The Heptameron

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In the early 1500s five men and five women find themselves trapped by floods and compelled to take refuge in an abbey high in the Pyrenees. When told they must wait days for a bridge to be repaired, they are inspired - by recalling Boccaccio's Decameron - to pass the time in a cultured manner by each telling a story every day. The stories, however, soon degenerate into a verbal battle between the sexes, as the characters weave tales of corrupt friars, adulterous noblemen and deceitful wives. From the cynical Saffredent to the young idealist Dagoucin or the moderate Parlamente - believed to express De Navarre's own views - The Heptameron provides a fascinating insight into the minds and passions of the nobility of sixteenth century France.

玛格丽特·德·纳瓦尔（1492-1549）是国王弗朗索瓦一世的姐姐，是法国人文主义早期的杰出代表。她通晓欧洲和古代的多种语言，积极支持整理古希腊罗马的作品，参与翻译意大利文艺复兴的成果，是新教徒和人文主义者的保护人。除此之外，她还积极从事创作活动。她的丈夫去世后，她再嫁 给了纳瓦尔国王成为纳瓦尔王后。当弗朗索瓦一世开始迫害新教徒和人文主义者的时候，她的宫廷就成了人文主义者和加尔文教徒的避难所。后来她也被贬到了纳拉克，但她仍然在自己的领地上聚集了一批人文主义学者，继续进行文学活动。