The film without the cuts. And the book itself.
Against catastrophe, they build a civilization out of stories.
Pampinea
The young woman who turns flight from plague into ordered communal life.
Florence
A city gutted by plague drives ten young people to flee and tell stories instead.
When even a touch can kill, where can the living find safety?
Read →Infection by Mere Touch
And this pestilence was the more virulent for that, by communication with those who were sick thereof, it gat hold upon the sound, no otherwise than fire upon things dry or greasy, whenas they are brought very near thereunto. Nay, the mischief was yet greater; for that not only did converse and consortion with the sick give to the sound infection of cause of common death, but the mere touching of the clothes or of whatsoever other thing had been touched or used of the sick appeared of itself to communicate the malady to the toucher.
What frightens people here is not the sick but their belongings. Boccaccio is describing the plague that struck Florence, the disaster that drives his young storytellers out of the city, and he keeps pushing past what you would expect: it is bad enough that being near a sick person kills you, but then a discarded rag or a used object does the same, all on its own. The danger has come loose from any body you could avoid, spreading through ordinary things you would never think to fear.
The Plague and the Flight
As the Black Death shatters Florence, ten young nobles flee to a country villa and agree to pass the days by telling stories.
Storytelling Crown
A laurel wreath that hands one storyteller a day's worth of gentle rule.
Fiammetta
A poised storyteller whose voice keeps love’s pleasures and sorrows in view.
The Decameron
The cast, locations, objects of note, core concepts, and selected passages in the Author’s Pen - at your own pace.
The Decameron World, as it plays on your phone
- Meet the people. 35 characters, each with a portrait, who they are and what they want.
- Walk the places. 14 places, each pictured, and what happens there.
- Follow the plot. The turns of the story, in order, so you always know where you are.
- Taste the original. 48 key passages in Giovanni Boccaccio’s own words, each with a short reading of what it is doing.
- The complete book. Every word, in a reader made for your phone. From any passage, one tap opens the book at that very page.
Step inside The Decameron
Free, in your inbox in about a minute: the World and the complete book, on your phone.