Many critics have found in the Heptameron, a subtle trace of early feminist literature. The debates also reveal the different moral perspectives and social attitudes existing at the time on issues of marriage, infidelity and the status of women. This feature adds depth to the Heptameron by revealing the different meanings and interpretations of each story.

One of the unique features of the Heptameron is that the narrators often disagree with each other and engage in lively debates and discussions on the significance of the stories each interpreting the stories differently based on their personalities and experiences. Within this framing device, there are secondary framing devices, as the stories are organized by days and by themes.Įach day the narrators pick a subject for the stories that they will tell, and so the stories are not random but rather expound various themes and often act as rebuttals and counterpoints to the stories told by the other narrators.

While they wait for the roads to re-open, the narrators tell each other stories in order to pass the time.

The narrators, five men and five women, said to be modeled after the author and her court circle, are stranded at a mountain resort following a flash flood. The overarching narrative framework is that of stories within stories, told by different narrators who are themselves characters in the story. The Heptameron consists of 72 short stories united by a several different framing devices.

The heptameron by marguerite of navarre