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BOOK REVIEW: Italian Folktales in America: The Verbal Art of an Immigrant Woman Edited by Elizabeth Mathias and Richard Raspa Wayne State University Press, 1985. 324 pp. In Italian Folktales in America, Elizabeth Mathias and Richard Raspa present the tales and personal narratives of Clementina Todesco, as collected by her daughter Bruna. These tales and personal accounts represent a unique and fascinating look into the life of northern Italy and the life of an immigrant in America in the early 20th century. However, the stories were almost entirely lost. In 1930, Clementina and John Todesco along with their daughter, Bruna, immigrated to the United States from Faller, a village in the Veneto region of northern Italy. As a child, Bruna would listen to her mother tell folktales from the old country. Later, while studying folklore at Wayne University in 1941, Bruna was encouraged by her Professor Emelyn Gardner to collect her mother's stories. She ultimately gathered twenty-two märchen and legends, which were deposited in the university's Folklore Archive. When Bruna died in 1961 at the age of thirty-nine, the tales were forgotten for many years until John Gutowski, the director of the archives discovered them in 1974. Mathias and Raspa were asked to work on the stories and in the process interviewed Clementina and gathered her personal experiences to include in this collection. Understanding the importance of these tales in the study of Italian folklore and Italian-American culture, Wayne State published the collection in 1985, over 40 years after Bruna had originally collected them. The tales are divided into märchens (folktales), legends and religious tales, and personal narratives. Each narrative style offers a different form of storytelling that adds to the overall understanding of the Italian and Italian immigrant experience. The stories start with 13 märchens that Bruna collected from her mother. Clementina heard these folktales when she lived in Faller, Italy, and they represent the values and attitudes of the peasantry of the region. Often the tales were told in the stables where family and friends would gather for warmth and to complete chores for the day. These stables became gathering areas, and, often, storytellers would emerge from the local population. As the editors note, the märchens often provide the modern day reader with detailed views of peasant life in the local village and represent the beliefs and mind-set of the community. In "Barbarina and the Black Snake," the reader will find that even young girls had to work hard on their family's farm. Clementina begins the tale by introducing five daughters: " . . . the oldest [daughter] and the youngest one had their chores about the house and in the garden outside. The other three girls helped their father in the grazing pastures and were responsible for getting the cows milked and in the stables at night." The tale also illustrates the virtue of humility. After leaving her father's home in pursuit of her one true love, Barbarina must endure life as a lowly, abused maid as part of her trials and tribulations. As a reward for her good behavior, she eventually marries her love and, classically, lives happily ever after. The legends and religious tales presented in the book follow a more formal pattern and, as the editors point out, often "personalize the abstractions of the Catholic dogma, instructing children and reminding adults of appropriate behavior." "The Bloodred Evil Elf" warns about the false promises of the devil and promotes the virtue of obedience. In the story, a young boy disobeys his mother and tries to follow her to another town when he has been told to stay home and wait for her. On the way, a Boodred Evil Elf, clearly symbolizing the devil, captures him. The evil elf seduces the boy by promising him toys and candies if he will follow him to an abandoned hut. "Of course, there were no chocolates or candies or toys in the hut, but by magic the wicked elf made the boy see all these things and truly believe he was eating candy and playing with pretty toys." The boy is later rescued, and, having learned his lesson, he never again disobeys his mother. In Clementina's personal narratives, the reader learns about the storyteller's own life, both in Italy and in America. It is interesting to contrast her life in Faller with her life in America. Through her reminisces, one gets a vivid description of life in northern Italy. One learns about family life, religious beliefs and practices, Italian courtship, and social behavior. Clementina also describes her voyage to America and her early years in America where Bruna, her daughter, faced prejudice for being Italian. The tales in Italian Folktales in America are accompanied by supplemental materials which enrich one's reading. Both Mathias and Raspa are experts in Italian culture and folklore and bring their expertise to this volume. An extensive chapter providing the context and history of the tales and an analysis of the storyteller in Italy and the storyteller in America introduce the book. Several pages of photographs illustrate the village of Faller and Todesco family, and there are indexes of motifs and tale types as they appear in the book. Italian Folktales in America is the winner of The Journal of American Folklore's international B. A. Botkin Folklore Prize. This volume will appeal to both the scholar and casual reader because of the entertaining and rich folktales, which one can read to children or enjoy as an adult. They provide a rare glimpse into northern Italian life through the literature of its people. Italian Catholic Federation, 675 Hegenberger Road, Suite 230, Oakland CA 94621 tel: 888/ICF-1924; 510/633-9058; fax: 510/633-9758; Email: info@icf.org Website designed by HYPERSPHERE