Description
Book SynopsisRenowned today for his contribution to the rise of the modern European fairy tale, Giovan Francesco Straparola (c. 1480–c. 1557) is particularly known for his dazzling anthology The Pleasant Nights. Originally published in Venice in 1550 and 1553, this collection features seventy-three folk stories, fables, jests, and pseudo-histories, including nine tales we might now designate for ‘mature readers’ and seventeen proto-fairy tales. Nearly all of these stories, including classics such as ‘Puss in Boots,’ made their first ever appearance in this collection; together, the tales comprise one of the most varied and engaging Renaissance miscellanies ever produced. Its appeal sustained it through twenty-six editions in the first sixty years.
This full critical edition of The Pleasant Nights presents these stories in English for the first time in over a century. The text takes its inspiration from the celebrated Waters translation, which
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'Beecher deserves full credit and admiration for having produced a superlative piece of work.' -- Joseph Russo Journal of Folklore Research; October 22, 2013 'Beecher has produced a handsome edition of Water's translation, and has thoroughly reworked the reference apparatus... His book is a distinctly valuable and scholarly contribution to the subject.' -- Ruth B. Bottigheimer Renaissance Quarterly vol 67:01:2014
