The Heptameron

Marguerite de Navarre's Heptameron is a collection of seventy amusing stories which constitute a revealing "window" on the literate minority of the 16th century. Their principal focus is how men and women treat each other, not only then but perhaps always. The stories also provide other kinds of insights: e.g., the idea of predestined salvation or damnation was "in the air" intellectually before John Calvin's "Institutes." So it was formulated most effectively, but not originated, by Calvin. This fits a pattern of Western history: attributing developments to individuals, sort of a Most Valuable Player, individualistic version of history. For example, Gutenberg is said to have single-handedly "invented" moveable type, and Darwin to have discovered evolution, when these developments were hardly unique to them. As for Marguerite - or the storytellers for whom she is given credit of authorship - the stories are mainly fun.

This is an amusing "companion" to the Decameron - though shorter. While I have read both, if you only read one, I would recommend the Decameron. It has more depth and is better written. If you like it and want more that's in a similar vein, then read this. Neither are heavy reads and both have an interesting group of participants (they aren't really characters) who tell stories for their own daily amusement. This is another book I read in installments while reading other more plot driven books.

Anyone interested in gender studies, especially wishing to understand the sexual relationships between spouses and lovers, the perceptions of what is acceptable, what is "masculine" or "feminine," would not only enjoy the reading, but gain some insight on Renaissance French culture. Along with the Decameron, Faerie Queene, Shakespeare's plays, and Orlando Furioso, this text is a necessary one for understanding the society at court during the Renaissance in Europe.