Stories vs. the plague

Stories vs. the plague

Thanks to Tatyana Fertelmeyster for this reminder of storytelling in quarantine! I watched Pasolini's film of the Decameron last nite--quite a piece. Are we also in such a transition time? Here's Tatyana's post:

"Written in the middle of the 14th century as the Bubonic Plague decimated the population of Europe, “The Decameron” is a satirical and allegorical collection of stories by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio. Constructed as a series of “frame stories,” or stories within a story, the narrative follows seven young women and three young men who take refuge in a secluded villa outside Florence in order to escape the Black Death. During ten evenings of their stay, each of travelers takes turns as storyteller to pass the time. Their stories relate tales of love, both happy and tragic, examples of the power of fortune and human will, and exhibitions of virtue, cleverness, and trickery. Boccaccio’s work is not only important for its superb literary quality but for its examination of the changing cultural values that defined the transition from medieval times into the renaissance. The virtues of intelligence and sophistication of the increasingly urbanized and mercantilist Europe are shown as superior to the relative simplicity and piousness of the feudal system. More than the sum of its parts, “The Decameron” is a milestone in the history of European literature, an influential and enduring masterpiece."

要查看或添加评论,请登录

George Simons的更多文章

  • Shadows of the past!

    Shadows of the past!

    Thanks for sharing you, your sage words, my onetime flame, still lighting candles. To tell you the truth, dark days…

  • Masculinity: Review & Resources

    Masculinity: Review & Resources

    Reviewed by Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite Have you ever wanted to know what men thought about the impact of…

  • The poet’s task

    The poet’s task

    It’s the poet’s task to unveil the world’s beauty, share it with others. You can capture joy in seventeen syllables…

  • Love – Valentine Haiku

    Love – Valentine Haiku

    My stay in an internet-deficient hospital room prevented a timelier posting of this Valentine Haiku, but my lockdown…

  • A Global Dialogue on Masculinity: 33 Men Speak Out

    A Global Dialogue on Masculinity: 33 Men Speak Out

    Dear Friends & Colleagues, It is a delight and a privilege for me to have been one of the 33 men’s issues protagonists…

    1 条评论
  • Peace to the Whole Place

    Peace to the Whole Place

    Convert scrap to art? You can make endorphins dance, build our planet home. Deadened by same-old? Art trumpets…

  • Gaia, about face 2022!

    Gaia, about face 2022!

    Test your classic lore. Let's take ancient gods to task planet by planet.

  • You’re a Nation, USA

    You’re a Nation, USA

    Let us be thankful on this new Thanksgiving day that we still are here. Celebrate with those friends and family close…

  • The Haggle – learned by watching

    The Haggle – learned by watching

    The Near West Side of downtown Cleveland was where I first learned to haggle. Grandpa Tony would take me with him…

  • Glossolalia in the melting pot

    Glossolalia in the melting pot

    One only had to sit on the front porch in my boyhood neighborhood, or at worst walk a block or two to hear other…

    2 条评论

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了