Bitching about Medieval Literature

This episode marks the halfway mark of the Decameron, with a story told by Dioneo (5.10) which starts with a gay man failing to sexually satisfy his wife, and ends with a threesome.

The story is followed by some reflection on the last six months of the podcast, and my thanks to Amanda Martel, my producer, and to all of you for listening.

CONTENT WARNINGS: Homophobic language: A gay man in this story is repeatedly described in the narration as 'perverse', 'unnatural', etc - however he is not punished by what happens in the story or persecuted in any way, and appears to live a pretty cheerful, content, and sexually fulfilled life. 

Violence: A character threatens/attempts murder of his wife's lover; in a similar situation, the lover expects violence but is not treated violently. 

Potentially coercive sexual situation: a character discovers his wife's lover and then 'arranges' matters so as to sleep with him. This is described as being to all their mutual satisfaction. 

Sexually explicit language: Even by our standards, this one leaves very little to the imagination.

Today's episode marks six months of the podcast, and thanks to a record number of skipped stories in a row, also brings us almost to the halfway point of the Decameron! In our first story (5.4), a young man manages to sneak into his beloved's house for some quality time...only to be caught by her parents in the morning. There follows a brief synopsis of the stories I am skipping (5.5-5.8), due to the violence and coercion of women they contain. Finally, we hear a tragic tale (5.9) of a man whose unrequited love led him into poverty, and then to destroy the very thing his lover was about to ask of him, in an effort to please her. 

CONTENT WARNINGS: In the synopsis section, mentions of kidnapping and other violence against women, unwanted pregnancy, the usual influence-driven medieval justice system, and coercive sexual situations. In the second story, a main character kills a beloved pet as a meal for the woman he loves, unknowing that she came to ask him for the bird as a pet.

Today's stories feature impulsive young lovers, separated by misfortune, and reunited by kindly strangers. In the first (5.2), a man rejected by his lover's family turns to piracy to make his fortune, only to be captured and imprisoned in Tunis. His lady, believing him to be dead, attempts suicide, but instead washes up on a foreign shore, and with the help of several people she meets there, is eventually reunited with him. In our second story (5.3), two young idiots elope, take a wrong turn, get lost in the woods, and are reunited at the house of a friend after a harrowing night.

CONTENT WARNINGS: In the first story, unsuccessful suicide attempt (by casting herself out to sea in a tiny boat). In the second story, male character is attacked by a group of soldiers, forced to strip, and is about to be hanged before the soldiers are interrupted. Later, implied fear of sexual assault of a female character by bandits; horse attacked and eaten (fairly graphically) by a pack of wolves. 

Day five begins, on the theme of love that ended happily. However, our tale today (5.1) can only be said to end happily for the men, as the women are treated by the characters and the narrative as if they have no opinions or preferences of their own. The protagonist is inspired by the sight of his love to a serious self-improvement project, then when he is unable to negotiate a betrothal, decides to kidnap her on the way to her husband. The first kidnap attempt is temporarily successful; the second, with the aid of another man in love, is more lastingly so.

CONTENT WARNINGS: In this story, the protagonist assumes that his love gives him a right to marry a woman, and never seeks her opinion on the matter. He observes her sleeping, walks her home despite protests, and later kidnaps, kisses, plans to sleep with, kidnaps again, and finally marries her. There is no indication of whether she agrees or objects to this, apart from her distress in the middle of being kidnapped (which may be attributable to violence).

Gore: mention of a guy getting his head chopped in half during the second kidnapping.

This episode brings our fourth day and its gloomy theme (love that ended unhappily) to a close, with a gory and miserable narrative by the monarch of the day (4.9), followed by Dioneo blithely ignoring the day's theme to tell a comic tale instead (4.10). In Philostrato's story, a cuckolded husband takes gruesome revenge on his wife and her lover. (Please feel free to skip ahead to the end of the story at 8:40, if you'd rather only hear the funny one). In Dioneo's tale, a doctor's wife brings her lover into the house, only for him to drink an anaesthetic by accident, setting off a series of misadventures that are all resolved happily by the end of the story.

CONTENT WARNINGS: In the first story, starting at 4:29, a man's heart is cut out, given to an unknowing cook to prepare (which is described in detail), and served to be eaten unknowingly by the man's lover. When this is revealed, she commits suicide. Skip ahead to 8:40 if you prefer to avoid this story.

The medieval justice system shows its usual failings in the second story: a confession extracted by torture (not described), and a judge extorting sexual favours from someone trying to help a prisoner (also not described).

In today's stories of unhappy love, we have two examples of visions in a dream. In the first (4.5) a woman's lover is murdered by her brothers, and he appears to her in a dream to help her find his body. In the second (4.6) a man dismisses the ominous dreams of himself and his wife (who he married secretly), then dies suddenly and leaves her with the challenge of explaining the whole thing.

CONTENT WARNINGS: Gore. In story one, after finding her lover's body, the protagonist cuts off his head and takes it home with her, where she treats it like a saint's relic. Corrupt justice system/sexual harrassment. In story two, a judge tries to convince the protagonist that he could protect her from suspicion in her husband's death if she sleeps with him. She refuses, and needs to physically back up that refusal before he gives up.

In today's episode, our storytellers continue to try to tell a story miserable enough for Filostrato, who has demanded tales of love that ended unhappily. After skipping story 4.2, 4.3 describes three pairs of teenagers who run away together, but whose happy ending turns to disaster after the eldest of the young men can't keep his eyes off the pretty locals. In story 4.4, two lovers learn of each other through rumour, fall in love based on reputation, and begin a relationship through letters. Before they can ever meet, the woman's marriage is arranged to another, and the man turns to piracy to rescue her - as is fitting for the theme of the day, she is killed during his 'rescue' attempt before they can ever speak to each other.

CONTENT WARNINGS for first story: Underage relationships - female characters are 14 and 15, age of male characters is unknown but presumed young. Descriptions of verbal abuse of unfaithful spouse. Murder of spouse as revenge for (unconfirmed) infidelity. Mentions of torture of suspected criminals as interrogation technique. Person with power of life and death over one character uses that to convince her underage sister to have sex with him. She is murdered by her husband because of this. 

CONTENT WARNINGS for second story: Female character is killed by her guards/escorts to prevent her from being kidnapped/rescued by her lover on her way to get married.

Day four begins with an authorial digression, in which Giovanni explains and disputes the criticism he has been receiving. From there, we launch into our first story of unhappy love (4.1): a true tragedy in which a woman's lover is murdered by her father and she kills herself in response.

CONTENT WARNING: Obviously, strong warning for suicide. It's fairly specifically described in the text, but I do give a verbal warning and summary before the grisly bits, and there's nothing important you'll miss by skipping the rest of the episode after that. Also gore: the father has the dead lover's heart presented to the protagonist and the text is NOT shy about it. This is also after my verbal warning and summary. 

Skipping stories 3.8 and 3.10, in this episode we bring the third day to its conclusion with a tale (3.9) about a clever and determined woman, who neatly outmaneuvers her husband so that he is forced to acknowledge her worth and give her the respect she is due.

CONTENT WARNING: Sex by deceit. The protagonist disguises herself as someone else to trick her husband into consummating their marriage.