A deadly plague ravages the land; so, a small band of people flee to the country. There, in relative seclusion and safety, they entertain one another with vivid stories that reimagine life and its possible and impossible outcomes. Sounds like a story from today? Think again. It was actually written more than 600 years ago, in a time and place so different - yet so similar - to ours.

A classic of medieval Italian literature, Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron still matters for us today. And Boccaccio scholar Kristina Olson reveals why in the 10 lectures of Books that Matter: The Decameron. Here, you'll listen between the lines of stories that range from hopeful and spiritual to cynical and bawdy. You'll hear words turn a sinner into a saint, brutes made noble through the power of love, and riches rediscovered on the open seas. You'll find love in disguise, greed transformed into generosity, and danger staved off with wit. You'll meet women who rewrite the laws of pleasure and tyrants who suffer in silence.

True, the times in which we live are vastly different from Boccaccio's. Yet by connecting our own experiences with the stories told by this medieval band, you'll learn why the Decameron is proof positive that, by listening to the past, we can give voice to the present.