Boccaccio’s+Decameron

Boccaccio's Decameron

was written around 1351 and is important because it documents the effects of the Black Plague on Europe.

One of the most astounding features of of the novel was its documentation of how some people ran away from the urban centers when the plague hit. People abandoned each other during the plague which only spread fear and mistrust.

Especially of importance was the mentioning of Priests choosing to leave and abandon the urban centers. For a culture that was heavily reliant on on priests to administer to their salvation and to say prayers for the dead, which there were a lot of now, the abandonment of these ecclesiastical figures created widespread popular resentment towards local parishes and the office of the priest