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

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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