Page 23 - Dauntless Little John

I begin with a folktale for which I do not indicate, in
contrast to my procedure in all the other tales, the particular
version I followed. As the versions of it from the various
regions of Italy are all quite similar, I let myself be freely
guided by common tradition. Not only for that reason have I
put this tale first, but also because it is one of the simplest
and, in my view, one of the most beautiful folktales. Italian
tradition sharply diverges from the Grimms' "Tale of a Boy
Who Set Out to Learn Fear" (Grimm no.4) which is no doubt
closer to my no.80. The type of tale is of European origin
and not found in Asia. I begin with a folktale for which I do
not indicate, in contrast to my procedure in all the other
tales, the particular version I followed. As the versions of it
from the various regions of Italy are all quite similar, I let
myself be freely guided by common tradition. Not only for
that reason have I put this tale first, but also because it is
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