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Giovanni Boccaccio AP English Literature Gabi Mark Period 3

Giovanni Boccaccio

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Giovanni Boccaccio. AP English Literature Gabi Mark Period 3. Early Life. Boccaccio was born in 1313 to an unknown woman and B occaccino di Chellino He grew up in Florence, and was dissatisfied with his life there, largely because of his father’s pressure to engage in business - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Giovanni Boccaccio

Giovanni BoccaccioAP English LiteratureGabi MarkPeriod 3

Page 2: Giovanni Boccaccio

Early LifeBoccaccio was born in 1313 to an unknown woman and Boccaccino di ChellinoHe grew up in Florence, and was dissatisfied with his life there, largely because of his father’s pressure to engage in businessHis father, a merchant, did not approve of his interest in literature and sent him to learn business in Naples

Page 3: Giovanni Boccaccio

Time In NaplesWhile in Naples, Boccaccio observed the aristocracy and social structure that revolved around chivalry and feudalismHe took up the study of canon law and became acquainted with the intellectuals In Naples he found inspiration for what would soon be one of his beloved characters, Fiammeta. It is believed her name was Maria, and that she was the daughter of King Robert and a count of Aquino-though there is no proof that she existed

Page 4: Giovanni Boccaccio

Early WritingsIn 1340 Boccaccio’s father called him back to Florence because of his recent bankruptcyBoccacio had already compiled works in Naples to bring back with him to Florence, some of the more notable pieces are: Il filocolo (“The Love Afflicted”), El filostrato (“The Love Struck), and Teseida.These works revolved around themes of chivalry and love, though he added his own twist to writing that reflected his own observations and insights

Page 5: Giovanni Boccaccio

Boccaccio’s StyleBoccaccio sought to present the feudal era as ideal and glorious by a display of learning and rhetorical embellishments

He also popularized ottava rima, the verse meter used by minstrels, which would become the preffered method of Italian verse

The subject of medieval life was not revolutionary, but it is the way Boccaccio treated his characters, that was different

In Federigo’s Falcon, a tale from Boccaccio’s Decameron, a man strives with fortune, but learns to overcome the superficiality, and becomes truly noble. This concept of accepting consequences, circumstances, obstacles and achieving a a virtuous life is entirely humanistic, and characteristic of Boccaccio

His unique approach to literature generated interest in his works and his writing style, in particular, the Decameron sparked excitement

Page 6: Giovanni Boccaccio

The Decameron “Ten Days Work”

Written in 1358, Boccaccio narrates the story of seven women and three men who live in a country villa for ten days after escaping the plague in FlorenceThe individuals decide that they will alternate as king or queen and the ruler shall decide their activities for the day, one of these activities being storytellingThese stories amount to 100 in all, and each story ends with a conzone- a song. These songs make up some of Boccaccio’s finest lyric poetryThe dominant theme in the work reflects his observations of the refined bourgeoisie, and he weaves many moral lessons concerning fidelity, humility, avarice, and compassion This particular work influenced writers from different regions and eras.

Page 7: Giovanni Boccaccio

Boccaccio’s InfluenceShakespeare, and Geoffrey Chaucer are among the many writers to have borrowed Boccaccio’s stylePoets George Elliot, Alfred Lord Tennyson, John Keats, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow have all written poems around the Decameron

19th-century critic Francesco De Sanctis regarded the Decameron as a “Human Comedy”, and Boccaccio as the pioneer of a new moral order that would supersede the middle ages

Page 8: Giovanni Boccaccio

Later Life And DeathIn 1370 Boccaccio took a final trip to Naples, and then retired in CertaldoHe became troubled by obesity, scabies, and high feversAlso in a state of financial trouble, and after learning of the death of his friend, the poet Petrarch, Boccaccio wrote poems with a more somber and critical toneHe died in 1375 at his home in Certaldo

Page 9: Giovanni Boccaccio

Bibliography“Boccaccio’s Life and Works”. Decameron Web. Brown U, 12 March 2010. http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/boccaccio/life1_en.php Giovanni Boccaccio". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2013<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/70836/Giovanni-Boccaccio>." Giovanni Boccaccio." 2012. FamousAuthors.org 30 January, <http://www.famousauthors.org/giovanni-boccaccioImage:Boccaccio01.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boccaccio01.jpgImage: Giovanni Boccaccio and Florentines who have fled from the plague.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Giovanni_Boccaccio_and_Florentines_who_have_fled_from_the_plague.jpgImage: Boccaccio Altonensis 1.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boccaccio_Altonensis_1.jpg