“I cannot praise your having allowed the honorable ladies of your household to read my trifles, rather I beg you to give me your word you will not do so again” (Boccaccio, 1373). December 14, 2015

Florence in Boccaccio’s Time a key economic and commercial center of medieval Europe

Definition of “Commedia” in Medieval Italy “A principio horribilis et fetidus, in fine prosperus desiderabilis et gratus,” “foul and horrible at the beginning, in the end felicitous, desirable and pleasing.” Uguccione da Pisa, Derivationes

“But I do not want you to be deterred, for this reason, from reading any further, on the assumption that you are to be subjected, as you read, to an endless torrent of tears and sobbing. You will be affected no differently by this grim beginning than walkers confronted by a steep and rugged hill, beyond which there lies a beautiful and delectable plain” (49).

The Plague arrives in Europe,

Decameron, “Epic of the Italian Merchant” Boccaccio belongs to an emerging tradition of medieval realism or naturalism, often critical of aristocratic and religious conservatism. A form of secular modernity that reflects the growth of mercantilism, rise of an often anti-clerical bourgeoisie (middle class).

Giotto, “The Virgin’s Wedding Procession.” Giotto, “The Virgin’s Wedding Procession,” fresco, 1305.

Giotto, “St. Francis Giving his Mantle to a Poor Man,” fresco, 1299

Decameron, “Epic of the Italian Merchant” use of vernacular Italian rather than Latin increased literacy among men and women; expanding market of readers, especially among the growing middle class

The Decameron’s Frame Structure 1. The world of the author 2. The world of the narrators (7 women & 3 men) 3. The world of the narratives (the 100 stories)

The Decameron’s Frame Structure The frames create the effect of separate spaces: the author vs. the invented narrators (history vs. fiction) the world of the narrators vs. the world of the narratives (the 100 stories) the space of the city (Florence) vs. the secluded villa and garden the social setting of storytelling vs. the private act of reading

The Brigata

Plague on Morals: Female Sexual Freedom “in view of the scarcity of servants, there grew up a practice almost never previously heard of, whereby when a woman fell ill, no matter how gracious or beautiful or gently bred she might be, she raised no objection to being attended by a male servant, whether he was young or not. …and this explains why those women who recovered were possibly less chaste in the period that followed” (9).

John Williams Waterhouse, “A Tale from the Decameron”

Medieval Attitudes towards Reading: not for pleasure but moral instruction

“I intend to provide succour and diversion for the ladies, but only for those who are in love, since the others can make do with their needles, their reels and their spindles” (Prologue). “Whenever, fairest ladies…” (Introduction) Boccaccio to his Female Reader

“Here begins the book called Decameron, otherwise known as Prince Galahalt, wherein are contained a hundred stories, told in ten days by seven ladies and three young men” (Prologue). The Decameron’s Subtitle

Prince Galahalt Double reference Arthurian romance (Galahalt facilitates the love affair between Arthur’s wife Guinevere and Lancelot). Dante’s Divine Comedy (Francesca da Rimini calls her book of Arthurian romance a “Galahalt,” arguing it compelled her to commit adultery). Is the Decameron a “Galahalt” by design?

Plagues Medical, Moral and Textual communicable, adj. That may be communicated, in various senses. Of information, knowledge, etc.: that may be conveyed; of which an account or description can be given. Esp. of a disease: that can be transmitted directly or indirectly from one person or animal to another; infectious.

The Plague and the Written Word both enter private spaces and are alone with people they can be reproduced and can spread they can dismantle traditional structures and values

The Plague and the Written Word the plague crosses social and moral boundaries, disregarding the rules that restrict contact between people books are promiscuous: they circulate, taking many partners