What is the significance of Boccaccio?
Boccaccio was acutely aware of his position as mediator between different cultures—classical and medieval; Italian, French, and Latin; and Christian and pagan—and thus he stands as an important figure in the development of a European humanist literary culture that defines the Renaissance and beyond.
What was the main point of Boccaccio’s Decameron?
Decameron, collection of tales by Giovanni Boccaccio, probably composed between 1349 and 1353. The work is regarded as a masterpiece of classical Italian prose. While romantic in tone and form, it breaks from medieval sensibility in its insistence on the human ability to overcome, even exploit, fortune.
Did Boccaccio write a biography of Dante?
He also wrote a biography of Dante (1355 CE, revised 1364 CE) and a commentary on his Divine Comedy (c. 1374 CE). Boccaccio’s interest in the ancient world came to the fore with his collection of biographies on notable women from antiquity, Concerning Famous Women (De mulieribus claris), compiled from 1360 to 1374 CE.
What was Boccaccio most famous writing called?
the Decameron
Giovanni Boccaccio, (born 1313, Paris, Fr. —died Dec. 21, 1375, Certaldo, Tuscany [Italy]), Italian poet and scholar, best remembered as the author of the earthy tales in the Decameron.
Why did Boccaccio write about the Black Death?
The Decameron is a tale of renewal and recreation in defiance of a decimating pandemic. Boccaccio attributes the cause of this terrible plague to either malignant celestial influences or divine punishment for the iniquity of Florentine society.
What does Boccaccio think caused the plague?
In the Decameron, Boccaccio states some possibilities: “Some say that [the plague] descended upon the human race through the influence of the heavenly bodies, others that it was a punishment signifying God’s righteous anger at our iniquitous way of life.
What is Boccaccio’s belief about the cause of the plague?
How would you characterize Boccaccio’s description of the plague?
Boccaccio describes the plague, stating that, “the appearance of swellings in the groin or armpit, some of which were egg-shaped whilst others were roughly the size of the common apple,” which modern medicine has confirmed is consistent with symptoms of bubonic plague (5).
Why did Boccaccio regret writing The Decameron?
There was an opinion of many literary people of the time that if someone couldn’t read Latin, they weren’t worth the trouble to write for. In Boccaccio’s later years, after a religious awakening, he wrote that he regretted writing The Decameron.
Is Boccaccio a reliable source?
The introduction, though part of a fictional work, is still considered an accurate description of life in Florence during the plague as it matches with other accounts.
Is Boccaccio religious?
In 1359, following a meeting with Pope Innocent VI and further meetings with Petrarch, it is probable that Boccaccio took some kind of religious mantle. There is a persistent (but unsupported) tale that he repudiated his earlier works as profane in 1362, including The Decameron.
What does Decameron mean in English?
ten days
Decameron in American English (dɪˈkæmərən ) noun. a collection of a hundred tales by Boccaccio (published 1353), presented as stories told by a group of Florentines to while away ten days during a plague. Word origin. It Decamerone < Gr deka, ten + hēmera, day.