The Decameron By Giovanni Boccaccio

The Decameron

By Giovanni Boccaccio

During this time we figured it’s only appropriate to look back on another time of quarantine. The Decameron looks back on seven young people who self quarantined in Florence during the plague.

One review put it like this:

Until the 20th century, characters in fictional literature would at most distance themselves, sit in isolation or amuse themselves as the end of the world loomed. They did so in “The Decameron,” by Giovanni Boccaccio in the 14th century, which describes 10 people who flee Florence – which had been hit by the Black Death – to a deserted villa in the village of Fiesole in the mountains. During their time together, they exchange funny and scary stories, stories that are both uplifting and disgusting, replete with sexuality, passion and sarcasm.