ITAL 342 - Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron: The “Novella” as a Microcosm

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

A reading of the one hundred tales with specific emphasis on social, cultural and gender issues of the later Middle Ages, as represented in the novella genre. Particular attention is devoted to the Decameron’s frame as a connective tissue for the one hundred tales and a space for gender debate and social re-creation. Reference is made to some of the Decameron’s subtexts (Apuleius’ The Golden Ass, the Novellino, the French Fabliaux, and Courtly Literature). Critical interpretations are analyzed after the reading of the entire masterpiece. Issues related to textual censorship, and contemporary re-writings through different media are addressed. Eugenio Giusti.

Prerequisite(s): ITAL 220, ITAL 222; or ITAL 217, ITAL 218 with permission of the instructor.

Not offered in 2017/18.

One 3-hour period.