Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion
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The Decameron
Old School Classics, Pre-1915
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The Decameron - Spoiler Thread, Was a Buddy Read
Day 3 - Story 4 (Panfilo - Reason)Friar Puccio is so penitent that he often won’t sleep with his wife, meaning she “frequently had to diet, so to speak, for much longer periods than she would’ve wished.”
Dom Felice sees how it is and gives Puccio some serious penance ideas that will give Dom Felice the chance to satisfy the wife.
I thought this one was kind of funny.
Thus, while the Friar carried on with his penance, his wife carried on with the monk, pausing now and then to deliver the same merry quip: “You make Friar Puccio do penance, but we are the ones who go to paradise.”
Day 3 - Story 5 (Eissa - Hope)
Many people imagine, because they know a great deal, that other people know nothing…
Zima really wants to get with Francesco’s wife. He figures out a plan using a palfrey. (I learned that a palfrey is a docile horse, usually for a woman.) It works and the two get together.
Embracing her and kissing her a hundred thousand times, he followed her up the stairs and they went directly to bed where they tasted love’s ultimate joys.
Day 3 - Story 6 (Fiametta - Temperance)
This is by far my least favorite story thus far. It really grossed me out because it was another one that was straight up rape. I felt so bad for Caletta. It was sickening how Ricciardo tricked her. She made this comment about getting revenge on him and I wish she would’ve followed through with that. It would’ve been a much more satisfying ending.
Although I have kept up with the reading so far. I put this away pending the results of this month's poll. At the moment it leads the pack for the 4th quarter long read. I had planned to pick it up again then but at our rate can continue with the 4th day if we do not postpone the buddy read. Your thoughts?
Natalie, I think your encapsulations would be essential for the the 4th quarter discussion if the book wins.
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Bob, Short Story Classics
(last edited Sep 30, 2021 01:23PM)
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rated it 3 stars
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I'm excited this is the long read. Hopefully more people will jump aboard and read with us. :) I started in July but lots of other things have gotten in the way so I'm just about halfway through. I've really enjoyed it. The stories are easy to read and even make me chuckle at times. I'm often been surprised at how risque they are. It's enjoyable for me to write up my thoughts on each little story and it helps me synthesize and remember what I've been reading. I'm almost done with Day 4, so I've slowly been writing up the stories from where I left off. :) I do appreciate how Boccaccio gives us a summary of each story before telling the story.
Day 3 - Story 7 (Fiametta - Temperance)Tedaldo leaves because his lover is ignoring him but comes back when said lover’s husband is accused of murdering Tedaldo. Tedaldo approaches the woman dressed as a friar and tells her he’ll save her husband if she admits her love for Tedaldo and how she wronged him.
Basically Tedaldo is a bit of a whiny baby in this one but I do admire that he saved his lover’s husband.
I laughed at this quote at the end, because the whole time I was reading this story I was thinking, “wow, this is going on FOREVER.” Lol!
Emilia had thus reached the end of her story, which in spite of its length was not unfavourably received.
I loved that he acknowledged how long the story was.
Day 3 - Story 8 (Lauretta - Justice)
The Abbott convinces Ferondo that he has died and gone to Purgatory so that the Abbot can cavort with his wife.
The Abbot’s argument to the wife about why it’s okay to sleep with him is amusing.
No loss of saintliness is involved, for saintliness resides in the soul, and what I am asking of you is merely a sin of the body.
It’s very apparent that Boccaccio has no respect for the clergy and finds most of them to be awful hypocrites.
I thought the end was funny.
...thereafter she lived no less chastely with her husband than she had in the past, except that, whenever the occasion arose, she gladly renewed her intimacy with the Abbot, who had ministered to her greatest needs with such unfailing skill and diligence.
Day 3 - Story 9 (Neifile - Charity)
Gilette has loved Bertrand forever and convinces the King to make him marry her. He runs away from her and she tricks him so that he’ll fall for her.
I like this story, but I definitely think Gilette deserved someone a LOT better than Bertrand. I like how it emphasized how intelligent and clever Gilette was. She’s a doctor and everyone at the estate loved her...she’s one of my favorite females in this collection for sure.
Day 3 - Story 10 (Dioneo - Lust)
I kept thinking “this story is so bad!” but I couldn’t help but laugh at it. I love the enthusiasm with which Alibech approached her duties of putting “the devil back in Hell.” Wore Rustico right out.
Day 3 - Conclusion
My favorite stories in this set were probably Story 1 and Story 9. My least favorite were obviously the raping stories, especially Story 6.
In the introduction the translator talked about how some scholars think Boccaccio was something of a feminist. From what I’ve read so far, my impression is that he was trying to be a little more forward thinking at times, but he’s far from a feminist. Many of these stories deal with men tricking woman into giving them sexual favors or flat out raping them. Definitely very sexist scenarios.
While some stories and scenes make me cringe, I’m enjoying this romp into the 14th century. I’m impressed with Boccaccio’s creativity.
I just started reading. I am at the 9th story of day 1. Even though the stories are short and simple, I find the language a bit hard to comprehend.
I am getting the hang of it slowly. I like the 3rd story of day 2. The happily ever after kind. It incorporates recalcitrance, recklessness, piety and sincerity. I wonder if the uncles would learn from their second chance or repeat their mistakes again?
I like the happier stories too Anjali! I did not think those uncles deserved another chance! 😂
I am at day 5. I found some stories funny and some very strange. Many stories on illicit affairs!! I enjoyed the 2nd story of Day 5.
I liked most of the stories from day 5, day 6 stories are short.
Anjali wrote: "I liked most of the stories from day 5, day 6 stories are short."As I am getting caught up on my other reading ans as others have caught up to me in their reading of this book, I shall return to reading it within a few days.
I started with the most recent buddy read but when I fell way behind, I set it aside to finish later. When it won this quarter read, I picked it up. I am at Day 5.
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I'm still reading, but going slowly. I'm just barely starting Day 6. I'm trying to finish up War and Peace as well and I've been giving that one priority. But I still have plans to try and finish this before the end of the year. :D I'm enjoying it, though my modern sensibilities often struggle with the way women are portrayed. :p
I started this book by the beginning of November and I am still reading it. It's quite a slow read and not that interesting to keep it reading in a constant flow. Yesterday I started the 5th day. The 1st day was ok, the 2nd and 3rd were much better. The 4th day was also nothing special. Few stories were pretty similar and they lack details, but were fast to read. All in all, some stories are irrelevant, the ones with more details and a deeper plot are much better. So, in my opinion it's a 3 star rating for now :) Also, I had a hard time with the first translation, I think it was from Penguin books. Lot of fancy, archaic words that are a bit hard to read for me as a non-native English speaker. So I switched to Wayne Rebhorn’s edition, which is much easier to read and very fluid.
I will be catching up this month.
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I keep setting it aside to read other things :)
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Same! As Armin mentioned, it’s not really one that’s enjoyable to just sit and read for hours at time. I really only enjoy it about two stories at a time.
I agree. Two, maybe three and no more at a time. Sometimes I would read one or two while waiting during day for rides and appointments and then layer another story or f two at night.
It's too late for this Group Read, but I found a physical copy in my local second hand store!It's a reduced Dutch version (450 pages), but it's an old bound and illustrated version (1920s or something, it doesn't have a copyrights section), in pretty good condition.
I'm really pleased with this find.
Angelique - that sounds like an excellent copy! Very cool find.
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Sara, I still have (ambitious) plans to try and finish but I don’t know if it’s going to work. I’ll probably be extending into 2022 as well.
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Thanks Sara! I do plan to keep adding. It helps me organize my thoughts. 😊 I haven’t read much past what I’ve put on so far. 😅 This book is taking me a lot longer than I imagined, I just keep distracted by other books.
I too did that at first. But I figured I will probably never read it once I set it aside. Hence pushed myself to finish it somehow. It's a hard read.
Yes, it's a hard read, I managed to arrive at the final chapter, so just 1-2 hours left :) Later chapters are a bit more interesting. Chapter 8 was pretty good.
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Day 4 - IntroductionThese “tragic love” stories were harder for me to read which is partly why I got stalled so long here. I also learned to really dislike Filostrata as the day went on. While he was King he was VERY annoying.
Boccacio starts off explaining why he’s writing these stories. He also tries to justify why he’s so obsessed with writing to women. A boy is raised without women and when he does see one as an adult he’s instantly overcome, so how can Bocaccio be blamed for his love of women?
So let the critics hold their tongues, and if they are unable to radiate any warmth, let them freeze, let them pursue the pleasures that appeal to their jaded palates, and leave me to enjoy my own in the brief life that we are given.
Day 4 - Story 1 (Filametta - Temperance)
I honestly can’t believe how intense some of these stories are. This old dude is mad at his daughter for sleeping with a guy, so he murders the man and sends the guy’s heart to his daughter. She puts poison on top of the heart and drinks it and dies. It was pretty gruesome.
I did like the final speech made by the daughter about love. It was quite beautiful. I also admired how she stood up to her father. Not many women are permitted to be “strong” in these stories.
Day 4 - Story 2 (Pampinea - Prudence)
One of the biggest themes I’ve noticed so far is that Bocaccio does not have a fondness for the clergy, especially Friars. They are frequently mentioned in the stories as scoundrels.
In this one, a Friar pretends that he’s being possessed by the angel, Gabriel, so that “Gabriel” can sleep with an attractive married woman.
Day 4 - Story 3 (Lauretta - Justice)
This story was all over the place. Lots of jealousy and murdering. I think the end taught an important lesson.
And so it was that Restagnone’s reckless love and Ninetta’s anger brought ruin, not only to themselves but to others.
Day 4 - Story 4 (Elissa - Hope)
Gerbino chases down the lady he’s obsessed with, in spite of the fact that his grandpa promised he wouldn’t. I thought the funniest part was that he asked his ship’s crew to attack in the name of LOVE when they just wanted some gold.
Day 4 - Story 5 (Filomena - Fortitude)Just imagine for one second being so crazy that you dig up your lover’s head and bury it in a potted plant in your room.
Day 4 - Story 6 (Panfilo - Reason)
My favorite part of this story is when Andreuola fights off the scuzzy magistrate.
Day 4 - Story 7 (Emilia - Faith)
I read in the notes that these were the first working class tragic heroes in European Lit. Cool beans. This was also the first story I noticed with some pretty crude language and I was wondering if that had something to do with it being the “working class.”
Day 4 - Story 8 (Neifile - Charity)
These stories are so dramatic. A man who can’t marry the woman he loves sneaks in and lays next to her and dies. She then feels bad and lies down and dies next to him. The Middle Ages were so weird.
Day 4 - Story 9 (Filostrato - Irascible Appetite)
A tricks his wife into eating the heart of her lover and she flings herself from the balcony. (You can see why I was struggling to get through this chapter.)
Day 4 - Story 10 (Dioneo - Lust)
Thank goodness for Dioneo. I was so thrilled that he jumped in with this story. It was pretty amusing. A wife mistakenly thinks that her lover dies when he takes a sleeping draught, so they put him in a trunk and leave him outside his house. Some robbers steal the trunk and take it home. The poor lover has a bad time of it all the way around. Definitely my favorite story of the bunch!
Day 4 - Conclusion
I really only liked Dioneo’s story in this bunch. I’m not a fan of the “tragic love story.”
Day 5 - IntroductionHappily Fiametta changes the tone and introduces us to a happier set of stories. Today the stories are about lovers who escape misfortunes and attain happiness.
Day 5 - Story 1 (Panfilo - Reason)
Cimon is really dumb until he falls in love. Then he’s dumb in a different way. He abducts his lady love, is imprisoned, escapes, and abducts her again, killing her husband in the process. Another story in which the woman is just a pawn.
I have to say, if anything, reading these stories have made me even MORE grateful that I don’t live in the middle ages.
Day 5 - Story 2 (Emilia - Faith)
I liked this story. It was a sweet one about two people who actually fell in love and fought for each other, instead of the woman just being a pretty face that the man wants to sleep with. I also thought his plan with the bow and arrows was pretty creative.
Day 5 - Story 3 (Elissa - Hope)
Not long ago in the city of Rome - which was once the head and is now the rump of the civilized world…
Tell us how you really feel Bocaccio…haha!
Another story about two people that actually love each other. I liked the sweet old couple that helped Agnolella. So many people in these stories are scuzzy so it’s good to see some nice guys.
Day 5 - Story 4 (Filostrata - Irascible Appetite)
The nightingale…
The curtain was then raised, and Madonna Giacomina saw for herself exactly how her daughter had taken and seized hold of the nightingale, whose song she had so much yearned to hear.
The imagery in this story…it was kind of funny. Especially since they married each other naked in bed. That’s a way to get right to it!
Day 5 - Story 5 (Neifile - Charity)
I enjoyed most of these stories on Day 5. Two men fall in love with a girl, but it turns out she’s the long lost sister of one of the men, so it all ends happily. I liked that there were nice guys that took care of her and that she was able to reunite with her fam.
Day 5 - Story 6 (Pampinea - Prudence)
A bit of a “Princess Bride” flavor. I do like that the stories on this day have happy endings. It’s nice when people don’t get burned naked at the stake because they loved each other.
Day 5 - Story 7 (Lauretta - Justice)
This Amerigo dude was gross. He wants to dash a baby against the wall! Sheesh. I’m extremely glad that didn’t happen.
Day 5 - Story 8 (Filomena - Fortitude)
I hated this story. I hate all these stories when the men feel they are being wronged because the women don’t return their love. This one was extra gross because a girl is tormented in hell forever because she didn’t return the love of a man. Like it’s some big sin. It’s very cringey for me.
Day 5 - Story 9 (Fiametta - Temperance)
This story…the entitlement of all the characters. What was up with the little boy dying because he didn’t get a falcon? That’s a super easy way to dispose of an impediment to Federigo getting his wealth back.
Federigo loses all his wealth wooing a married woman that won’t have anything to do with him. Then her hubby dies and as a widow she comes to see him and he kills the only thing he has left, his falcon, to feed her.
Day 5 - Story 10 (Dioneo - Lust)
Wow. I just felt bad for the poor youth that got taken advantage of by the hubby and the wife.
End of Day 5
Day 5 was definitely better than Day 4. My favorite story was Emilia’s. It was actually pretty sweet. The story I liked the least was definitely Day 8, with the poor women being punished by the knight for all eternity. It was gross.
Day 6 - IntroductionElissa is queen and decides to have them all tell stories with people who used witty remarks to get out of a bad situation. I loved how short all these stories were, even if I didn’t fully understand the humor behind a couple of them.
Two of the servants are arguing about whether women are virgins on their wedding nights, with the woman saying they are definitely not. A middle age version of mansplaining.
Day 6 - Story 1 (Filomena - Fortitude)
Filomena makes a point to state how women rarely understand witticisms, because they’re so stupid. (Oy Middle Ages)
A lady is listening to a very boring story by a knight and can’t take it anymore.
Sir, you have taken me riding on a horse that trots very jerkily. Pray be good enough to set me down.”
Besides the anti-woman sentiments, I liked this story because I think we can all relate to being caught in a boring story.
Day 6 - Story 2 (Pampinea - Prudence)
A man tries to take advantage of a baker’s generosity with his fine wine and sends a flask that is way too big to be filled.
Day 6 - Story 3 (Lauretta - Justice)
At least the woman got one over on the Bishop who had to paid to rape another man’s wife.
The rape in these stories is so casual. It disturbs me. Even knowing these stories were written 700 years ago.
Day 6 - Story 4 (Neifile - Charity)
A cook gets in trouble because he takes one of the legs off a crane he’s told to cook. He tries to trick the master into thinking that cranes only have one leg and makes a funny joke which saves him from a thrashing. It was a little bit funny and I was glad it wasn’t making fun of women again.
Day 6 - Story 5 (Panfilo - Reason)
So boring. Two ugly guys are also witty. Great story.
Day 6 - Story 6 (Fiametta - Temperance)
The notes said that the Baronci family was a real family at the time and they were known for being ugly. This was one that I felt like might be more enjoyable when it was written.
Day 6 - Story 7 (Filostrato - Irascible Appetite)
What I liked about this one was that Filippa makes a point of pointing out that the law is very unfair to women. Her whole point is that men can’t keep up with women sexually so women shouldn’t be extra punished for trying to satisfy their needs.
Day 6 - Story 8 (Emilia - Faith)
A young lady is complaining about how horrid people are and her uncle says she should avoid looking in the glass then.
Day 6 - Story 9 (Elissa - Hope)
I didn’t really get this one. Something about tombs being houses for the dead.
Day 6 - Story 10 (Dioneo - Lust)
For Dioneo, I thought this was actually quite a boring story. A priest claims to have a feather from angel Gabriel, but discovers it’s been changed out for coals and makes up a story on the spot to get out of showing the missing feather.
Day 6 - Conclusion
I liked how quickly this day went. I definitely prefer the shorter stories. My favorite was probably the story about the cook and the cranes. I didn’t outright hate any of them. Dioneo's was probably the most boring just because it was so long.
I was trying really hard to finish this before the end of the year but I'm not going to make it. I'm halfway through Day 8. I'll definitely wrap it up before the end of January. :)
I managed to finish but I had to adopt a different approach. I had to reread the fourth and fifth day because i wasn't remembering the themes linking the stories. I finished by reading each full day's ten stories at one sitting. I held the themes better that way. There is a Great Courses Audible original Books that matter course of ten lectures on The Decameron by Kristina Olson. Right now it is included in the Audible Plus membership in the U.S. The lectures give a good feminist perspective along with q general analysis of the text.
I will add thoughts after the holiday if the thread continues.
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Ooo! Thanks for that rec Sam! I would definitely be interested in that Great Course.I started reading this in July so obviously I need a very long time to get through it. Lol! 😆
I’m listening to the Great Courses book on Audible that Sam recommended. It’s really good. I’m enjoying it quite a bit and I appreciate the little insights into the stories. The narrator is great. If you have Audible you should check it out!
Natalie wrote: "I’m listening to the Great Courses book on Audible that Sam recommended. It’s really good. I’m enjoying it quite a bit and I appreciate the little insights into the stories. The narrator is great. ..."I am glad you liked it Natalie. I thought it tailor made for this group, adding commentary to the stories while not overly academic. I also .ike her acknowledgement of Boccaccio's male supremist faults without completely condemning the book, something we tend to dotoo quickly nowadays.
Mod
Beginning of Day 7Dioneo is in charge of the day and all the stories are about wives having affairs and hiding it from their husbands.
Day 7 - Story 1 (Emilia - Faith)
Tessa is having an affair with Federigo. He always knocks three times to see if it’s safe to come in. One night the hubby hears the knocking and Tessa has to be quick on her feet. She convinces her hubby it’s a werewolf and that he needs to be exorcized. Good thing the middle ages were so superstitious!
Day 7 - Story 2 (Filostrata - Irascible Appetite)
I like these types of stories best - the ones that are meant to be more humorous. A woman’s hubby comes home early so she tells her lover to hide in the tub. She then convinces her hubby he was a buyer, come to inspect the tub for purchase.
Day 7 - Story 3 (Elissa - Hope)
I was reading my notes on this one and I do not remember it at all. So, apparently it did not make a big impact for good or evil. A friar convinces a woman to give into his wiles. The woman does and of course the hubby comes home too early one day. They just happened to have her young son in the room with them while they were “getting it on” and so she told the hubby they were praying over the son. That poor, traumatized child! Why was he in the room?!
Day 7 - Story 4 (Lauretta - Justice)
This one was amusing. A hubby finds out his wife has a lover so he locks her out of the house. She twists it around and gets him locked out and makes the neighbors think he’s the one having the affair.
Day 7 - Story 5 (Fiametta - Temperance)
Lady’s hubby pretends to be a priest and she confesses. He tries to catch her in the act. This one was kind of dull.
Day 7 - Story 6 (Pampinea - Prudence)
I didn’t not like this one. Another flat out rape.
Day 7 - Story 7 (Filomena - Fortitude)
Another one I didn’t like much. A woman gets her lover to beat her husband through tricking the hubby.
Day 7 - Story 8 (Neifile - Charity)
I hated in this one that the woman got her maid to take a beating for her. I mean, the beating itself is despicable, but then it’s also straight up disregard for the safety or feelings of someone “lower” than you. Didn’t like that one bit.
Day 7 - Story 9 (Panfilo - Reason)
Weird story. A wife makes love to her lover in front of her hubby, but convinces him it was some type of vision or something.
Day 7 - Story 10 (Dioneo - Lust)
Boring, Dioneo! You let us down.
Not a big fan of this day’s stories.
Still plugging away! I'm actually just starting Day 10, so I'm getting close now!
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Day 8About the tricks that men and women play on each other.
Day 8 - Story 1 (Neifile - Charity)
I should like to tell you of one which was played by a man upon a woman, my intention being, not to censure the man for what he did or to claim that the woman was misused, but on the contrary to commend that man and censure the woman…
In other words it’s totally cool for a man to take advantage of a woman and it’s all the woman’s fault for having “loose morals.” For a woman should act at all times with the greatest decorum, and guard her chastity with her life, on no account permitting herself to defile it…
These stories are hard for my modern sensibilities to bear. I get that they are the product of their time, but it still makes me sick. Just seeing the screwed up, patriarchal ideas that bound women for millenia. And, as Bocaccio shows in his stories, the women were just as apt at holding themselves down. It’s how they were raised.
While the stories themselves make me ill, they are fascinating because they provide insight into the thinking of the time period. What I really wish we could see is a similar volume written by a forward thinking woman of the time period. They must have existed, but they’ve been buried in history.
Day 8 - Story 2 (Panfilo - Reason)
Another story of a priest being vile and a woman giving into the wants of a man. I thought for a second this woman would pull one over on the priest, but nope. It’s not to be.
Day 8 - Story 3 (Elissa - Hope)
A story of Calandrino, Bruno, and Bufalmacco. These three make several appearances. Calandrino is a bit of a simpleton and his friends take full advantage of that. They convince him that certain stones make him invisible. He gathers a bunch to carry home and can’t figure out how his wife sees him. He beats her because, ”all things lose their virtue in the presence of a woman…”
Of course he just had to add in that little bit hating on women again.
Day 8 - Story 4 (Emilia - Faith)
I will say, the group that Bocaccio mocks the most is definitely the clergy. He has zero respect for those dudes. A priest is tricked into sleeping with a maid (Poor maid!) which causes him lots of woes.
Day 8 - Story 5 (Filostrato - Irascible Appetite)
Three friends play a trick on a judge and pull his pants down. Apparently, this is a “prank” that has lasted through the ages!
Day 8 - Story 6 (Filomena - Fortitude)
Another Bruno, Buffalmacco, and Caladrino story. They trick Caladrino into giving up his pig. I only feel bad because I worry about what his family will eat!
Day 8 - Story 7 (Pampinea - Prudence)
This is definitely one of the worst stories I’ve ever read. It was absolutely awful. A woman tricks her suitor into waiting in the cold for her. He catches an illness that takes weeks to recover. He repays her ten fold by trapping her naked on top of a tower in the scorching sun. He tells her, “for a savage beast of your sort, death is the only fit punishment…” He tells her she's the worst and his life is worth 1,000 women like her. I think he may be the medieval version of the whiny misogynist wondering why no women like him.
I struggled a lot with this story. It was horribly cruel. The woman wasn’t right, but she also wasn’t trying to kill him, like he was to her. The man reminded me of the serial killers that populate crime procedurals that kidnap women and then hunt them in the woods. He was yuck on every level.
Day 8 - Story 8 (Fiametta - Temperance)
Two couples discover that they’ve been having affairs with each other and decide it’s all cool and go happily on their way. I found this one the least offensive of the bunch because they all agreed to it. No one was forced.
Day 8 - Story 9 (Lauretta - Justice)
Bruno and Buffalmacco trick a doctor into wining and dining them for ages after promising the chance to meet a queen beyond his wildest dreams. Instead they dump him into the latrine.
Day 8 - Story 10 (Dioneo - Lust)
Found this story very dull. A merchant and a lovely lady trick each other out of some money.
These stories were not much better than Day 7. There wasn’t really one that I liked a lot. The worst was by story 7. It was so gross. Even though I didn’t like it much, I found story 9 the least offensive, so I suppose I would pick that as the top story.
Day 9 Everyone can tell whichever story they wish.
Day 9 - Story 1 (Filomena - Fortitude)
I liked this story. It made me giggle. A woman wants to get rid of her pesky suitors so she gives them tasks that she knows neither will fulfill. One is to pose as a corpse, and the other is told to retrieve the corpse. I especially liked it when the police showed up.
Day 9 - Story 2 (Elissa - Hope)
This story was funny too. An abbess is called out of bed to discipline a nun found with a man. Unfortunately she was also in bed with a man and grabbed his breeches instead of her veil on the way out of her room.
Day 9 - Story 3 (Filostrato - Irascible Appetite)
Bruno and Buffalmaco trick Caladrino into thinking he’s pregnant. Another fairly amusing story. I liked Caladrino’s comments.
Ah Tessa! This is your doing! You will insist on lying on top. I told you all along what would happen!
How am I to produce this infant? Where will it come out? This woman’s going to be the death of me now, with her insatiable lust.
If I had all that pain to contend with, I honestly think I should die before I ever produced any child.
Day 9 - Story 4 (Neifile - Charity)
Anguilieri’s servant steals and gambles away all his money and then Anguilieri is punished for it. I felt bad for Anguilieri.
Day 9 - Story 5 (Fiametta - Temperance)
Bruno and Buffalamaco convince Calandrino to fall in love with a prostitute, but Calandrino thinks she’s the lady of the house. They arrange for his wife to catch him. I like that he got the beating this time!
Don’t you think you have enough to do, keeping the home fires burning, without going off to stoke up other people’s?
Day 9 - Story 6 (Panfilo - Reason)
Two travelers lodge with a family and they all end up sleeping with the wrong people. The wife tells a tale so the husband never knows what really happened.
Day 9 - Story 7 (Pampinea - Prudence)
I think Pampinea really hates women. This woman gets her throat ripped up by a wolf because she didn’t heed her hubby’s dream.
Day 9 - Story 8 (Lauretta - Justice)
This story didn’t make a lot of sense to me. There was something about fish and wine that I didn’t really get.
Day 9 - Story 9 (Emilia - Faith)
Two men go see Solomon for advice. On the way home they see a guy beating his mule and tell him to be nicer. He tells them to mind his own business. From that, one dude learns that he has beat his wife to make her do what he wants. Another gross story.
Day 9 - Story 10 (Dioneo - Lust)
A clergyman convinces a man that he knows how to turn a woman into a mare. The man and his wife insist they show him. The man is told not to speak or it will ruin the spell but he can’t help himself when the clergyman puts on the “tail.” Very sexual…
Day 9 was MUCH better than days 7 or 8. There were some really fun stories. I enjoyed it very much.
Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Wayne A. Rebhorn (other topics)Dante Alighieri (other topics)
Giovanni Boccaccio (other topics)
Stephen Greenblatt (other topics)
Niccolò Machiavelli (other topics)
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Day 3 - Theme
Here begins the Third Day, wherein, under the rule of Neifile, the discussion turns upon people who by dint of their own efforts have achieved an object they greatly desired or recovered a thing previously lost.
Day 3 - Story 1 (Filostrata - Irascible Appetite)
Masetto pretends to be deaf and mute and becomes a gardener at a convent where he wheedles his way into sleeping with all the nuns.
This one was pretty funny. The innuendos were something else. Lol.
”Once you put me inside that garden of yours,” he said to himself, gleefully, “I’ll tend it better than it’s ever been tended before.”
Since he’s deaf and mute the nuns think it’s totally cool to start sleeping with him. He won’t be able to tell anyone.
Yet I have often heard it said...that all other pleasures in the world are mere trifles by comparison with the one experience by a woman when she goes with a man...He (God) can always find other girls to preserve their virginity for Him.
...they had each made repeated trials of the dumb fellow’s riding ability, and later on, when they were busily swapping tales about it all…
Basically Masetto gets worn down with all this “work” and comes clean and tells the nuns he’s happy to oblige them but some sort of schedule needs to be developed.
He ends up making many “monklets and nunlets” that he doesn’t even have to take care of and lives a satisfying life.
Day 3 - Story 2 (Pampinea - Prudence)
I didn’t like this one because it was straight-up rape A groom pretends to be the King so he can sleep with the Queen. The one thing I liked was that the King didn’t tell the Queen. There was a whole SVU episode about that very thing - if someone doesn’t know they were raped, do you tell them? I’m torn on that, but the King seemed to genuinely want to look out for his wife. I wish he’d caught the groom.
Day 3 - Story 3 (Filomena - Fortitude)
I’m getting the feeling from these stories that Boccaccio is definitely not a fan of the clergy.
...the priesthood consists for the most part of extremely stupid men, inscrutable in their ways, who consider themselves in all respects more worthy and knowledgeable than other people, whereas they are decidedly inferior.
This was a funny story about how a wife uses the clergy to enact an affair with a man she desires.
...the gambolled and frolicked until they very nearly died of bliss...I pray to God that in the bountifulness of his mercy He may very soon conduct me, along with all other like-minded Christian souls, to a similar fate.