The Decameron

John Payne's translation of The Decameron was originally published in a private printing for The Villon Society, London in 1886. Comprised of 100 novellas told by ten men and women over a ten-day journey fleeing plague-infested Florence, the Decameron is an allegorical work famous for its bawdy portrayals of everyday life, its searing wit and mockery, and its careful adherence to a framed structure. The word "decameron" is derived from the Greek and means "ten days". Boccaccio drew on many influences in writing the Decameron, and many writers, including Martin Luther, Chaucer, and Keats, later drew inspiration from the book.