Erasto (Es): Difference between revisions

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{{Version
{{Version
|Has Description=''Erasto'', or ''Compassionevoli avvenimenti'', was first published in 1542, and went through more than 31 editions before the end of the century. Its enormous popularity led to translations into French, Spanish (and then back to French again), English, and Hebrew.
|Has Description=''Erasto'', or ''I compassionevoli avvenimenti'' ''di Erasto'', was first published in 1542, and went through more than 31 editions before the end of the century. Its enormous popularity led to translations into French, Spanish, English, and Hebrew.
|Has Parent Version=I (Versio Italica)
 
|Is Adapted From=I (Versio Italica)
The ''Erasto'' text derives from the fifteenth- or early-sixteeenth-century [[L'Amabile di Continentia (Em)]] manuscrupt tradition - hence their shared siglum ''E,'' differentiated by the 'm' for manuscript, and 's' for stampata (or print). As in ''L'Amabile,'' the stepmother in ''Erasto'' is named Afrodisia, while the sages are given names designed to sound Greek: Euprosigoro, Dimurgo, Terno, Enoscopo, Filando, Agato, and Leuco ([[Cesari (1896)|Cesari,1896,]] and [[D'Ancona (1864)|D'Ancona, 1864]]).The two texts follow the same narrative pattern, beginning with the usual story order found in all the Version [[I (Versio Italico)]] texts, then diverging from the seventh story.  They lose several of the expected [[I (Versio Italico)|Version I]] embedded stories (Vidua, Puteus, Avis), usually told by the sages. In their place, these narratives add several new tales: [[Corpus Delicti]] (a faithful dog reveals his master's murder), [[Zelus]] (a husband believes slander about his innocent wife and murders her), and [[Caepulla]] (a father learns his son's fatal illness could have cured by a specific food). Additionally, unlike the 'rama italico antico' texts, in ''L'Amabile'' and ''Erasto,'' the stepmother has a seventh story again, a new narrative titled [[Puer Adoptatus]]; this brings the narrative total back to fifteen. Of these four new texts, none are found elsewhere in the ''Seven Sages'' tradition, with the exception of ''Caepulla'', which also appears in the [[Forty Viziers: Ḥikāyet-i Ḳırḳ Vezīr]]. Another distinguishing element is the fact that, rather than facing public execution, the empress kills herself in prison in at the end of the narrative. 
|Has Date Of Text Composition=1542
 
|Has Modern Research Literature=Capelli (1865)
Unlike most of the''Versio Italico'' narratives, and indeed most ''Seven Sages'' texts, the ''Erasto'' narrative dramatically priviledges the frame story, devoting approximately fifty per cent of the textual space to the frame (Wikeley, p. 14).
|Has Note On The Frame=According to [[Wikeley (1983)]], the emperor is called Diocleziano, the prince Erasto, the stepmother Afrodisia, and the sages are named.


The frame occupies a large amount of the text, approximately 50%.
At the time of its first publication in 1542, the Italian ''Erasto'' included a 'tavola delle cose degne di memoria' - a 'table of things worthy of memory' ([[Wikeley (1983)]], p. 11). This index suggests that, from the outset, ''Erasto'' was designed to be used as a 'reference tool, a repository of commonplaces, proverbs, and other expressions of popular (especially antifeminist) wisdom' (ibid.).  


Contains three analogous stories: [[Zelus]], [[Corpus Delicti]], and [[Puer Adoptatus]].
Wikeley traces the success of the narrative through its multilingual early modern transmission, noting the early translation into French in 1564, then Pedro Hurtado de la Vera's 1573 Spanish edition. The English edition, produced by Francis Kirkman in 1674, was later followed by yet another translation into French - this time, however, from the Spanish version by Hurtado de la Vera, in 1709 (Wikeley, pp. 10-11). The Italian tradition was also dynamic - the prose ''Erasto'' was also reworked into a nine-canto poem in ''ottava rima'' by [[Mario Teluccini, Erasto in verse|Mario Teluccini in 1566.]]
|Has Parent Version=I (Versio Italico)
|Has Branch Of Tradition=Seven Sages of Rome
|Is Adapted From=L'Amabile di Continentia (Em)
|Has Original Language Of Version=Italian
|Is Translated Into Languages=English; French; Old Spanish; Spanish
|Has Place Of Text Composition=Northern Italy
|Has Date Of Text Composition=1542
|Has Source For Date Of Text Composition=Wikeley (1983)
|Has Text Language=Italian
|Has Modern Research Literature=Cappelli (1865); Lalomia (2019); D'Agostino (2022); Wikeley (1983); Runte, Wikeley, Farrell (1984)
|Has Modern Edition=Teluccini, Erasto, ed. by Lalomia (2019)
}}
}}
{{EmbeddedStory
{{EmbeddedStory
|Has Short Title=Canis
|Has Short Title=Canis
|Has Sequence Number=1
|Has Sequence Number=1
|Has Narrator=Euprosigoro
}}
}}
{{EmbeddedStory
{{EmbeddedStory
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|Has Short Title=Medicus
|Has Short Title=Medicus
|Has Sequence Number=3
|Has Sequence Number=3
|Has Narrator=Dimurgo
}}
}}
{{EmbeddedStory
{{EmbeddedStory
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|Has Short Title=Tentamina
|Has Short Title=Tentamina
|Has Sequence Number=5
|Has Sequence Number=5
|Has Narrator=Terno
}}
}}
{{EmbeddedStory
{{EmbeddedStory
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|Has Short Title=Zelus
|Has Short Title=Zelus
|Has Sequence Number=7
|Has Sequence Number=7
|Has Narrator=Enoscopo
}}
}}
{{EmbeddedStory
{{EmbeddedStory
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|Has Short Title=Inclusa
|Has Short Title=Inclusa
|Has Sequence Number=9
|Has Sequence Number=9
|Has Narrator=Filandro
}}
}}
{{EmbeddedStory
{{EmbeddedStory
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|Has Short Title=Corpus Delicti
|Has Short Title=Corpus Delicti
|Has Sequence Number=11
|Has Sequence Number=11
|Has Narrator=Agato
}}
}}
{{EmbeddedStory
{{EmbeddedStory
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|Has Short Title=Caepulla
|Has Short Title=Caepulla
|Has Sequence Number=13
|Has Sequence Number=13
|Has Narrator=Leuco
}}
}}
{{EmbeddedStory
{{EmbeddedStory
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|Has Sequence Number=15
|Has Sequence Number=15
|Has Narrator=Prince
|Has Narrator=Prince
|Has Name Variation=Erasto
}}
}}

Latest revision as of 18:12, 9 December 2025

Erasto, or I compassionevoli avvenimenti di Erasto, was first published in 1542, and went through more than 31 editions before the end of the century. Its enormous popularity led to translations into French, Spanish, English, and Hebrew.

The Erasto text derives from the fifteenth- or early-sixteeenth-century L'Amabile di Continentia (Em) manuscrupt tradition - hence their shared siglum E, differentiated by the 'm' for manuscript, and 's' for stampata (or print). As in L'Amabile, the stepmother in Erasto is named Afrodisia, while the sages are given names designed to sound Greek: Euprosigoro, Dimurgo, Terno, Enoscopo, Filando, Agato, and Leuco (Cesari,1896, and D'Ancona, 1864).The two texts follow the same narrative pattern, beginning with the usual story order found in all the Version I (Versio Italico) texts, then diverging from the seventh story. They lose several of the expected Version I embedded stories (Vidua, Puteus, Avis), usually told by the sages. In their place, these narratives add several new tales: Corpus Delicti (a faithful dog reveals his master's murder), Zelus (a husband believes slander about his innocent wife and murders her), and Caepulla (a father learns his son's fatal illness could have cured by a specific food). Additionally, unlike the 'rama italico antico' texts, in L'Amabile and Erasto, the stepmother has a seventh story again, a new narrative titled Puer Adoptatus; this brings the narrative total back to fifteen. Of these four new texts, none are found elsewhere in the Seven Sages tradition, with the exception of Caepulla, which also appears in the Forty Viziers: Ḥikāyet-i Ḳırḳ Vezīr. Another distinguishing element is the fact that, rather than facing public execution, the empress kills herself in prison in at the end of the narrative.

Unlike most of theVersio Italico narratives, and indeed most Seven Sages texts, the Erasto narrative dramatically priviledges the frame story, devoting approximately fifty per cent of the textual space to the frame (Wikeley, p. 14).

At the time of its first publication in 1542, the Italian Erasto included a 'tavola delle cose degne di memoria' - a 'table of things worthy of memory' (Wikeley (1983), p. 11). This index suggests that, from the outset, Erasto was designed to be used as a 'reference tool, a repository of commonplaces, proverbs, and other expressions of popular (especially antifeminist) wisdom' (ibid.).

Wikeley traces the success of the narrative through its multilingual early modern transmission, noting the early translation into French in 1564, then Pedro Hurtado de la Vera's 1573 Spanish edition. The English edition, produced by Francis Kirkman in 1674, was later followed by yet another translation into French - this time, however, from the Spanish version by Hurtado de la Vera, in 1709 (Wikeley, pp. 10-11). The Italian tradition was also dynamic - the prose Erasto was also reworked into a nine-canto poem in ottava rima by Mario Teluccini in 1566.

Identification and general Information
Reference Number
Siglum of the version of the Seven Sages
Version Number
Title
Author
Tradition and Lineage
Branch of the tradition Seven Sages of Rome
Adapted from (version) L'Amabile di Continentia (Em)
Adapted into (version)
Source for composition and adaptation information
Recorded secondary versions
Connected manuscripts

No connected manuscripts

Language and Composition
Original language of version Italian
Language of text Italian
Regional or specific language of version
Translated into (languages) EnglishFrenchOld SpanishSpanish
Place of composition Northern Italy
Date of composition 1542
Islamic date of composition
Hebrew date of composition
Source for date of composition Wikeley (1983)
Modern Scholarship and Editions
Modern research literature Cappelli (1865)Lalomia (2019)D'Agostino (2022)Wikeley (1983)Runte, Wikeley, Farrell (1984)
Modern Editions Teluccini, Erasto, ed. by Lalomia (2019)
Notes and Commentary
Note
Notes on motifs
Notes on the frame
Pattern of embedded stories in this version

Connected prints