Famous People in 14th Century Literature
*Boccaccio, Dante, Chaucer,*Petrarch, Christine de Pisan
Decameron
Boccaccio- Setting during the plague, 10 people leave Florence to tell stories for 10 days.
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Decameron sometimes called…
The Human Comedy, stories light hearted, but preface is dark as one who has seen and survived the plague!
Decameron Starts with
Preface to the Ladie’s- describes plague in gruesome detail
Dante Facts
-Loved study, wrote on origin and development of language, generalized knowledge, etc. – Banished from Florentine
Divine Comedy Sections
1.
Inferno2. Purgatory3. Paradise
Why called Divine Comedy?
– It ends happy (darkness to *Light*)- Use of Vernacular for serious topic.
Dante’s Comedy was written in
Opera Comique- a dialogue
Symbolism in Divine Comedy- What comes in 3’s?
*3’s!*- God Head1,2,3 Inferno, purg, pard.*100 Cantos* (3*33, plus introduction)*Terza Rima*=3 line stanzas with aba, bcb, etc.3 sins in inferno: incontinent, fraudulent(the worst), violent
Symbolism in relation to 3 sins in inferno
Satan- three heads, each chewing 3 traitors(the worst) Cassius, Judas, and Brutus
Crucial motif in Dante’s inferno
Light- the more, the closer to God
Vision of Satan
Satan up to chest in ice- far from GodHas 3 heads- grotesque form of trinity-he wanted to be like GodHas wings, they don’t work
Seven Deadly Sins (Giligan’s Island!
Gluttony, Lust, Sloth, Pride, Envy, Wrath, Greed
Contrapasso
Punishment fitting for crime
Characters in Dante
Virgil leads through InfernoBeatrice leads him through paradise
Pollo and Franchesca
Were met in the inferno because they had lust.
Canterbury tales
Group of travelers on Pilgrimage(traveling to avoid plague) They tell stories to pass the time.
In Chaucer’s Prologue, characters are described:
*Knight*- Perfect Person*Son of Knight*- Fall of chivalry*Nun*- described nicely*Parson*- worst char.
last (Chaucer didn’t agree with indulgences, thus he didn’t explain church people nicely.30 pilgrims
Great Vowel Shift
Keep medieval spelling, but change pronunciation. Lots of people moving to London- lots of dialects that combine?
Francesco Petrarch
– Tension between vision of God in eternity and individual quest for glory- Regarded Latin writings as most important writings.
However…His Vernacular writings are what make him famous
Petrarch and Boccaccio
Good Friends.
Petrarch wrote a letter to Boccaccio with regards to modernism (he didn’t like it). Doesn’t think modernism is as good as past ways.
Pisan
– One of Europe’s first female professional writers- Practical advice for women
