Decameron

Author: (Italian) Giovanni Boccaccio
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375) was a renowned Italian writer. The Decameron is his masterpiece and also the first realist masterpiece in the history of European literature. The work narrates how ten young men and women sought refuge in a villa during the 1348 plague outbreak in Florence. They spent their days feasting and each person told a story every day, resulting in one hundred stories told over ten days, hence the name The Decameron. Many of the stories are drawn from historical events and medieval legends. In The Decameron, Boccaccio celebrates real life, praises love as the source of wisdom and noble character, condemns asceticism, and delivers a sharp satire against the decadence of feudal nobles and the debauchery of the Catholic Church. The work employs a frame narrative structure, weaving together one hundred stories into a cohesive whole. The language is concise and humorous, with subtle and vivid descriptions of people and things.