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spiderfly's review against another edition
2.0
I can't remember the last time I just didn't finish a book. I finish and even reread books that I hate. The Decameron, however, I just can't finish. It's not that I dislike it. It's somewhat interesting, but not interesting enough. I'm almost 400 pages into it, and I just can't bring myself to read the remaining 300 pages.
krisz's review against another edition
4.0
100 novella meg egy keretsztori – érdemes ezeket is elosztani egy hosszabb időszakra, illetve ajánlom a MEK-es hangoskönyvet, mert a felolvasás sokat hozzátesz a sztorihoz, és könnyű meghallgatni napi egyet-kettőt a buszra várva, vezetés közben stb.
Azért jobb a könyv, ha elosztjuk egy hosszú időszakra, mert eléggé hasonlóak a történetek, inkább a jellegük, mint maguk a sztorik – ha ez egy keret nélküli novelláskötet lett volna, a szerkesztő biztos kidobja a nagy részét :)
Aki nem szeretné az egészet végigolvasni, annak is érdemes azért belelapoznia, mert izgalmas a nyelvezet, a fordító ugyanazokat a félrefordításokat és körülményes kifejezéseket használja a régiesítésre, ami igazán mókássá teszi az amúgy is szórakoztatásra szánt történeteket!
Azért jobb a könyv, ha elosztjuk egy hosszú időszakra, mert eléggé hasonlóak a történetek, inkább a jellegük, mint maguk a sztorik – ha ez egy keret nélküli novelláskötet lett volna, a szerkesztő biztos kidobja a nagy részét :)
Aki nem szeretné az egészet végigolvasni, annak is érdemes azért belelapoznia, mert izgalmas a nyelvezet, a fordító ugyanazokat a félrefordításokat és körülményes kifejezéseket használja a régiesítésre, ami igazán mókássá teszi az amúgy is szórakoztatásra szánt történeteket!
singalana's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
vanityclear's review against another edition
5.0
I can't sing the praises of this audiobook enough! I listened to this in just over 10 days (with a day or two break) and I felt completely submerged in Renaissance Italy. There are stories of all kinds: steamy, tragic, cruel, kind, rough, funny, etc. I especially enjoyed Bocaccio's defense of his ribaldry in the afterword, arguing that it's no less offensive than the violence depicted in religious paintings!
bangel_ds's review
5.0
ITA-ENG
Siii finalmente! Dopo un secolo, mi sono decisa a iniziare (e finire!) il Decameron. Tralasciando il fatto che è una pietra miliare di importanza indiscussa, è incredibilmente piacevole (una volta abituati al linguaggio) da leggere. L'introduzione mi ha gettata nel panico ma ho perseverato. E dalla seconda giornata in poi, ci si abitua al Boccaccio. Quello che mi ha colpita di più non è stata la struttura dell'opera (che, riflettendoci, è abbastanza semplice) ma l'assolutà modernità dei temi presenti nel testo. E' un'opera attualissima, a mio modesto parere. I temi sono vari: femminismo, patriarcato, fedeltà coniugale, piacere sessuale, amicizia, politica, (volendo semplificare un po'), finto pudore, violenza, censura, moralità (o la mancanza di essa) del clero, Questa è la questione più evidente in tutte le novelle (e difatto Boccaccio vi accenna nella conclusione dell'opera). Se vi armate di un po' pazienza, vi consiglio assolutamente di leggere il Decameron.
YES, FINALLY! After a very long time, I've decided to start (and finish!) reading the Decameron. It goes without saying that it is a milestone of incredible importance. It's also very enjoyable (once you get used to the language). The introduction got me in a panic but I kept reading. And from the second day on, I got used to Boccaccio. What hit me the most wasn't the structure (if we think about it, it's quite simple) but the modernity of the text. It's a very relevant work. There are lots of themes that are still important today: feminism, patriarchy, conjugal fidelity, sexual pleasure, violence, false modesty, censure, morality (or rather the absence of morality) of the clergy. This is pretty clear in most of the novellas (Boccaccio actually mentions it in the conclusion). If you can be patient, then I absolutely recommend this wonderful work.
Siii finalmente! Dopo un secolo, mi sono decisa a iniziare (e finire!) il Decameron. Tralasciando il fatto che è una pietra miliare di importanza indiscussa, è incredibilmente piacevole (una volta abituati al linguaggio) da leggere. L'introduzione mi ha gettata nel panico ma ho perseverato. E dalla seconda giornata in poi, ci si abitua al Boccaccio. Quello che mi ha colpita di più non è stata la struttura dell'opera (che, riflettendoci, è abbastanza semplice) ma l'assolutà modernità dei temi presenti nel testo. E' un'opera attualissima, a mio modesto parere. I temi sono vari: femminismo, patriarcato, fedeltà coniugale, piacere sessuale, amicizia, politica, (volendo semplificare un po'), finto pudore, violenza, censura, moralità (o la mancanza di essa) del clero, Questa è la questione più evidente in tutte le novelle (e difatto Boccaccio vi accenna nella conclusione dell'opera). Se vi armate di un po' pazienza, vi consiglio assolutamente di leggere il Decameron.
YES, FINALLY! After a very long time, I've decided to start (and finish!) reading the Decameron. It goes without saying that it is a milestone of incredible importance. It's also very enjoyable (once you get used to the language). The introduction got me in a panic but I kept reading. And from the second day on, I got used to Boccaccio. What hit me the most wasn't the structure (if we think about it, it's quite simple) but the modernity of the text. It's a very relevant work. There are lots of themes that are still important today: feminism, patriarchy, conjugal fidelity, sexual pleasure, violence, false modesty, censure, morality (or rather the absence of morality) of the clergy. This is pretty clear in most of the novellas (Boccaccio actually mentions it in the conclusion). If you can be patient, then I absolutely recommend this wonderful work.
yushuan's review against another edition
Couldn’t get through it…I understand it’s very much a product of its time. I appreciate its historic value, but not the reading experience. I really don’t want to read another short story about men getting ‘rewarded’ by God with women and money. These tales are told by female characters, but the women in their stories are so one dimensional they’re just trophies to be won.
I’m currently on Second Day of the ten day story-telling. It may get better, l’m sure, but I would like to spend my Chinese New Year on other books that are more pleasant to read.
I’m currently on Second Day of the ten day story-telling. It may get better, l’m sure, but I would like to spend my Chinese New Year on other books that are more pleasant to read.
burnt_amber89's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
araysuslibros's review against another edition
Leí unos 15 cuentos (de 100), así que no puedo opinar mucho, pero para mi sorpresa me gustaron bastante. Quizás de a poco pueda ir leyéndolos todos...
nwhyte's review against another edition
5.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1775820.html
It is not all that long since I read The Canterbury Tales, which comes from the same century and draws from the same roots (the Reeve's Tale and the Franklin's Tale are indeed both in the Decameron in slightly different form). But I was struck by how much more enjoyable the Decameron is. For a start, it is actually complete - ten days of ten people telling a tale each, to give a hundred short stories and a framing narrative. It is also striking that the dullest of Boccaccio's stories (the ones from Day Six with the untranslatable punchlines) are still better than the worst of Chaucer (the Monk's Tale, the Parson's Tale, and for my money the interminable Knight's Tale). Boccaccio's geography is also generally better than Chaucer's, including even in Europe north of the Alps - one character ends up in Strangford, County Down; I'm not sure that Chaucer even mentions Ireland.
These are almost all great tales of incident, and I think anyone with an interest in the mechanics of storytelling would find useful material here. While almost all stories are set in fourteenth century Europe, with humour depending on an understanding of society's expectations of marriage and the Church, a lot of it I think is basic commentary on the human situation and could be easily transferred to other situations; or simply updated to the idiom of a new century, as Shakespeare did in All's Well That Ends Well. I am sure there are better translations out there than the 1982 Musa/Bondanella version for Penguin which I read, but even that gets a very strong recommendation from me.
It is not all that long since I read The Canterbury Tales, which comes from the same century and draws from the same roots (the Reeve's Tale and the Franklin's Tale are indeed both in the Decameron in slightly different form). But I was struck by how much more enjoyable the Decameron is. For a start, it is actually complete - ten days of ten people telling a tale each, to give a hundred short stories and a framing narrative. It is also striking that the dullest of Boccaccio's stories (the ones from Day Six with the untranslatable punchlines) are still better than the worst of Chaucer (the Monk's Tale, the Parson's Tale, and for my money the interminable Knight's Tale). Boccaccio's geography is also generally better than Chaucer's, including even in Europe north of the Alps - one character ends up in Strangford, County Down; I'm not sure that Chaucer even mentions Ireland.
These are almost all great tales of incident, and I think anyone with an interest in the mechanics of storytelling would find useful material here. While almost all stories are set in fourteenth century Europe, with humour depending on an understanding of society's expectations of marriage and the Church, a lot of it I think is basic commentary on the human situation and could be easily transferred to other situations; or simply updated to the idiom of a new century, as Shakespeare did in All's Well That Ends Well. I am sure there are better translations out there than the 1982 Musa/Bondanella version for Penguin which I read, but even that gets a very strong recommendation from me.