Audio Decameron

0 or 3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

In the mid-14th century, a group of ten young storytellers climbed the hills of Fiesole. They were seven women and three men, all trying to escape the pandemic ravaging their home city, Florence. Living in quarantine just steps from where our classes will meet, they took turns telling stories. Boccaccio set down their tales in The Decameron. In “Audio Decameron,” we’ll explore Florence and Fiesole through a series of storytelling challenges rooted in the sonic environments of this place. How might the sounds of the streets, markets, gardens and chapels have reverberated in the minds of artists through the centuries? Like Boccaccio’s storytellers, students will be challenged throughout the semester to rely upon their wit, and their ears, as they work together to create a growing series of short, vivid, sound-rich stories. These stories will be delivered live in class over soundscapes that students find and record locally. Required weekly readings include selections from Boccaccio (1353), The Decameron Project: 29 New Stories from the Pandemic (2020), and writers who worked here in the intervening centuries. This course is taught by the Fall 2024 faculty in residence.