Table of Contents
What did Boccaccio contribute to literature?
Boccaccio’s work was a shift away from Medieval Romances to literary realism. He demonstrated that prose could capture the complexity of humans and their situations, and while poetry remained the dominant mode of literary expression, after the Decameron, literary prose became more popular and widely accepted.
What are some of Giovanni’s most famous or important pieces of writing?
The Decameron
His most notable works are The Decameron, a collection of short stories which in the following centuries was a determining element for the Italian literary tradition, especially after Pietro Bembo elevated the Boccaccia style to a model of Italian prose in the sixteenth century, and On Famous Women.
Why did Boccaccio Write The Decameron?
That source is the Decameron. The Italian Renaissance author Giovanni Boccaccio wrote the Decameron in the wake of the plague outbreak in Florence in 1348. The disease ravaged the city, reducing the population by around 60 per cent.
What is the significance of Giovanni 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 language is the Decameron written in?
Italian
The Decameron/Original languages
What is the message of The Decameron?
Almost all the stories are about love and lust (we’ll get to lust later). The most important message seems to be that love is a natural and powerful force that can’t be denied; it overwhelms reason and common sense; it transforms people. In The Decameron, love is usually consummated in sex.
How does The Decameron reflect humanism?
The Decameron reflects Humanistic thinking about the elevation of man, which had an influence upon morality in the Renaissance. The Renaissance was a period when society, attitudes and ideas were changing. Capitalism allowed for social mobility, yet it also served to change peoples opinions on morality.
Why is everyone reading The Decameron?
The stories delve into the full range of human behavior, from magnificent to despicable. As Newman put it, Boccaccio’s stories remind us of “our basic (and sometimes base) human qualities and the not-always pretty sides of our humanity that cannot be avoided even when allegories and artifice prevail.”