The Decameron [Paperback]

A complete edition of the hilarious, bawdy, irreverent masterpiece of medieval Italy—and the inspiration for the filmThe Little Hours—in an acclaimed translation

In the summer of 1348, as the Black Death ravages their city, ten young Florentines take refuge in the countryside. They amuse themselves by each telling a story a day for the ten days they are destined to remain there—a hundred stories of love, adventure and surprising twists of fate. Less preoccupied with abstract concepts of morality or religion than with earthly values, the tales range from the bawdy Peronella hiding her lover in a tub to Ser Cepperello, who, despite his unholy effrontery, becomes a Saint. The result is a towering monument of European literature and a masterpiece of imaginative narrative.

This is the second edition of G. H. McWilliam’s acclaimed translation ofThe Decameron.His introduction illuminates the worlds of Boccaccio and of his storytellers, showing Boccaccio as a master of vivid and exciting prose fiction. The DecameronPreface to the Second Edition
Translator's Introduction
Select Bibliography
THE DECAMERON

Prologue
First Day
(Introduction)
1. Ser Cepperello deceives a holy friar with a false confession, then he dies; and although in life he was a most wicked man, in death he is reputed to be a Saint, and is called Saint Ciappelletto.
2. A Jew called Abraham, his curiosity being aroused by Jehannot de Chevigny, goes to the court of Rome; and when he sees the depravity of the clergy, he returns to Paris and becomes a Christian.
3. Melchizedek the Jew, with a story about three rings, avoids a most dangerous trap laid for him by Saladin.
4. A monk, having committed a sin deserving of very severe punishment, escapes the consequences by politely reproaching his abbot with the very same fault.
5. The Marchionness of Montferrat, with the aid of a chicken banquet and a few lSk