In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Cannetella is unable to find a husband to her liking, and her sin causes her to fall into the hands of an ogre, where she is given an awful life; finally a sewer cleaner who is a vassal of her father’s frees her. “It is a bad thing, ladies and gentlemen, to look for bread better than that made from wheat,1 because you end up desiring what you’ve thrown away. One should be content with what is honest, for those who want everything lose everything and those who walk on treetops have just as much madness in their noggins as danger under their heels, as was the case with a king’s daughter, who will be the subject of the tale that I’m about to tell you. “There once was a king, the king of Lovely Knoll, who had a greater desire to breed than porters have the desire for funerals to be held so that they can gather the melted wax. He even made a vow to the goddess Syrinx:2 if she gave him a child he would call her Cannetella, in memory of how the goddess had transformed into a reed. And he prayed and prayed so hard and long that he received the grace, and with his wife Renzolla had a lovely little fart of a baby girl to whom he gave the promised name. “She grew by leaps and bounds, and when she was as tall as a pole the king said to her, ‘My daughter, you’ve already grown as big—may the heavens bless you!—as an oak tree, and it’s the right time for you to pair up with a little husband who’s deserving of that lovely face, so that we can maintain our family line. And so, since I love you like the pupils of my eyes and desire your happiness, I’d like to know what breed of a husband you would like. What 1 Cannetella First Entertainment of the Third Day 217 ATT 311: Rescue by the Sister. “The name Cannetella existed in Neapolitan dialect, as a diminutive of Canneta, or Candida” (Croce 243). Here it is also a diminutive of canna, or reed. Penzer notes similarities between this tale and Gonzenbach 10, as well as a tale by Luigi Alamanni (1:231); see also Gonzenbach 22. 1. “Probably a common saying to indicate a difficult and useless endeavor” (Rak 476). 2. “The nymph desired by Pan, who was unable to reach her before she transformed into a reed, from which the multi-reeded flute (syrinx), or ‘Pan-pipes,’ was subsequently made (Ovid, Metamorphoses I 690–712), vs. the penis” (Rak 476). sort of man suits your fancy? Do you want a man of letters or a swashbuckler? A young boy or a mature man? Dark, white, or red? Tall and lanky or a little twig? Narrow-waisted or round as an ox? You choose and I’ll sign off on it.’ “When Cannetella heard these generous offers, she thanked her father and told him that she had dedicated her virginity to Diana and that under no circumstance did she want to glut herself on a husband. But in spite of all this, after the king begged and pleaded with her, she said, ‘So as not to reveal myself indifferent to so much love I will be content to do your wishes, as long as I am given a man who has no equal in the world.’ Upon hearing this, her father sat with great joy from morning till evening at the window, studying, measuring, and examining everyone who passed through the square. And when a nice-looking man passed by, the king said to his daughter, ‘Run, look out the window, Cannetella, and see if this one measures up to your liking!’ And she had him come up, and they prepared a splendid banquet for him, where there was everything that one could possibly desire. As they were eating, an almond fell out of the young man’s mouth, and he bent over and picked it up from the ground expertly, pushing it under the tablecloth. And when the meal was over, he left. The king said to Cannetella, ‘How do you like the young man, my dear heart?’ And she: ‘Keep that worthless fellow away from me, because a great big man like him shouldn’t have let an almond fall out of his mouth!’ “When the king...

Share