3. Giovanni Boccaccio ((June 16,
1313-December 21,1375)
An Italian author, poet and correspondent of
Petrarch
An important Renaissance humanist
The author of a number of notable works including
the Decameron, On Famous Women and his poetry
in the Italian vernacular
He is particularly notable for his dialogue, and he
surpasses in verisimilitude on his contemporaries
4. GiovanniBoccaccio ((June 16,
1313-December 21,1375)
• Boccaccio grew up in Florence and in 1320s
married Margherita dei Mardoli
• He began work on the Decameron around 1349.
The work was largely complete by 1352.
• He revised and rewrote the Decameron in 1370-
1371
• Boccaccio died at the age of 62 on the 21st of
December 1375 in Certaldo, where he was buried
5. GiovanniBoccaccio ((June 16,
1313-December 21,1375)
• Boccaccio had been educated in the tradition of
Dante’s Divine Comedy which used various levels
of allegory to show the connections between the
literal events of the story and the Christian
message. However Decameron uses Dante’s model
not to educate the reader but to satirize this
method of learning.
6. The Decameron
• It comprises 100 novellas told by 10 men and women (7
young women and 3 young men) over a 10-day journey
away from plague-infested Florence.
• The Decameron is said to be a portrayal of everyday life,
including wit, and mockery following a framed structure.
• The title comes from the two Greek words déka (meaning
“ten”) and hēméra, or day
• One of the greatest work of Italian prose
7. The Decameron
• G.H. Mc William, known translator of the Decameron,
writes that the women probably represent the 4 cardinal
virtues (Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude)
and the 3 theological virtues (Faith, Hope and Love)
• The 3 men could represent the tripartite division of the
soul into Reason, Anger, and Lust
8. The Decameron
• Boccaccio writes in the Introduction that he has withheld
the true names of the members of the Brigata, because
he doesn’t want them to “feel embarrassed, at any time
in the future.
• Structured in a frame narrative or frame tale
9. Translations of the Italian names of themembers of Brigata
•Pampinea
– full of
vigor
(Prudence)
18. Last day of the 10-
day Journey told by
Filomena
Editor's Notes
Correspondent a person who writes letters to a person
Petrarch was a poet and scholar whose humanist philosophy set the stage for the Renaissance. He is also considered one of the fathers of the modern Italian language.
Renaissance humanist The dignity and worth of the individual was emphasized. This movement originated with the study of classical culture and a group of subjects known collectively as the “studia humanitatis”, or the humanities
On Famous Women - De Mulieribus Claris or De Claris Mulieribus a collection of biographies of historical and mythological women by the Florentine author Giovanni Boccaccio,
Vernacular - is the speech variety used in everyday life by the general population in a geographical or social territory
Versimilitude - the appearance of being true or real. Like "the detail gives the novel some verisimilitude"
Satirize - eride and criticize by means of satire (the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.)
Prose - written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure
George Henry
our cardinal virtues were recognized by Plato and in the Bible, Old Testament, classical antiquity and in traditional Christian theology:
Prudence (φρόνησις, phronēsis; Latin: prudentia; also Wisdom, Sophia, sapientia), the ability to discern the appropriate course of action to be taken in a given situation at the appropriate time.
Courage (ἀνδρεία, andreia; Latin: fortitudo): also termed fortitude, forbearance, strength, endurance, and the ability to confront fear, uncertainty, and intimidation
Temperance (σωφροσύνη, sōphrosynē; Latin: temperantia): also known as restraint, the practice of self-control, abstention, discretion, and moderation tempering the appetition. Sōphrosynē can also be translated as sound-mindedness.
Justice (δικαιοσύνη, dikaiosynē; Latin: iustitia): also considered as fairness, the most extensive and most important virtue;[1] the Greek word also having the meaning righteousness
The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and of meriting eternal life.
Tripartite – three parts
Plato's tripartite theory of soul
Reason (λογιστικόν)[edit]
The logical or logistikon (from logos) is the thinking part of the soul which loves the truth and seeks to learn it. Plato originally identifies the soul dominated by this part with the Athenian temperament.[5] The logistikon discerns what is the real and not merely apparent, judges what is true and what is false and wisely makes just decisions in accordance with its love for goodness.
Spirit (θυμοειδές)[edit]
According to Plato, the spirited or thymoeides (from thymos) is the part of the soul by which we are angry or get into a temper.[7] He also calls this part 'high spirit' and initially identifies the soul dominated by this part with the Thracians, Scythians and the people of 'northern regions
Appetite (ἐπιθυμητικόν)[edit]
The appetite or epithymetikon (from epithymia, translated to Latin as concupiscentiae or desideria)[9] is the part of the soul by which we experience carnal erotic love, hunger, thirst and in general the desires opposed to the logistikon.[10] (The appetitive is in fact labelled as being 'a-logical
Brigata – group parta Italian word
FRAME NARRATIVE: A story within a story, within sometimes yet another story, as in, for example, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. As in Mary Shelley's work, the form echoes in structure the thematic search in the story for something deep, dark, and secret at the heart of the narrative. How is Frankenstein a frame narrative?
Shelley develops Frankenstein through the frame structure (a story within a story) to allow the reader to get several characters' perspectives. By the end of the novel, three characters (Walton, Victor, and the Monster) have had a part in the narration.