Page 152 - Petru Russo | The 100 Days of Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
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Peronella: The Lover in the Barre
This novella humorously recounts the resourceful actions she has already sold it to a man who is currently inside inspecting
of Peronella, who outsmarts her suspicious husband while its condition. She convinces her husband to wait until the “buyer”
maintaining her secret affair. Themes of wit, deception, and quick emerges.
thinking shine in this tale.
Her lover, playing along with the ruse, jumps out of the tun and
Peronella, a clever and charming woman, enjoys the company declares it needs cleaning before he can finalize the purchase. The
of a lover while her husband is away. One day, her husband husband, still oblivious, dutifully scours the tun himself and then
unexpectedly returns home while her lover is visiting. Thinking carries it to the lover’s house, believing he is helping complete the
quickly, Peronella hides her lover inside a large tun (a barrel used sale.
for storage).
This witty story celebrates Peronella’s quick wit and ingenuity,
Unaware of the situation, the husband declares his intention to sell leaving readers amused at the husband’s gullibility and the lover’s
the tun to a potential buyer. Peronella, ever resourceful, claims complicity in the charade.
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