) and Ancient Greek comedy, with a particular focus on the reception of Aristophanes’s works in Poland, both in terms of translation and performance. Contact: davide.iengo@sns.it.
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