«A bevy of white doves will see its beauty heightened by the presence of a black crow far better than by that of a white swan; similarly an assemblage of learned men will find that an oaf in their midst does not merely add lustre to their mature intellects but even supplies a little mirth and entertainment.» (from Ninth Day, Story 10) ~ «How hard it is to penetrate the power of Love—it's amazingly difficult, when you think of it...» (from Fourth Day, Story 8) ~ #Finished: The Decameron by #GiovanniBoccaccio Rating: 9/10 ~ The Decameron is a true gem of classic Italian literature, a special work. I think this framed story collection formed an early basis then-non-existent novel genre. It is a prosaic, more realistic, well-developed work compared to other great literary works of its age, and presents the reader a panoramic insight into medieval Italian society and a realistic glimpse into the Black Plague outbreak in Florence in 1348. The frame story and what happens between the story narrations are more well-developed than similar framed story collections. The proponent and the starter of the stories, Pampinea, is a self-confident, iconic female character, and Dioneo, who doesn't abide by any of the themes determined, is also significant for more humoristic tales and his cheerful mood. The stories are not as absurd or fantastic as those in the One Thousand and One Nights, and not irregularly told or highly religious as some of those in The Canterbury Tales. The work has a harmony, most of the days stories have determined themes. I enjoyed the Day Nine most, of which the stories were all enjoyable. Most of the stories are bawdy, related to lechery and adultery (to the extent of being extreme), involving veiled sexual jokes, because of which the work can be partially called an erotic literature. There are tragic and moral stories as well, which were excellent for their time. ~ «... in this world nothing is beyond the reach of envy save poverty.» (from Fourth Day, Introduction) ~ #TheDecameron #Decameron #Boccaccio #Pampinea #Dioneo #Philomena #Calandrino #Florence #medieval #middleages #ItalianLiterature #MedievalLiterature #book#books #bookstagram #literature https://www.instagram.com/p/B1YGG--gpOqB67oN6W0Ci1zbQSWnX6j1bVWIYo0/?igshid=g3yvftjzqusk
