{"product_id":"2940014391306","title":"THE DECAMERON by Giovanni BOCCACCIO (Special NOOK Authoritative Edition of the Original Florio Translation) Complete and Unabridged Decameron, also called Prince Galehaut (All 100 Classic Stories) NOOKBook","description":"THE DECAMERON by Giovanni BOCCACCIO \u003cbr\u003e(Special NOOK Authoritative Edition)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Definitive Florio Translation \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eComplete and Unabridged Decameron, also called Prince Galehaut \u003cbr\u003e(All 100 Classic Stories) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNOOKBook\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eABOUT THE DECAMERON\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Decameron, also called Prince Galehaut (Il Decameron, cognominato Prencipe Galeotto) is a 14th-century medieval allegory by Giovanni Boccaccio, told as a frame story encompassing 100 tales by ten young people. Boccaccio probably began composing the work in 1350, and finished it in 1351 or 1353. The bawdy tales of love in The Decameron range from the erotic to the tragic. Tales of wit, practical jokes, and life lessons contribute to the mosaic. In addition to its literary import, it documents life in 14th-century Italy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 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 villa, where no one lives, in the countryside of Fiesole for two weeks. To pass the evenings, every member of the party tells a story each night, except for one day per week for chores, and the holy days in 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEach 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 authors 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 frame tale 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. The basic plots of the stories including mocking the lust and greed of the clergy; tensions in Italian society between the new wealthy commercial class and noble families; the perils and adventures of traveling merchants.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThroughout Decameron the mercantile ethic prevails and predominates. The commercial and urban values of quick wit, sophistication, and intelligence are treasured, while the vices of stupidity and dullness are cured, or punished. While these traits and values may seem obvious to the modern reader, they were an emerging feature in Europe with the rise of urban centers and a monetized economic system beyond the traditional rural feudal and monastery systems which placed greater value on piety and loyalty.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBeyond the unity provided by the frame narrative, Decameron provides a unity in philosophical outlook. Throughout runs the common medieval theme of Lady Fortune, and how quickly one can rise and fall through the external influences of the \"Wheel of Fortune\". Boccaccio had been educated in the tradition of Dante's Divine Comedy, which used various levels of allegory to show the connections between the literal events of the story and the Christian message. However, Decameron uses Dante's model not to educate the reader but to satirize this method of learning. The Roman Catholic Church, priests, and religious belief become the satirical source of comedy throughout. This was part of a wider historical trend in the aftermath of the Black Death which saw widespread discontent with the church.","brand":"Italian Renaissance Classics - The Decameron","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47070593450224,"sku":"2940014391306","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940014391306_p0.jpg?v=1763607485","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940014391306","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}