
The Decameron
'The Decameron' Summary
In Italy during the time of the Black Death, a group of seven young women and three young men flee from plague-ridden Florence to a deserted villa in the countryside of Fiesole for two weeks. To pass the evenings, each member of the party tells a story each night, except for one day per week for chores, and the holy days during which they do no work at all, resulting in ten nights of storytelling over the course of two weeks. Thus, by the end of the fortnight they have told 100 stories.
Each of the ten characters is charged as King or Queen of the company for one of the ten days in turn. This charge extends to choosing the theme of the stories for that day, and all but two days have topics assigned: examples of the power of fortune; examples of the power of human will; love tales that end tragically; love tales that end happily; clever replies that save the speaker; tricks that women play on men; tricks that people play on each other in general; examples of virtue. Only Dioneo, who usually tells the tenth tale each day, has the right to tell a tale on any topic he wishes, due to his wit. Many commentators have argued that Dioneo expresses the views of Boccaccio himself.Each day also includes a short introduction and conclusion to continue the frame of the tales by describing other daily activities besides story-telling. These framing interludes frequently include transcriptions of Italian folk songs.The interactions among tales in a day, or across days, as Boccaccio spins variations and reversals of previous material, forms a whole and not just a collection of stories. Recurring plots of the stories include mocking the lust and greed of the clergy; female lust and ambition on a par with male lust and ambition; tensions in Italian society between the new wealthy commercial class and noble families; and the perils and adventures of traveling merchants.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
Italian (Florentine)Published In
1886Authors

Giovanni Boccaccio
Italian
Giovanni Boccaccio (Italian: 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. He was known par excellence as...
Books by Giovanni BoccaccioDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

The Canterbury Tales and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims on their journey to Canterbury. Written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 14...

Fables de La Fontaine, livre 06 by Jean de La Fontaine
Dans ce livre sixième comme dans tous les autres livres des Fables de La Fontaine, vous serez à même de constater la fine observation des éternels com...

Revolt of the Angels by Anatole France
Anatole France's *Revolt of the Angels* delves into the complexities of heaven and earth through the lens of a mischievous angel named 'Miel.' As a g...

Aesop's Fables, Volume 01 (Fables 1-25) by Aesop
Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost...

Stories from the Faerie Queen by Edmund Spenser
The Faerie Queen is an epic fantasy poem by Edmund Spenser, first published in 1590. It is an allegorical work that tells the story of the adventures...

Favole di Jean de La Fontaine: Libro 05 by Jean de La Fontaine
Nei 12 volumi delle "Favole" (1669 - 1693) Jean de La Fontaine rinnovò la tradizione esopica, rappresentando la commedia umana. Quest'opera dimostrò i...

House Of Pomegranates by Oscar Wilde
A House of Pomegranates is a captivating collection of four enchanting fairy tales that explores profound themes and moral lessons. Wilde's prose is l...

Aesop's Fables, Volume 09 (Fables 201-225) by Aesop
Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost...

Fables de La Fontaine, livre 03 by Jean de La Fontaine
Voici le troisième des douze livres des Fables de La Fontaine. Celles-ci datent du XVIIe siècle et ont été enregistrées par des lecteurs de divers hor...

Canterbury Tales (Middle English) by Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral. The pilgrims represent various social...
Reviews for The Decameron
No reviews posted or approved, yet...