This selection from Tomaso Costo’s Fuggilozio (The Cure for Indolence, 1596) translates entertaining, dramatic, or witty examples of the over four hundred stories and anecdotes of the original. Together, they offer an engaging window into the lively culture and society of Naples and Italy generally. Though the story-tellers are all from the city’s elite, the characters in the stories they tell run the social and professional gamut, from peasants to emperors, and the variety and brevity of the tales offers something for all readers who can smile at human foibles, silliness, and naughtiness, and admire cleverness and guile. Costo, in spite of his introductory claim that the book is meant to guide its audience to virtue and away from vice, also at times indulges in blunt innuendos and jokes that can still surprise us today.
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Translated Selections from Costo’s Book
- To the Readers
- Publisher’s Dedication of the Venice, 1600, Edition
- Introduction to the Eight Days of Fuggilozio by Tomaso Costo
- First Day: In Which the Mischievousness of Women Is Discussed, and the Carelessness of Some Husbands in Dealing with Their Wives.
- Second Day: In Which the Stupidity of Various People is Discussed.
- Third Day: In Which the Entertaining and Clever Sayings of Various People are Discussed.
- Fourth Day: In Which the Entertaining and Ridiculous Actions of Various People are Discussed.
- Fifth Day: In Which the Punishment of Evil Doings is Discussed.
- Sixth Day: In Which Marvelous Deceits are Discussed.
- Seventh Day: In Which the Remarkable and Exemplary Sayings of Various People are Discussed.
- Eighth and Last Day: In Which the Remarkable and Exemplary Actions of Various People are Discussed.
- Works Cited
- Illustrations
- Figure 1: Title page of Tomaso Costo, Fuggilozio (Naples, 1596), from Milan, Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Italy; photo by and courtesy of Lawrence J. Hyman.
- Figure 2: Palazzo Donn’Anna, Naples; photo by and courtesy of Marco Moracci.