The Heptameron

I just learned for the first time about the existence of The Heptameron (1558). Based on The Decameron (1350ish) by Giovanni Boccaccio and written by Marguerite of Navarre, this is a collection of tales similar in structure to both Boccaccio's text and to The Canterbury Tales. The collection was supposed to be 100 stories but was not complete when the author died (in 1542). She left behind only 72 stories, hence its name.

Some notable deviations from Chaucer's book include the gender equality of the cast of storytellers, the characters' decision to avoid flowery, artful language and allow the stories to speak for themselves, and the fact that these tales are supposedly all true. Some have actually been tracked down by historians.

I found this text because it is the 20th lecture in The Teaching Company's course, "History of World Literature." At first glance, this lesson appeared to be some rightfully obscure manuscript that I'd have to suffer before getting to Shakespeare, Dickinson, and Chekhov. How very wrong I was. I hope to learn more about The Heptameron soon, and maybe figure out which version (apparently there are many) is the one I'd like to acquire.

What makes this collection of stories especially unique is that it is authored by a woman. Professor Grant L. Voth explains that this was considered a marginal text until it was recently brought to light by the feminist movement, which is credited for raising awareness of this great work. And indeed it sounds quite great. He claims that one of the major themes of the stories can either be described as love or, more accurately, as rape. To have such a bold theme debated so completely by a diverse, opinionated and vocal group – especially at that time – is fascinating.

I hope to share more eventually. In the meantime, I'm still enjoying The Glass Bead Game, which has taken its turn and is captivating my attention. I plan to finish within the week and then pick out my beach reading. The Heptameron will have to wait for now. (And no, that is not what I'll be reading on the beach!)

Hooray for learning new things!