Reading Notes: Italian Popular Tales, Part A

Zelinda and the Monster

• This is a different version of Beauty and the Beast
• I love this fairy tale already, and this story was almost the exact same, with some minor changes
• This story was shorter, and the beast only had to get consent of marriage from a girl in order to be set free from the curse
• In other stories I've read or in the movie that came out recently, the Beast needed a girl to fall in love with him or kiss him in order to turn into the prince again
• I may stick to this version or the other versions I've read/watched if I decide to rewrite this story
• I'm trying to think of alternate endings that are not the same ones we have always known

The Fair Angiola

• This is a different version of Rapunzel
• The witch was more lenient than in the other stories I've read
• It was more cruel for the witch to make the woman give up Angiola at 7 years of age, instead of taking her as a baby (in my opinion) 
• If I were to rewrite this I may add some more elements of cruelty to the witch (I was surprised she let the dog save Angiola so easily)
• I like the parts of the talking furniture because it reminds me of Beauty and the Beast 
• I could rewrite this unit as a lot of fairy tales put together

How the Devil Married Three Sisters

• I've never read a story like this, and I loved it! 
• It was really interesting to read and I thought the third sister was really smart for getting her and her sisters out as she did
• I may rewrite this story and change up the way in which the sisters escaped the devil

Source: From the story How the Devil Married Three Sisters. It's a popular sculpture in Italy.

Sir Fiorante, Magician

• I've never read a story like this either and I thought it was interesting that the magician pretended to be a snake 
• Why a snake? Why couldn't he just be himself?
• If I were to rewrite this, I might add more elements of being yourself into the story

Water and Salt

• This story reminds me of Akbar and Birbal stories (some popular Indian tales) because it had that moral at the end of the story and sounded like a trick Birbal would play on someone

Bibliography: Thomas Crane's Italian Popular Tales, Part A.