One of the elements of the fairy tale that gives it lasting and universal appeal is that the events of the story occur within a universe of clearly defined values, in which good always triumphs over evil and virtues are rewarded with material and personal riches. Calvino’s retelling of the Italian folk tale “The Feathered…
Tag: Italy
The Feathered Ogre – Setting
Collections of Traditional Folk Tales “The Feathered Ogre” was originally published as part of the collection Italian Folk Tales (1956), which Calvino transcribed and retold from the oral tradition. The most famous collection of folk tales is probably that of the Brother’s Grimm, who wrote a comprehensive collection of traditional German folk tales, which have…
The Feathered Ogre – Literary Devices
The Folk Tale “The Feathered Ogre” was originally published in Calvino’s book, Italian Folktales, in which he transcribed stories from the oral tradition in Italian culture. However, even read out of this context, this story clearly resembles the familiar folk or fairy tales children are often told. Because they originate in an oral tradition, folk…
The Feathered Ogre – Themes
Heroism The protagonist of a fairy tale is often a courageous man who risks mortal danger in order to achieve some noble quest. The king’s attendant in this story is heroic in every way. He is the only one ”loyal and courageous” enough to go in search of a feather from the ogre. Along his…
The Feathered Ogre – Characters
The Beautiful Girl The innkeeper’s daughter, a “beautiful girl,” is first encountered by the protagonist as the wife of the ogre, who has been his captive for years. She comes up with a scheme to take four feathers from the ogre, answer each of the four questions, and escape with the man, without either of…
The Feathered Ogre – Summary
A king falls ill and is told by his doctors that the only way he can be cured is by obtaining a feather from the ogre that eats every human being it sees. No one of his subjects is willing to go on a quest for one of the ogre’s feathers, until one attendant bravely…
Federigo’s Falcon – Analysis – Essay
In ‘‘Federigo’s Falcon,’’ Boccaccio presents the reader with a woman, the lady Giovanna, who appears to exercise a sense of agency in her own life. A married woman, Giovanna ignores the apparently unwanted affections of Federigo, despite the fact that within the conventions of courtly love, which were socially accepted in her day, it would…
Federigo’s Falcon – Setting
The Plague and Its Aftermath in Florence In the years immediately preceding the arrival of the plague in Florence in 1348, the city suffered economically from the failure of three major banking houses within a span of four years (1343–1346). The nearby Po River Valley was struck by flash floods in 1345, and the city…
Federigo’s Falcon – Literary Devices
Frame Narrative Boccaccio’s Decameron, of which ‘‘Federigo’s Falcon’’ is a part, is written as a frame narrative. In a frame narrative a story, or a series of stories, is embedded within a larger structure. This framing structure is itself a narrative designed to introduce or set the stage for the other story or stories. Each…
Federigo’s Falcon – Themes
Courtly Love In medieval tradition, the notion of courtly love was a chaste and idealized version of love in which individuals who desired one another demonstrated their affection through noble deeds and self-sacrifice. Courtly love was believed to be ennobling, yet at the same time it was most often expressed between individuals not married to…