tales from the decameron of giovanni boccaccio

More than half the people of Florence died in the epidemic. Parents wouldn't even take care of their sick children.įlorence, Italy of 1348 became like a post-zombie-apocalyptic society, except the dead stayed dead and the living went into hiding. Victims died helplessly while their neighbors watched. Boccaccio tells us that this catastrophe led to the total breakdown of society and that people began to act unnaturally toward each other (I.Intro.6).

Replace the flesh-eating zombies with plague victims, and the guns with stories, and there you go. Think of The Decameron as the 14th century The Walking Dead. Secluding themselves in a country estate, and telling stories to keep their minds happily occupied, the young gentlefolk leave their homes in Florence, hoping to keep the deadly contagion at bay and leave their fears behind, at least for a while. That's the basic plot device of Giovanni Boccaccio's 14th-century masterpiece, The Decameron, completed around 1352. Voiceover: In a world where a deadly and terrifying plague stalks the city, a group of ten noble ladies and gentlemen flee for their lives. Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron: Book Study Guide Introduction

Tales from the decameron of giovanni boccaccio