Boccaccio's Decameron (first half of reading)
- Boccaccio is an Ovidian Scholar, and he must also have been influenced by Dante and Augustine
- Like Ovid, Boccaccio presents a situation, but does not explicitly take sides.
- The Decameron was considered a work of 'extended fiction;' the term 'novel' didn't exist yet
- Love here is primarily understood in its 'eros' aspect
- Love <=> Plague
- Augustine abhors love that has nothing to do with God; he is disgusted with the body
- Dante expresses sympathy for those who fall in love
- Boccaccio takes a less serious tone; love becomes less of an immoral concept
- The idea of "end justifies the means," or pragmatism
- Ciapelleto (I. 1) is venerated despite his immoral past
- Alatiel (II. 7) lies to her father that she is a virgin, but this allows her a happy marriage and gives her family stability
- contrary to Augustine, who is concerned with the individual
- This book is aimed at a female audience, but what problem does it address? Is it the problem of love itself, or the confinement of women? How does Boccaccio view women?
- Lady Zinerva (II. 9) must disguise herself as a man to bring justice to her honor
Dante's Inferno (first half)
- Dante is more of a protagonist than a hero.
- What compels Dante?
- Ambiguity of the plot-->representative of the "restlessness of the human spirit."
- Courtly love-relationship of Dante and Beatrice precedes 'Godly' relationship/spiritual progress.
- Emphasis on Faith over good-work
- Levels of Hell: emphasis on
- intent (e.g. fraud apparently requires more intent than does wrath)
- extent of sin (e.g. traitors/counterfeiters completely undermine stability of society, thus affecting more people)
- Why is Virgil the guide, instead of St. Augustine or some other angel?
In short, Dante lived far later than did Homer, Virgil, and Ovid. This picture tries to contextualize Dante's influences.
