Class Conducted in Italian; Readings in Italian (translations available)

This course will examine the late-medieval masterpiece of Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron, on its own terms and in its social and literary-historical contexts.  Special attention will be paid to Florentine culture of the 14^th century, as well as to Boccaccio’s complex debt to the Commedia of Dante Alighieri, and to his crucial friendship with Francesco Petrarca.

Texts:
Boccaccio, Decameron
Dante, Inferno
David Wallace, Boccaccio: Decameron
John Najemy, A History of Florence, 1200-1575

Course Requirements:
Participation; frequent in-class reports; shorter writing assignments; several shorter papers (2 pages); final essay (8-10 pages)

Prerequisites:  Italian Studies 101A or equivalent.