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Alibech and Rustico the Monk
This lively and humorous novella tells the tale of Alibech, a curious
and naïve young woman, and Rustico, a wily monk, whose unlikely Alibech, oblivious to the true nature of their activities, eagerly
pairing becomes a comical exploration of human desire and complies, believing she is fulfilling her divine purpose. Her
spiritual pretension. Themes of innocence, temptation, and irony enthusiasm soon exhausts Rustico, who struggles to keep up with
abound. her zealous “devil-vanquishing” efforts. What begins as Rustico’s
manipulation spirals into his own ironic torment.
Alibech, a wealthy and sheltered young woman, decides to devote
herself to the service of God. Driven by her desire for piety, she Eventually, circumstances intervene, and Alibech is summoned
leaves her home and ventures into the desert, seeking to become a back to society. She returns to her family and weds Neerbale,
hermit. There, she encounters Rustico, a monk living in solitude. a young man who eagerly takes her as his wife. Alibech, now
equipped with her peculiar desert education, humorously declares
Rustico, struck by Alibech’s beauty and ignorance of the world, to her friends that no service to God ever compared to putting the
sees an opportunity to exploit her innocence. When Alibech asks Devil in Hell.
how she might best serve God, Rustico devises an unorthodox
answer. Claiming that she must help “put the Devil back into This witty and risqué tale mocks spiritual hypocrisy and human
Hell,” he engages her in a physical relationship under the guise of pretension while celebrating Alibech’s naïve yet earnest pursuit of
spiritual practice. meaning. Rustico, far from embodying piety, becomes a figure of
comedic irony.
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