Starting with snow white

Comparative 
38). Herein, one might begin to find a folkloric basis for inspecting “what 
counts” as an extension of the tale and its tradition.
Where the episodic structure of Basile’s tale moves counter to Jones’ model, the 
thematic structure centers appropriately on the troubles that ensue when jealousy takes 
hold of an individual. The prologue’s thematic focalization is produced by a litany of 
metaphors concerning the disgraceful effects of jealousy.
Jealousy is a fearful malady, and (sooth to say) ‘tis a vertigo which turneth the 
brain, a fever burning in the veins, an accident, a sudden blow which parayseth 
the limbs, a dysentery which looseneth the body, a sickness which robbeth ye of 
sleep, embittereth all food, cloudeth all peace, shorteneth our days: ‘ tis a viper 
which biteth, a moth which gnaweth, gall which embittereth, snow which 
freezeth, a nail which boreth you, a separator of all love’s enjoyments, a divider 
of matrimony, a dog causing disunion to all love’s felicity: ‘tis a continual torpedo 
in the sea of Venus’ pleasures, which never doeth a right or good deed: as ye will 
all confess with your own tongues on hearing the story which follows. (Basile 
205-206) 

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Based upon this opening, a reader or listener cannot help but search for jealousy’s foul 
effects in the narrative that follows. They are frightening, but one nevertheless wants to 
read or hear more about them. The narrative keeps its promise. Whereas generally the 
narration moves steadily forward in this tale as a progressive sequence of actions, this is 
not the case when jealousy takes hold. The violence precipitated by Lisa’s aunt’s vices 
(“suspicion,” “jealousy,” and “curiosity”), as well as her hateful description of Lisa (the 
“slave”) are so emphatically detailed that they slow the tempo of the plot’s progression to 
accentuate the foul effects of these depravities, with “jealousy” at the forefront (Basile 
207). This thematic focus, along with a host of common 
Snow White
motifs—child 
originating from/associated with natural origins; death of the good mother; apparent 
death by a comb; glass caskets; jealousy of a surrogate mother; and a powerful, male 
savior—all re-center the tale as a 
Snow White
precursor in folkloric terms.
Furthermore, Basile’s version of the tale, as well as the larger framing narrative 
that the story is part of (
Il Pentamerone
) decidedly “[evoke] a strongly oral flavor, as if 
we were listening to its stories rather than reading them” (
Preserving 
28). In short, the 
narrative structure itself, focusing upon “fictive moments of tale-telling and positioning 
the reader as a (hypothetical) audience” engages even far removed readers as part of the 
storytelling audience and community of tellers within the tale (“Oral versus Literary” 
534). In line with this framing, “The Young Slave” is subtitled or also recognized as the 
“Eighth Diversion of the Second Day.” Because the chapter is termed a “Diversion,” it 
invites the reader’s participation in the activity or play that follows. Before the story 
begins, there is a dialogical exchange between other speakers in the room about the 

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significance of the story. Again, the reader is drawn into the conversation. As a result, 
once the story begins, the reader is as much a part of the room of listeners as each of the 
characters depicted within. Both the frame narrative and the dialogue between tellers 
create this performative, folkloric effect. 
Also contributing to this readerly experience is the Neapolitan dialect that Basile 
used in writing the tales, giving them an essence of what Nicole Belmont would call 
“