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"THE DECAMERON."
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Discussion of Boccaccio's collection of short stories.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Discussion of Boccaccio's collection of short stories. His view, and the view of society of the Middle Ages, towards human nature. The book as an overview of life in the Middle Ages, including the Black Plague and how men and women structured their romantic and practical relationships. Storytellers as narrators.

Paper Introduction:
Boccaccio’s The Decameron Boccaccio’s The Decameron consists of a collection of 100 novelle or short stories, each of which presents a realistic if pessimistic view of human nature as human nature was both understood and expressed in the Middle Ages. Created as a series of stories told sequentially on ten days, the book presents an excellent overview of the day-to-day routines of life in the Middle Ages, describes the Black Plague of 1348 in Florence, and also addresses the issue of how men and women structured their romantic and practical relationships. Ten storytellers, including both males and females, are used as narrators by Boccaccio. The stories involve such disparate characters as monks and friars, Jews who convert to Christianity, lovers and enemies, exotic characters from the

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The bookrevolves around the moral confusion that men and women alike experienced. His characters are alltoo human. Created as a series of stories told sequentially on ten days,the book presents an excellent overview of the day-to-day routines of lifein the Middle Ages, describes the Black Plague of 1348 in Florence, andalso addresses the issue of how men and women structured their romantic andpractical relationships. Love involves apractical code of morals that is valid for all classes and yet the impulsetoward sin is as strong in one class as it is in another. Boccaccio's The Decameron Boccaccio's The Decameron consists of a collection of 1 novelle orshort stories, each of which presents a realistic if pessimistic view ofhuman nature as human nature was both understood and expressed in theMiddle Ages. 1) introduces his stories by stating that "human it isto have compassion for the unhappy, and a great deal is required of thosewho are happy." The book is addressed to "gracious ladies (p. 3)," butbegins with a discussion of how the plague makes its presence felt inMedieval society and how individuals of different socioeconomic classesreact to this pestilence. Historically,the women of this era have been depicted as an inferior sex dependent uponthe support and even the domination of their male relatives. At the same time, the very realmeaning of spirituality is not ignored in this collection of stories, whichdirect the reader to consider the essential nature of Christianity and theconflict that people of the Middle Ages experienced between the worldlywill to life and the Christian sufferance of life. 129). 28-29). The Decameron. Rather,taking vows appears to have created a special poignancy in the romanticrelationship. Boccacciodebunks this myth and allows his women to function as relatively autonomousactors capable of controlling their own fate. Work CitedBoccaccio, Giovanni. Human beings are characterized by Boccaccio (p. What thissuggests about life in Medieval society is that then, as now, enormousdiscrepancies between the ideal and the real existed. For example, the Second Story of the Ninth Day describes thelove that develops between a young nun named Isabetta and a young man shemeets at the Grate of her convent (Boccaccio, p. What men and womenprofessed to believe and the ways that they behaved in their personal livesappear to have been vastly different. Their dreams and desires represent a universality thattranscends time and place and describes the human condition. Ten storytellers, including both males and females, are used asnarrators by Boccaccio. All categories of society during the Middle Ages are represented inthe ten storytellers that Boccaccio presents. Norton and Company, 1977. One of the great preoccupations of men and women during this erawas with love and marriage, which were not viewed as mutually inclusive.The difference between courtly love and married love centers many of thestories, in which it is revealed that members of religious orders,including nuns, monks, and priests, are not exempt from the pangs andpassions of love. Dedication of one's life to the church apparently did not mean thatone gave up any and all aspirations to physical or romantic love. New York: W.W. 13) as "changeable,quarrelsome, suspicious, timid, and fearful." Though these words are usedmost specifically to describe females, they are equally applicable tomales. The stories involve such disparate characters asmonks and friars, Jews who convert to Christianity, lovers and enemies,exotic characters from the romantic East, and members of the nobility. The substance of Christian belief and Church dogma and doctrine aredepicted in The Decameron as being of greater significance and value thanany aberrant behavior on the part of the religious orders. Boccaccio gives his reader an intriguing portrait of a time and aplace that has vanished into the mists of history. So lax is thediscipline of the convent that the young nun is allowed by the abyss tosleep with her lover while the abyss herself sleeps with her own priest.In essence, Boccaccio is describing a world in which the superficial claimsof celibacy do not fully inhibit the expression of passion even by membersof the clergy or religious orders. Such is the case in the First Story of the Fourth Day in which themaiden Ghismunda takes her own life rather than submit to a forced marriagewith a man other than her lover. The doctrine that is espoused in these stories is that love is themother of all virtues and everything noble in man. Women are depicted in manyof the stories as having far more power, influence, and effect than isgenerally assumed to have been the case in the Middle Ages. Boccaccio (p. Despite the fact that Boccaccio portrays nuns and priests as sexuallyactive humans whose lack of celibacy is something of a scandal, he alsoaffirms the significance, role, and universality of Christian belief andits normative influence. The lack of holiness, devotion, good works, andexemplary life observed by Abraham among the Roman church hierarchy ishonestly detailed by Boccaccio, but is not considered sufficient cause toreject the Church. Women therefore are depicted, perhapsaccurately, by Boccaccio as more than able to take control of theirdestinies and as in many instances determined to do so. In the Second Story of the First Day, a Jew namedAbraham becomes a Christian even after observing the wickedness of theclergy (pp.

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