Project Gutenberg 2003-02-01 Public domain in the USA. 37670 Boccaccio, Giovanni 1313 1375 Rigg, J. M. (James Macmullen) 1855 1926 Rigg, James Macmullen The Decameron, Volume I Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decameron This etext was produced by Donna Holsten "The Decameron, Volume I" by Giovanni Boccaccio is a classic collection of short stories written during the 14th century. This seminal work narrates a series of tales told by a group of ten young people—seven women and three men—who escape from the ravages of the Black Death by retreating to the countryside. Their stories encompass a wide range of themes including love, deception, wit, and moral lessons, reflecting the complexities of human nature and society. At the start of "The Decameron," readers are introduced to the historical context of the tales as the characters are driven to seek refuge from the terrible plague that has befallen Florence. After a somber reflection on the devastation caused by the pestilence, seven noble women and three young men form a fellowship, deciding to tell stories over ten days to distract themselves from their grim reality. The narrative swiftly transitions from the dark prelude of death to the vibrant promise of storytelling as a means of solace; the opening tale revolves around the morally dubious Ser Ciappelletto, who, despite his wicked life, manages to fool a holy friar into seeing him as a saint. This sets the tone for a rich exploration of irony, morality, and the nature of truth as Boccaccio delves into the lives of his diverse characters through their shared experiences. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 55.1 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Plague -- Europe -- History -- Fiction Storytelling -- Fiction Allegories Frame-stories PQ Text Best Books Ever Listings Erotic Fiction Banned Books from Anne Haight's list Category: Short Stories Category: Classics of Literature 810929 2025-07-02T08:26:15.866970 text/html 810750 2025-01-08T21:34:31.771719 text/html 377202 2025-07-02T08:26:23.395001 application/epub+zip 387509 2025-07-02T08:26:17.747005 application/epub+zip 387509 2025-07-02T08:26:16.605005 application/epub+zip 641041 2025-07-02T08:26:28.181903 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 615548 2025-07-02T08:26:22.681983 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 578384 2022-09-02T11:25:14.954563 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 789037 2025-07-02T08:26:15.334975 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 784328 2021-01-08T23:37:17 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20196 2025-07-02T08:26:28.317899 application/rdf+xml 13320 2025-07-02T08:26:17.091967 image/jpeg 3736 2025-07-02T08:26:16.846960 image/jpeg 297315 2021-01-08T23:37:17 application/octet-stream application/zip 372920 2025-07-02T08:26:15.932990 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia it.wikipedia