Medieval Literature: The Decameron by Boccaccio
Boccaccio’s The Decameron in Medieval Literature
Literature as everything else in the fourteenth century was guided by the Church and Christian teaching. Secular literary also had a part in medieval literature in the form of epic poems, tales of love and political literary works. Biblical references were common and most of the literary items had a moral thought apart from reading for pleasure and amusement. In this medieval understanding of literature great writers and poets were born all over Europe form Italy to England. Boccaccio was one of them who witnessed the Black Death, the catastrophe that effected Europe in every sense. Like most of the writers in that time Black Death was present in his work, it even affected his writing style. The Decameron is one of his masterpieces that he wrote after the Black Death which reflects the life in 14th century and is an example of allegoric medieval literature.
Giovanni Boccaccio was born in Florence and lived between 1313 and 1375. He is known as the Father of Italian prose who has a great part in Italian literature and poetry. During his lifetime he was a writer but also a diplomat, businessman and an international traveller who served his city with a number of several important missions. He became closely involved with Italian humanism and also with the Florentine government. His father, whose presence is visible in some of his works, gave him a good practical education yet Boccaccio, in his old age, complained of the utilitarian nature of his studies in youth. He would have wanted to have more practice with poetry and classical authors, as he believed that much could be learned from antiquity. He was inspired by Petrarch and Dante, notable names of medieval literature. Especially Petrarch had a real impact on Boccaccio’s studies as his teacher and magister who also encouraged him to study Greek and Latin literature. He had written various poems and stories from 1342 to 1374 started with romantic stories that
Literature as everything else in the fourteenth century was guided by the Church and Christian teaching. Secular literary also had a part in medieval literature in the form of epic poems, tales of love and political literary works. Biblical references were common and most of the literary items had a moral thought apart from reading for pleasure and amusement. In this medieval understanding of literature great writers and poets were born all over Europe form Italy to England. Boccaccio was one of them who witnessed the Black Death, the catastrophe that effected Europe in every sense. Like most of the writers in that time Black Death was present in his work, it even affected his writing style. The Decameron is one of his masterpieces that he wrote after the Black Death which reflects the life in 14th century and is an example of allegoric medieval literature.
Giovanni Boccaccio was born in Florence and lived between 1313 and 1375. He is known as the Father of Italian prose who has a great part in Italian literature and poetry. During his lifetime he was a writer but also a diplomat, businessman and an international traveller who served his city with a number of several important missions. He became closely involved with Italian humanism and also with the Florentine government. His father, whose presence is visible in some of his works, gave him a good practical education yet Boccaccio, in his old age, complained of the utilitarian nature of his studies in youth. He would have wanted to have more practice with poetry and classical authors, as he believed that much could be learned from antiquity. He was inspired by Petrarch and Dante, notable names of medieval literature. Especially Petrarch had a real impact on Boccaccio’s studies as his teacher and magister who also encouraged him to study Greek and Latin literature. He had written various poems and stories from 1342 to 1374 started with romantic stories that