What is the author's style in Italian Stories = Novelle Italiane by Robert A. Hall?

This collection allows the reader to witness the evolution of literary conventions and philosophies over the course of several centuries of Italian literature. In keeping with most European literature of the time, the first three stories, written between the 14th century and the 16th century, are all written with a plain, simple style. The role of the author is not self-conscious and it seems as if the writers of these stories want to disappear behind the narrative they are relating.