Giambattista Basile Profile

'classy with a touch of sophistication'

       There are three parts to the life of Giambattista Basile, the man, the legend, the predecessor.  Basile, like many other children's authors of the 16th century, had other jobs that he was well known for by the people around him. He was part of the Venetian army where he was appointed as a courtier for his ability to write and express his literature in fine detail to the dukes and higher royalty of Italy.  Basile had the ability to express all the cunning, mysticism, and twisted romance that can be seen in his later works.  As Basile was performing his final services to his military, he began thinking about a career in politics.  This led him to the courts of Gonzaga in Mantua. Little known about his time in the judicial part of Basile’s life but, but what can be said is that he began to take an interest in the people and their Neapolitan culture. 

     As Basile moved up in society from soldier to his works in the judiciary system, he set his eyes on something a little higher. Already known in the political world, Basile decided to run for governor of some neighboring states around Naples. While doing so, he began to see the Neapolitan society reach out towards him, bringing him in closer toward its wonderful culture that he had so fondly been idle in before. He began to see that Naples was a writers paradise with its “natural heritage of the popular memory, the tradition of the fable and the element of magic that sets it apart from others” (Cicciotti).  Basile became engulfed by folklore and fairytales of not only Naples but the neighboring cities as well. This was not only pertinent in how Basile lived out the rest of his days, but also be came apparent in his book, Cunti Lo Cunto de li, or “A Tale of Tales.” Although Basile’s book might never had been published if it were not for his sister Adriana, who and taken it to a publisher after Basile’s death.  It portray’s a society so deep in culture and character that it can sometimes be to much to read in one sitting. Basile believed so as well and broke it up into five days of reading, each day revealing a valuable moral.  

      Basile was the predecessor to most of the fairytales we read today, taking the folklore of local Neapolitan’s and making them his own. Some the stories that were influenced by Basile include; Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Puss in Boots, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast as well as many others. Basile’s stories often features a large amount of “adult content” in the stories, ranging from “Cinderella” standing up against her stepmother and killing her, to “Sleeping Beauty” being raped in a barn. Basile sought that this collection “of which implies an intended audience of children,” and is meant to persuade a child “with an abundant use of absurd situations of an extremely structures language in it constant playfulness.” (Marrone 137) 

    Basile’s elicit stories which some might like to hear, were sometimes very brutal and violent making later authors rethink and rewrite Basile’s masterpiece. Some might call it shameful for what they had done to the stories.  However, others might disagree and believe that times are changing and telling a story about sex and violence might not be appropriate content for a young, and impressionable child.  Basile gives the harsh truth in his books which make them so enticing to adults often showing the true side to human nature.

MLA Bibliography

• Cicciotti, S. "Prof.s.cicciotti G.b.basile." Libero - Community - I Siti Personali. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. <http://digilander.libero.it/davis2/lezioni/fotoquarta/g.b basile.htm>.
• Marrone, Gaetana. Encyclopedia of Italian Literary Studies. Vol. 1. New York: Routledge, 2007. Print.
• Panizza, Letizia. "Giambattista Basile Biography." Jrank. Web. 1 Mar. 2011. <http:// www.jrank.org/literature/pages/15213/Giambattista-Basile.html>.