The story in one page
As the Black Death decimates Florence, seven young women and three men retreat to a secluded villa to escape the mortality. To stave off encroaching melancholy, they elect a daily leader and each person narrates one story per day. The resulting hundred tales span high-stakes romances, elaborate pranks, and sharp-tongued critiques of corrupt friars. Boccaccio’s text serves as a sprawling manual on how to weaponize wit, charm, and cunning to outmaneuver the indignities of a world that is falling apart at the seams.
Who's who
- Pampinea
A leader among the ten storytellers organizing the daily entertainment.
- Ciappelletto
A world-class fraud who accidentally achieves sainthood after his death.
- Dioneo
A story-teller whose final ribald tale cheers the company significantly.
- Madam Piccarda
A widow who cleverly punishes a predatory local priest.
What it's really about
- Wit as Survival
- Intelligence beats physical force in every encounter.
- Clerical Hypocrisy
- Religious figures are frequently the primary targets for mockery.
Why it's memorable
- A conman securing a reputation for holiness through a fake, tearful confession.
- A man hiding in a chest only to be sold as furniture.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
The author advises that those who find specific stories offensive should simply skip them, as each entry displays its contents clearly on its forefront. He notes that if the humor provided here causes excessive levity, the Lamentations of Jeremiah or the Passion of our Saviour remain available to counteract the mood.
For your book club
- Is lying to a priest always an act of moral rebellion?
- How does the constant threat of death sharpen a story's point?