Page 33 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu

The First Day

The Tenth Novell

STORYTELLER: PAMPINEA
ARTWORK: THE DECAMERON OF PETRU RUSU
THE FIRST DAY, THE TENTH NOVELL
1985 HAND COLORED ETCHING
AQUATINTA AQUAFORTE 21X29 CM | 8½X11½ IN

Pampinea suggests that wit is the

icing on the cake of good manners
and conversation. It’s especially
appropriate for women to make
witty remarks, since those kinds of

remarks are usually brief and women
should never speak for long periods
of time. Wait, what? But modern
women, she asserts, have lost the

talent for making a witty remark.
They’re too obsessed by make-up
and bling. They cover up their lack of
intelligence with silence, thinking it

makes them seem pure. But there’s
a time and place for everything:
sometimes a woman thinks she’s
clever and tries her wit on a man and

it backfires. So Pampinea’s going to
tell a story that will help the ladies
in her group avoid this mistake and
keep men from thinking that women

will always lose every argument.

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