I am having a wonderful time reading 16th-century Basile's splendid introductions to stories in his Tales of Tales. And while the tales are wicked-wonderful, these observations on the human condition have me enthralled — I suspect because they remain surprisingly current. Plus ça change…
"…artisans leave their shops, merchants their trade, lawyers their cases, shopkeepers their businesses to go with open mouth to the barber shops and circle of gossipers to hear false news, invented notices, fabricated news sheets." Basile describes this as a pleasant activity, listening to fabricated stories and tales and passing the time. But in this day and age, I went first to the current misuse of story, not to distract us entertainingly, but to politicize, weaponize, and invent to thwart one's public enemies.
"We see crooked and judge straight, but it is so difficult to apply it that few human judgments hit the nail on the head… " Basile, IV, 9, The Crow. 16th c.
"Ingratitude, ladies, is a rusty nail which, hammered into the tree of courtesy, makes it dry up; it is a broken drain which wets and weakens the foundations of affection; it is soot which, falling into the cooking pot of friendship takes away fragrance and flavor." Basile "Cagliuso."