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A review by grayjay
Tales from the Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio by Richard Aldington, Giovanni Boccaccio
2.0
A group of nobles take up residence in a country villa outside of Florence to escape the black death and keep themselves entertained by telling stories. Ten a day for ten days. They take turns settings the theme. This cycle of 100 stories has was influential to Chaucer and Shakespeare, and some of the stories have provided the plots to theatre, opera, novels, and film.
The tales give us a picture of 14th century European life—presumably from an aristocratic perspective—its attitudes toward wealth, politics, religion, the clergy, marriag, sex, gender, and society. Tales range from erotic, to comedic, to tragic.
I will say that the majority were ribald. In fact so many of the stories were about a man or woman going to great lengths to have extra-marital sex that it became repetitive and I began skipping stories.
In the end I would say that is a good collection to skim for the sake of literary/historical interest, but not worth reading all the way through. I did a lot of skimming and skipping.
The tales give us a picture of 14th century European life—presumably from an aristocratic perspective—its attitudes toward wealth, politics, religion, the clergy, marriag, sex, gender, and society. Tales range from erotic, to comedic, to tragic.
I will say that the majority were ribald. In fact so many of the stories were about a man or woman going to great lengths to have extra-marital sex that it became repetitive and I began skipping stories.
In the end I would say that is a good collection to skim for the sake of literary/historical interest, but not worth reading all the way through. I did a lot of skimming and skipping.