Decameron

The Decameron is a collection of one hundred novellas by Giovanni Boccaccio, written in Italian in the mid‑14th century and completed around 1353. Framed by a narrative about ten young Florentines who flee the Black Death in 1348, the work centers on their decision to pass the time by telling stories. Over ten days, each participant relates tales, resulting in a varied anthology that encompasses a wide range of themes and genres.

The tales themselves explore love, desire, wit, fortune, and social behavior, often through stories of cleverness, resilience, and moral ambiguity. They mix romance, comedy, satire, fable, and realistic social observation, and frequently address issues of class, gender, power, and fate. While some episodes are candid or lurid by later standards, others celebrate generosity, fidelity, and virtue, producing a nuanced portrait of human experience and social life in medieval Italy.

Language and literary significance: The Decameron is written in the Tuscan vernacular, a key factor in the development of the Italian language and in the emergence of a modern prose narrative. Its frame structure, narrative variety, and secular concerns influenced many later writers and helped shape the European tradition of short storytelling, including parallels with the later Canterbury Tales.

Publication and legacy: Composed in manuscript form in the 14th century, it circulated widely and was later printed in the late 15th century. The Decameron has had a lasting impact on Western literature, provoking discussion about storytelling, morality, and the representation of everyday life, and it remains a foundational text in medieval and Renaissance studies.