The Decameron: Selected Tales (Dover Thrift Editions: Short Stories) - Softcover

Giovanni Boccaccio

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486411133 ISBN 13: 9780486411132

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2011

Synopsis

While the Black Death rages through 14th-century Florence, a group of young people retreat to the healthful air of the countryside and amuse themselves by telling tales of romance and adventure. This is the premise of Boccaccio's Decameron, a landmark of early Renaissance literature and one of the world's great story collections. 
Vast in scope, teeming with colorful characters, and rich in worldly wisdom, these 25 tales from the original 100 encompass a variety of genres — folktales, ancient myths, fables, and anecdotes ranging from earthy satires of hypocritical clergy to gripping tales of murder and revenge and stories of passionate love. Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Keats drew upon Boccaccio's masterpiece for inspiration, and the grand old storyteller's fables continue to captivate modern readers.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

This edition presents 33 of the 100 tales, with at least two from each of the ten days of storytelling. Boccaccio’s general introduction and conclusion to the work are also included, as are the introduction and conclusion to the first day; the reader is thus provided with a real sense of the Decameron’s framing narrative. Extensive explanatory notes are provided, and the volume is prefaced by a concise but wide-ranging introduction to Boccaccio’s life and times, as well as to the Decameron itself. A unique selection of contextual materials concludes the volume.

About the Author:

Author and poet Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–75) united classical and romantic traditions in his Decameron. A student and friend of Petrarch, he revived Hellenistic learning in Florence and is considered one of the early humanists.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0486411133
• ISBN 13: 9780486411132
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192
• Editor: Bob Blaisdell