The Decameron
or Ten Days’ Entertainment
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The Decameron
Buy Now for £19.73
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Narrated by:
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Frederick Davidson
In 1348, the year of the Black Death, seven ladies and three gentlemen escape the dying, corrupt city of Florence to pass ten days in the hills of Fiesole telling each other stories. Reveling in their enchanted dreamworld of beauty and luxury, they take turns playing king or queen for the day, with the designated ruler naming the stipulations for that day's story. In contrast to their idyllic, gentile environment, the stories they tell are marked by an intense, cynical realism and feature ordinary people of less privileged classes. Boccaccio brings these stories alive with the authentic language of the different social classes and a frank, realistic handling of character. His satire often bites deep, yet he embraces evil and holiness alike with sympathy and tolerance, leaving guilty characters to condemn themselves.
Like Dante's Divine Comedy, The Decameron is a monumental work of medieval pre-Renaissance literature.
(P)1998 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Critic reviews
“Boccaccio broke free of all tradition and created a living literature about ordinary people...The Decameron transcends the medieval period and, going beyond the Renaissance, takes its place as universal art.”
(Masterpieces of World Literature)Would you consider the audio edition of The Decameron to be better than the print version?
I've not actually read this translation. Not sure who translated it. I assume some time in the 19th century? Public domain, obviously.What did you like best about this story?
But I love the pseudo-medieval language. If you don't like characters saying "certes" at any possible opportunity, find a different version. If you expect the tale of Alibech and Rustico to be the medieval 50 Shades of Grey, please reach for your x-rated Italian phrasebook.What does Frederick Davidson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Fred's got a great voice for this kind of thing. I really enjoyed his Morte D'arthur. His vocal chords must be made of iron.If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
If the Black Death don't get you...the Decameron mus'Victorian translation
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Would you try another book written by Giovanni Boccaccio or narrated by Frederick Davidson?
Yes, but not this translation - awful.What other book might you compare The Decameron to, and why?
Gargantua and Pantagruel (but that's funnier)What three words best describe Frederick Davidson’s performance?
Cultured, but obviously cannot hack the translation - who could?Any additional comments?
I was looking forward to an unabridged version of this classic, but given that this is a medium-priced rendition, it's extremely disappointing that they did not use a modern translation. Obviously it's cheap out-of-copyright, but even with that, it's unbearable.Disappointing due to archaic translation
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