Paper Topic:

The Decameron

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio

Introduction (including thesis statement

Written in 1350-1353 (est , The Decameron is a collection of 100 tales or novellas by author Giovanni Boccaccio . It is a medieval allegorical work known for its bawdy tales of love from erotic to the tragic to the mundane

This will explore Giovanni Boccaccio 's views on women using some of the tales of love he concocted in his time

Proto-feminist vs . Misogynistic

This compilation was actually inspired by women- being Boccaccio 's muse It permits women to speak their minds

and these simple acts grant women some degree of autonomy . It acknowledges women 's sexual desires and frustrations and forgives women for obtaining satisfaction in sating their needs . Chastity is a not a virtue . There are very strong female characters in this work . This is the proto-feminist side of The Decameron

There is another side . The misogynistic side of this book is that there are tales of men abusing women . Beating them , hurting them , embarrassing them and worst- eating them for breakfast , literally

From reading The Decameron , it is difficult to give an assessment of which is the better side of the author . Below are a few stories from the Decameron that might help us understand Boccaccio 's views on women

Day 1

Introduction

The Introduction of The Decameron basically just told of how young people decided to escape the confines of medieval Christian civilization and decided to have a glorious time in the countryside . They decided each to...

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