Lance Piantaggini has written a whole sequence of short story books (or ‘novellas’) in Latin, which make up the Pisoverse, a collection which range in difficulty from novice to intermediate on the ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners (ACTFL, 2015). Details can be found on his website Magister P at https://magisterp.com/novellas/.
The point of such story books and others like them is to provide easy Latin reading in order for students to read to gain fluency (Hunt, Reference Hunt2022; Ramsby, Reference Ramsby2022). They achieve this through reading meaningful content and seeing vocabulary in context, that is, in word collocations, phrasal units, and connected sentences. An improvement in reading proficiency comes through a great deal of exposure to and practice of relatively easy reading, in which vocabulary is acquired implicitly rather than through explicit word study (Nation, Reference Nation2008). A story written in this way and for this purpose can mean that the vocabulary can appear to be a little repetitive. Therefore, the trick that the author needs to master is the ability to make something worth reading out of a relatively small number of words, without it appearing relentless or forced. Piantaggini is one of those authors who have managed to master the trick. His stories are engaging, often funny, and thereby encourage students to read on. There is often an unexpected twist in the story, which makes a point for the student of reading to the end to find out what happens. The twists and turns of the story keep the pages turning, and while there are only a few pages in each novella, and the stories are relatively simple, we know that the ability of students to finish a story in one or two sittings is an important aid to engagement and developing an interest in and maybe love of reading.
Reading Latin should not be a chore
The series of books in the Pisoverse relates to over 15 short stories dedicated to Piantaggini’s little Roman poet Piso. This series fits Krashen’s theory of narrow reading – where a young reader almost obsessively reads every one of a series of books which feature the same themes or characters (Krashen, Reference Krashen2004). One might see the same characteristics with students reading the Caroline Lawrence Roman Mysteries series, or the Harry Potter books. Likewise, this reviewer became obsessed with the ‘Adventure’ books by the children’s writer Willard Price back in the 1970s.
This review focusses on three of Piantaggini’s novellas: Quintus et insula horrifica, Sitne amor? and Piso senex et sempermutabilisyllabi. Each of these has been chosen by the reviewer because they exhibit particular characteristics and how they may provide engaging subject matter and reading material for students in contemporary classrooms. Although the stories are set in a recognisably Roman historical period, the topics are deliberately attuned to modern students.
Quintus et insula horrifica [Quintus and the house of horrors]
This book is designated as being for a beginner. It contains eight short chapters, each one of which is between two and three pages. The print is large (as is the case with all three novellas). There are multiple images to support the text: these are of the speaking characters, places within the house, and the ghosts themselves. This explicit scaffolding is very helpful with students as they navigate the story: they do not have to rely completely on the words. Each Latin sentence contains somewhere between four and ten words. There is no subordination, and everything is in the third person, singular or plural. The present and perfect tenses are used. Nouns are nominative and accusative, singular or plural, and one or two other forms which are grammatically understandable through context. All of the vocabulary is given in all forms at the end of the book, as is typical of these sorts of novellas. There is some light glossing of phrases on each page as needed to maintain the flow of comprehension without having to search for words in the back of the book.
The story itself is a ghost story – a haunted house (or apartment block). The boy Quintus is treated badly by his parents. In the night, convinced there are ghosts in his bedroom, Quintus seeks sanctuary with his parents. Each time, they tell him he is imagining things, until……. Sensitive teachers might need to note that the verb cacare [to poop] is liberally used and provides the finale. I would say that the book could probably be read by a beginning student over a short number of lessons. A whole book could probably be read in a single lesson, and it might make quite a pleasant and easy class reader (although it might be a brave teacher who was willing to manage classroom behaviour whenever that verb came up).
The story is heavily illustrated (by Chloe Deeley), to support understanding. There are 14 pages of text with about 30 words per page. Some vocabulary and phrases are glossed at the bottom of the page. There is an introduction from the author in English, a full list of vocabulary (in all parts used in the book), and a list of other books in the series. The Latin contains 15 cognates and 20 other words. Piantaggini considers the story suitable for an early beginner.
Sitne amor [Can it be love?]
A more sophisticated story can be found in Sitne amor?, as appropriate both for the age group and the slightly more advanced Latin student. This time, the boy poet Piso is in love with the girl Syra, but, unusually for someone whose raison d’etre is to write poetry, is tongue-tied in expressing his emotions when she is around. Indeed, at his friend Sextus’ suggestion, the gender-fluid Valens, ‘neque Romanus, neque Romana. sed Romanum’ (p. 16) enters as the ideal ‘matchmaker’. The various feelings Piso has for Syra, encouraged by his friends Sextus, Rufus and Valens, and the subsequent attempts to find the right words to say to her, form the majority of the story. It would be too much to give away the ending, but suffice to say that one rejection turns into a possible romance… Piantaggini treads a careful line between exploring the differences between love and desire, the hopes, feelings and emotions of contemporary teenagers seen through the eyes of his ancient Romans, and even manages to include some mythology and the ancient constellations. A strong LGBTQ+ thread may make this novella unsuitable in some situations but attractive in others. The novella contains 14 short chapters, heavily scaffolded with images and text formatting (including italics, bold type, and speech). There are 36 cognates and 53 other words. Illustrations are again by Chloe Deeley.
Piso senex et sempermutabilisyllabi [Old Piso and the ever-changing syllables]
This story is set at a time when the young Piso, the little poet of Piantaggini’s first stories, has grown up into the slightly jaded, older poet of his maturity. Piso (senex) is still feeling the troublesome effects of the barbs of critics of his poetry – the sempermutabilisyllabi of the title – but refuses to let them get him down. One feels that Piantaggini is comically exploring his own feelings here as an author – not every teacher is enamoured with Latin novellas, and there are many critics commenting on their lack of historical accuracy and ‘Latinity’. Despite the attacks, Piso perseveres until the arrival of some mysterious symbols (perhaps signs of the zodiac) bother him as he is writing, and then, suddenly – poof ! – he is through the other side into the Multiverse, a place where his doppelganger Piso II inhabits a world without critics where he can write exactly the sorts of verse that he likes. Piso I and Piso II have truly entered the Pisoverse….
I found this novella, short as it is, more challenging to understand than the others – and its satirical storyline only really makes sense if you know the characters. Having said that, there is fun to be had with the idea of the two Pisones writing in two dimensions, and there are opportunities for some playfulness in reading out the different voices of the critics, the verses, and the leads too. Chloe Deeley’s illustrations are helpful but less frequent in this novella than in the other two reviewed here. There is thus less visual support for the story. There are 18 cognates and 26 other words – a small selection which, for me, makes the complex subject a little tight. Not a novella to start with!
Open access
