Fairy tales: A world between the imaginary---metaphor at play in "Lo cunto de li cunti" by Giambattista Basile
Item
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Title
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Fairy tales: A world between the imaginary---metaphor at play in "Lo cunto de li cunti" by Giambattista Basile
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:f694d09614dc:10231
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identifier
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10352
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Creator
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Scala, Carmela Bernardetta,
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Contributor
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Giuseppe Di Scipio
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Date
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2009
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Folklore | Romance literature | Androgyny | Baroque | Basile | fairy tales
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Abstract
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The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate Basile's contribution to the establishment of fairytales as a literary genre; the focus is on his masterpiece Lo cunto de li cunti. This thesis examines its debt to tradition and its influence on posterity, while also studying Basile's unique use of metaphors in the rich Neapolitan dialect. As this study reveals metaphors in Lo cunto de li cunti are not used simply as a mean of embellishment; rather they are employed as a way to inform the reader of the rich folkloric tradition of Naples during the baroque period as well as of Basile's discontent with the socio-political situation of his times. The use of metaphors is so pervasive that one could argue that the book is itself a metaphor through which Basile conveys his ideals and his utopia of a liberated Naples and of more just society; as well as the importance of the Neapolitan dialect and its linguistic registers. Furthermore, this dissertation proposes a new interpretation of the female characters of the tales and it raises a discussion on gender roles both in modern and past societies.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Comparative Literature
