falkentheorie

while the literary f-words that i posted earlier this morning were delightful in many respects, their definitions did little to highlight the wit and droll tone of j.a. cuddon’s radiant dictionary. to accomplish that task, let us consult a much beefier definition for the following f-word.

Falkentheorie: a theory of the novella worked out by the German writer Paul Heyse (1830-1914). This theory is based on the ninth tale of the fifth day of Boccaccio’s Decameron (c. 1349-51). It is the story of Federigo who wasted his substance in the fruitless wooing of a rich mistress; wasted it to such an extent that he had only his favourite falcon left. This, too, he scarificed—and his mistress was so moved by the act that she surrendered. The falcon is thus symbolic and denotes the strongly marked silhouette—as Heyse puts it—which, according to him, distinguishes one novella from another and gives it a unique quality. An interesting but elaborate theory, which is only another way of saying that each story is different from the others.

what a punchline! amirite?!?