HIST-308 Lecture 32: 10 x 10 by Boccaccio
10 Nov 2020
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Document Summary
Quarantined for 10 days, youths agree to tell 10 stories per day. That is the number of short stories told in boccaccio"s text. Boccaccio reflects on his own black death experiences. This happens in the intro of the work. Black death led to both vice and virtue. It reminded them of the fleeting nature of property and other concerns. The intro is valuable for historians of the plague. Stories matter for historians of literature: folklore and literature. Much of boccaccio"s content was from italian folklore. For most medieval writers, individual authorship wasn"t relevant. His stories are organized via specific themes for each day. Day 2 emphasizes the power of fortune over human will. Day 3 the will rises above: fortune and grace. His stories weigh in on the venerable debate over predestination and free will. He didn"t shy away from the vulgar or explicit aspects of life. It was too commonplace of medieval literature which was raunchy.
