Page 83 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 83

The Fourth Day



             The Second Novell



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





             Filostrato praises the story of

             Ghismonda and Guiscardo and
             reminds everyone how miserable
             he is because he has no prospects
             of having his love returned. So to

             make him feel better, Filostrato asks
             Pampinea to tell some “gruesome
             tale.” Misery loves company, right?
             But Pampinea’s more inclined to

             amuse than depress, so she decides
             to ride the fence: she’ll stick to the
             theme, but she’ll make them laugh,
             too. And what’s the best way to do

             that in this world? Tell a story about
             the clergy, of course. Pampinea
             spends a lot of time abusing the
             clergy: they’re meek and humble

             when asking for money but like
             foghorns when talking about other
             people’s sins. Which means that
             Pampinea will have no trouble telling

             a story about the punishment that all
             such friars deserve.



















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