The Decameron
Boccaccio assembled 100 stories told by young people fleeing the Black Death, and in doing so created the blueprint for the framed story collection.
“It is better to do and repent than not to do and repent.”
Why It Matters
Boccaccio assembled 100 stories told by young people fleeing the Black Death, and in doing so created the blueprint for the framed story collection. The Decameron showed that vernacular prose could be as powerful as poetry, and its frank treatment of sex, class, and human cleverness influenced Chaucer, Shakespeare, and the entire European novella tradition. It is the book that proved storytelling is how humans survive catastrophe.
The 
Take
Personal reviewAwesome collection of medieval stories. Similar to Arabian nights (which I like better if I were to compare ). Decameron is very low brow and dirty mostly, wild for such a time
Notable Quotes
“While compassion is not a crime among mortals, it is commended most in those from whom cruelty might have been expected.”
“Do as we say, and not as we do.”