Survey World Literature I

Part I . Identification

Where did the Pilgrims meet

At an inn , called the Tabard

What was Petrarch 's great legacy to Renaissance European Literature 'The Italian Sonnet , which was later adapted by European literature , as well as his introduction of Italian as the Vernacular

What was the original language of Dantes poem

Latin , but changed it to Italian to gain a wider audience

Who is Niccolosa

In Novel VI of the Ninth Day , the protagonist Pinuccio falls in love with Niccolosa , a countryman 's daughter , who he successfully conspires to

sleep with . Complicating matters is the switch between the host and his friend , the former being the one Pinuccio brags to . Eventually however , the wife of the host smooth things over and convince her husband that Niccolosa had been with her all along

Why is Caesare Borgia important in the context of our course

Caesare Borgia was the bastard son of Pope Alexander VI , and in Renaissance Italy had led Papal forces to several victories against various Italian city-states . He was idealizesd as the embodiment of the quintessential Renaissance prince

From what city was Dante exiled

Florence , as he took part in the city 's political struggles

What unusual meal was served in The Decameron

In the story told in the First Day , Novel X , the ladies the leek to the lupin , the leek of which is distasteful and hardly edible In the leek , the ladies munched the leaves , which the protagonist found eccentric . In Novel V of the First Day the Marchioness , by way of a clever ruse she meant to play on the King of France , served a banquet of dishes of the same pullet , or hens

What is terza rima

The terza rima , or triple-line , was the structure , which Dante used to make his poems in each canto (song ) in the Divine Comedy . Each canto had three lines , and the second of this line rhymed with the first and third line of the next canto . In such a way , they were bound together and weaved into a continued song

What is the significance of the phrase , .Water !` in our reading selections

Dante portrayed Hell as a lake of fire , where sinners were subjected to various ignominies and punishments . Inferno was a dry , parched place

What was the `Sack of Rome` and how is it significant for our course

There had been several Sacks of Rome , beginning with Alaric in the late Roman Empire . The Muslims sacked it again in the 9th century , as did the Normans during the conflict between Pope Gregory VII and Henry IV The celebrated Sack of Rome , however , came with Charles V , Holy Roman Emperor , and inheritor of most of Europe . He had originally intended to remain loyal to the Papacy and Christendom , but following Pope Clement 's alliance with his rival Francis I , he sent a German army to sack the Christian capital

What event motivated Boccaccio to write The Decameron

Black Death

Who were the `Guelphs ?`

Rivals...