At least as translated by Rebhorn, Boccacchio reads better than Chaucer, who inspired by this work for the reeve's tale and others. That and the miller's tale are aptly described as bawdy. In The Decameron, however, sometimes witty euphemisms prevail. Thus, Boccaccio's 100 tales, supposedly written for well-bred women of his time, are hardly bawdy.
Because the stories are said to be recounted by three gentlemen and seven young ladies during the time of the black plague, The Decameron begins with a blissfully brief description of its horrific consequences. With that established, the settings are reminiscent of those of the Eloi in Welles' Time Machine.
Some tales are quite brief, but a few, Boccacchio admits, are tedious. Most, however, are entertaining. Moreover, most offer extended treatment of the social mores of Italy in the mid-1300s. I was most surprised by a pervasive suggestion that men's pursuit of married women was then more acceptable, if not by their huusbands, than it might be now.
I cannot assess the accuracy of the translation, but that it took Rebhorn nearly seven years should count for something. In some spots he was truly inspired. My favorite example involves a buffoon who garbles the name of the Archangel Gabriel. A literal translation would have been nonsensical, but Rebhorn translates it to "Archranger Bagriel," a name immediately recognizable in English as a corruption of the intended name. In a few places, I was jarred when he translated Italian terms into "buddy" or "guy;" they might have been better left untranslated.
I have little interest in medieval Italy, but I'm glad I bought the book and suspect that others would also enjoy it.
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