KidLit Forum

Constantino and his cat by Giovanni Francesco Straparola

Once, there was a woman named Soriana who lived in great poverty with her three sons: Dusolino, Tesifone and Constantino Fortunato. When she died, she only left her children very little: she left to Dusolino the kneading through, to Tesifone - the paste board and to Constantino - the cat. The older brothers behaved badly towards Constantino, but the cat felt compassion for the child. The cat went to the king’s court and when nobody was looking, it stole goods and brought them back to Constatino. The youngest child refused to share the stolen goods with his older brothers as a payback for how they treated him. The cat also helped Constantino get rid of the bloaches on his face by washing in the river and licking the boy’s face. The cat planned one day that Constantino should fake his drowning outside of king Valentino’s court, and when the king heard the poor boy drowning, he brought Constantino inside and gave his daughter’s hand to him as a reward. The cat then tricks some herdsmen and animal keepers to believe that Constantino is the actual owner of the castle. The king then dies, while he is on the road to get his wife, whereas Constantino inherits everything. He also becomes the King of Bohemia, after the king’s death.

Gagliuso by Giambattista Basile

There was one man in the city of Naples who was very poor. On his deathbed, he called his two sons and gave them the little he had. He gave to Oratiello the sieve from which he could make bread for a living and he gave to the youngest son named Pippo the cat. Pippo was afraid that he could not provide for himself and the cat, but the cat reassured him that everything will be fine. The cat began to offer the king daily presents such as fine fish and beautiful birds, saying that the gifts come from his master named Gagliuso. The king invited Gagliuso to the court, but the cat excused Gagliuso for not showing, telling the king that his master had just been robbed and he does not even have clothes to wear. The king then sends Gagliuso some clothes and invites him to the court once more. The cat tricks some herdsmen and keepers to say that Gagliuso is the master over their land and in fear that some thieves might rob them, the peasants do as they are told. When the king’s men appear and ask around Gagliuso, they find out that he is the master over all the land and they report back to the king. The king gives then his daughter’s hand to Gagliuso. After they marry, the cat fakes his own death just to see if Gagliuso keeps his word and cherishes him even after his death, but Gagliuso tells his wife to throw the cat out the window. The cat seeing the insensitive person Gagliuso has become, leaves the couple be.

The Master Cat; or, Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault

Once there was a poor miller who had three sons. After his death, the eldest son inherited the mill, the second son inherited the ass and the youngest inherited the cat. In fear that he would die of hunger, the youngest son was upset about it, but the cat comforted him. The cat asked for only one thing: a pair of boots to walk around in the woods and village. The cat starts giving the king gifts, saying that they come from his master: the Marquis of Carabas. One day, the cat faked his master’s drowning, to earn the compassion of the king. He also threatened some peasants into saying that their land actually belongs to the so-called Marquis of Carabas. The cat visits an ogre who is said to be the wealthiest creature around. The ogre also has the power of changing his body into anything he desires. The cat tricks the ogre into changing into a mouse and he eats it. The property now belongs to the Marquis of Carabas. Seeing the Marquis’s wealth and hearing from the peasants about the Marquis’ belongings, the king offers his daughter’s hand to him, whereas the cat becomes a great lord.



All three stories present us three different families which have a very important element in common: poverty. Besides this, in none of the three cases appears, nor it is mentioned, the other pillar of the family: the spouse. Whether we talk about Soriana, the man from Naples or the miller, none of their spouses are present, but the children are; and they play an important role, especially the youngest one – a common fairy-tale situation. Constantino, Pippo (or Gagliuso) and the other unnamed youngest child, the so-called Marquis of Carabas, they all inherit the thing that we are tricked into believing that is the most useless one, but boy, we can only be so wrong! The cat (unnamed in all three cases) is like a godsend to them, bringing them from poverty to wealth. The cat proves to be extremely sly and treacherous, but it is all done for the greater good of his master. Lying, cheating, threatening and tricking people are just some of the cat’s main deeds.
An element of novelty it represents the ending of Giambattista Basile’s version in which the cat brings about the change that happened in the case of Pippo (Gagliuso)’s behavior: instead of thanking the cat and respecting its death by embalming it and putting it in a golden coffin (as he promised), Gagliuso – now a baron – disrespects the cat and curses it after all that is has done for him: “‘Devil die with her!’ said Gagliuso. ‘Better she than we.’” As the cat did, we cannot help but see how the wealth changes people (making them a worse version of themselves). At least it did not happen in all three cases... 
It is interesting though how out of eight children from all three stories, none of them is a girl. They are all boys – the youngest eventually having to marry the daughter of some king. I wonder how the story would be different if the youngest child would have been a girl. Would she have found a son of a king to marry at the end of the story? It only remains for us to imagine...
We may ask ourselves why the story is translated into “Motanul incalcat”. Apparently, the only cat that is given boots appears in Charles Perrault’s version, the other two not mentioning this element. Another interesting fact is that the cat in Giambattista Basile’s version seems to be a pussy cat (feminine): “When Pippo heard this, he thanked her pussyship, stroked her three or four times on the back, and commended himself to warmly to her.”, whereas our version of “Motanul incaltat” leaves no room for interpretation, since it is clear that the cat is a “motan” after all (masculine).

A good contribution, that will help anyone who is looking into the subtle differences between the various versions. This proves, dear other students who may be absentees in our seminars, that one can take part in our seminar discussions even from afar, remotely.