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a_literary_snob's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
jlrmac's review against another edition
5.0
I somehow stumbled upon this very long story written in the 1300's. It revolves around stories a group of Italian youths who escaped Florence's plague by moving into an abandoned secluded villa to wait out the deadly plague. They pass the time by sharing stories, one per night (for 100 nights). They go from erotic, whimsical, funny, irreverent, to tragic. Some are more engaging than others, of course. But this fictionalized account certainly opened my eyes to life in the 1300's. I have since learned that this is considered an important early classical Italian work of prose. It was intriguing to read a work written 700+ years ago!
shakespeareandspice's review against another edition
3.0
I hate to say I abandoned or DNF'd this but I just couldn't read any more. I'm happy to have to read the book til day 7 and story 2. The stories were often repetitive and despite the fact that each day offers a different theme, some of the stories easily overlapped and I got to the point where I have no idea what characters feature in which story or which story is even told by which person.
I did try to leave days in between the days and then the stories themselves but overall I am still not in the mood to read this entire book. Quite a few of the stories were also either a) just not good or b) not pleasant to read. (Some also made fun of women in such a crude way that it soured me a bit. And yes, I am aware that this is book written in the 14th century, but that doesn't make the reading any easier).
I am glad to have read as much as I did and am content to leave it there.
I did try to leave days in between the days and then the stories themselves but overall I am still not in the mood to read this entire book. Quite a few of the stories were also either a) just not good or b) not pleasant to read. (Some also made fun of women in such a crude way that it soured me a bit. And yes, I am aware that this is book written in the 14th century, but that doesn't make the reading any easier).
I am glad to have read as much as I did and am content to leave it there.
julsey's review against another edition
4.0
Copying an old review: I read this book for a Medieval Literature class, and it had to be one of the most humorous books we'd read all semester. It's a fairly quick and easy read, and the stories are definitely funny. I quite enjoyed this book. :)
ikecrick's review against another edition
5.0
“Tomorrow, as you know, a fortnight will have elapsed since the day we departed from Florence to preserve our health and our lives, and escape from the sadness, the suffering and the anguish continuously to be found in our city since this plague first descended upon it. These aims we have achieved, in my judgment, without any loss of decorum. For as far as I have been able to observe, albeit the tales related here have been amusing, perhaps of a sort to stimulate carnal desire... neither in word nor deed nor in any other respect have I known either you or ourselves to be worthy of censure. On the contrary, from what I have seen and heard, it seems to me that our proceedings have been marked by a constant sense of propriety, an unfailing spirit of harmony, and a continual feeling of brotherly and sisterly amity. All of which pleases me greatly, as it surely resounds to our communal honour and credit.”
Te lucis ante términum,
rerum Creàtor, póscimus,
ut sólita cleméntia
sis praesul ad custódiam.
Procul recédant sómnia
et nóctium phantásmata;
hostémque nostrum cómprime,
ne polluántur córpora.
Praesta, Pater omnípotens,
per lesum Christum Dóminum,
qui tecum in perpétuum
regnat cum Sancto Spíritu. Amen.
Te lucis ante términum,
rerum Creàtor, póscimus,
ut sólita cleméntia
sis praesul ad custódiam.
Procul recédant sómnia
et nóctium phantásmata;
hostémque nostrum cómprime,
ne polluántur córpora.
Praesta, Pater omnípotens,
per lesum Christum Dóminum,
qui tecum in perpétuum
regnat cum Sancto Spíritu. Amen.
nobille's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
booksaremagic's review against another edition
1.0
If you would like love to be mansplained to you, this is your medieval book.
darwin8u's review against another edition
5.0
“Nothing is so indecent that it cannot be said to another person if the proper words are used to convey it.”
― Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron
Like [b:The Canterbury Tales|2696|The Canterbury Tales|Geoffrey Chaucer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1261208589s/2696.jpg|986234], [b:The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman|76527|The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman|Laurence Sterne|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403402384s/76527.jpg|2280279], [b:The Arabian Nights: Tales from a Thousand and One Nights|93101|The Arabian Nights|Richard Francis Burton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388212809s/93101.jpg|859375], etc., "The Decameron" is an early masterpiece of literature. It is one of those books I avoided because I thought it would be stilted and boring. Hells NASTY Bells was I wrong. Boccaccio is funny, flippant, irreverent, libidinous, provocative, inspiring, insulting, crazy and always -- always entertaining.
100 stories told during the the summer of 1348 as the Black Death is ravaging Florence (and Europe). Ten aristocratic youths take to the country to escape the death, stink and bodies of the City and to hang out and amuse themselves on stories of love and adventure and sex and trickery. Bad priests, evil princes, saints, sinners, and various twists and turns paints a detailed picture of Italy from over 660 years ago that seems just as modern and funky as today. Things have certainly changed, but lords and ladies it is incredible just how many things have stayed the same.
― Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron
Like [b:The Canterbury Tales|2696|The Canterbury Tales|Geoffrey Chaucer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1261208589s/2696.jpg|986234], [b:The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman|76527|The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman|Laurence Sterne|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403402384s/76527.jpg|2280279], [b:The Arabian Nights: Tales from a Thousand and One Nights|93101|The Arabian Nights|Richard Francis Burton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388212809s/93101.jpg|859375], etc., "The Decameron" is an early masterpiece of literature. It is one of those books I avoided because I thought it would be stilted and boring. Hells NASTY Bells was I wrong. Boccaccio is funny, flippant, irreverent, libidinous, provocative, inspiring, insulting, crazy and always -- always entertaining.
100 stories told during the the summer of 1348 as the Black Death is ravaging Florence (and Europe). Ten aristocratic youths take to the country to escape the death, stink and bodies of the City and to hang out and amuse themselves on stories of love and adventure and sex and trickery. Bad priests, evil princes, saints, sinners, and various twists and turns paints a detailed picture of Italy from over 660 years ago that seems just as modern and funky as today. Things have certainly changed, but lords and ladies it is incredible just how many things have stayed the same.
ibartleby's review against another edition
"to defy the laws of Nature requires no little strength and those who try will often do so not merely to no purpose but even to their own severe detriment."
Confession: I didn't read all 100 stories. But I did read quite a few, and I'll eventually make my way through the rest.
Boccaccio's group of 10 aristocratic exiles (7 women, 3 men) flee Florence in the wake of the Black Death that decimated the city in 1348. Once settled in their new Edenic location, each tells a story (10 per day) for ten days. The stories are funny, raunchy, irreverent, and at times tragic--the ingredients for pure entertainment and the source for many plots and characters from Shakespeare to Hollywood adaptations like 2017's "The Little Hours."
The Decameron is Boccaccio's ode to storytelling, particularly to the oral tradition. Stories as communal activity, as entertainment and escapism in times of unimaginable tragedy. Most importantly, Boccaccio reminds us that storytelling, above all else, is a unique and important activity for people. And so humanity, in its most coarse and natural form, is at the forefront in these stories. There is a distinct absence of (Christian) morality. Instead, the laws of nature govern: women crave sex as much as the men (sometimes much more); priests are as corrupt and as lascivious as any bandit; and those who turn other unsuspecting characters into cuckolds by means of clever tricks are those who are routinely rewarded.
A must read.
Confession: I didn't read all 100 stories. But I did read quite a few, and I'll eventually make my way through the rest.
Boccaccio's group of 10 aristocratic exiles (7 women, 3 men) flee Florence in the wake of the Black Death that decimated the city in 1348. Once settled in their new Edenic location, each tells a story (10 per day) for ten days. The stories are funny, raunchy, irreverent, and at times tragic--the ingredients for pure entertainment and the source for many plots and characters from Shakespeare to Hollywood adaptations like 2017's "The Little Hours."
The Decameron is Boccaccio's ode to storytelling, particularly to the oral tradition. Stories as communal activity, as entertainment and escapism in times of unimaginable tragedy. Most importantly, Boccaccio reminds us that storytelling, above all else, is a unique and important activity for people. And so humanity, in its most coarse and natural form, is at the forefront in these stories. There is a distinct absence of (Christian) morality. Instead, the laws of nature govern: women crave sex as much as the men (sometimes much more); priests are as corrupt and as lascivious as any bandit; and those who turn other unsuspecting characters into cuckolds by means of clever tricks are those who are routinely rewarded.
A must read.
falderol's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75