Which can go wrong in storytelling and love-making

By Limor Shiponi

I love finding story texts about storytelling and just today I found a delightful little piece while serching through the Decameron:

Whereupon the gentleman, who perhaps was no better master of his weapon than of his story, began a tale, which in itself was indeed excellent, but which, by repeating the same word three, four or six times, and now and again harking back, and saying: “ I said not well ” ; and erring not seldom in the names, setting one in place of another, he utterly spoiled; besides which, his mode of delivery accorded very ill with the character of the persons and incidents:

What that gentleman received in exchange you will find here. It is importante to understand the connection made at that time between storytelling and lovemaking.  Storytelling technique and delivery were high-practice  for anyone who wanted to be in a fine relationship within the frameworks of “courtly love”. Being able to master the ambiguity of language and tell a story “that tells other stories” was not less rewarded, if not more, than superb swandsmanship.

Now that you know that go back to the paragraph from the Decameron and figure out which can go wrong in love-making…