Italian literary fairy tales: Influence on the development of the fairy tale genre in Europe
Authors:   Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Balaeva Maria I. , Bobodzhanova Lola K. ,   Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University
Published: November 2024

The article focuses on issues related to the study of Italian literary fairy tales and the way how they influence the development of the fairy tale genre in Europe. The research aims to provide the diachronic overview of the development of world fairy tale literature highlighting the fact that the Italian novella gave rise to European fairy tale literature starting from the Italian Renaissance to the Victorian era. The research data were collected using the works of N. Machiavelli, G. Boccaccio, G. Fiorentino, P. Bracciolini, M. Salernitano, A. Firenzuola, G. F. Straparola, G. Basile, Ch. Perrault, Madame d’Aulnoy, J. M. Leprince de Beaumont, C. Brentano, Brothers Grimm, L. Tieck, F. F. von Hardenberg, J. Jacobs, A. Lang, and others. Particular attention is paid to the stages of the development of Italian fairy tale literature and to the analysis of the history of French, German, and English fairy tale traditions. One of the most significant current discussions in the research demonstrates how strong the link between medieval Italian novellas and European fairy tales is. There is a large volume of published studies stating that the development of European fairy tale literature is inseparable from the medieval Italian fairy tale; thus, narrative and ideological similarities are often seen in them. However, any fairy tale is considered to be a product of cultural influence: even though many European fairy tales are based on similar folklore motifs and plots, cultural adaptation within the centuries made them completely new works of art that vividly reflect national cultural peculiarities. Further, it is argued that cultural adaptation of medieval Italian fairy tales allowed French, German, and English fairy tales to avoid various unwanted and taboo topics, and to focus on positive characteristics, such as helpfulness, kindness, courage, and so on, which were so appreciated in later epochs. It should be noted that different historical periods provoke writers to create and adapt fairy tales to new and relevant trends, whether they are ancient philosophical musings or the cynical black humor of the Renaissance, the sophistication of the Enlightenment or the elegance and passion of Romanticism, the virtue and manners of the Victorian era or the pragmatism of modern times. The conducted research has shown that Italian fairy tales made an invaluable contribution to the formation of the genre of the literary fairy tale. Indeed, fairy tales provide the opportunity to discover and preserve a unique national linguistic world picture, cultural identity, and common values shared by people. Thus, world fairy tale literature allows preserving the centuries-long experience of humankind, and it may be regarded a universal legacy of worldwide culture, since its exceptional artistic forms make it possible for fairy tales to illustrate the world view of various nations and to reflect their unique cultural diversity and identity.