Boccaccio's Decameron: Plague Stories Forged a Humanist Awakening
Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron, written in the wake of the 1348 Black Death, transformed fortune from a divine agent into a humanist challenge. Born in 1313 in Florence or Certaldo, Boccaccio was the illegitimate son of a wealthy merchant. He worked at the Bardi Bank in Naples, mingling with aristocracy and studying classical authors. Forced to return to Florence after the bank's bankruptcy in 1340, he witnessed the plague's devastation. The Decameron features ten young Florentines fleeing to Fiesole, telling 100 tales over ten days. Key themes include Fortuna and Amore, with human ingenuity (industria) celebrated over divine providence. The work broke with medieval sensibilities, laying groundwork for Renaissance humanism. Boccaccio died in 1375, a year after Petrarch.
Key facts
- Boccaccio was born in 1313 in Florence or Certaldo.
- He worked at the Bardi Bank in Naples from age 13.
- The Bardi Bank bankrupted in 1340, forcing his return to Florence.
- His father died during the 1348 Black Death.
- The Decameron comprises 100 novellas told over ten days.
- Ten young people (seven women, three men) flee to Fiesole.
- The work celebrates human ingenuity against fortune.
- Francesco De Sanctis called it a 'Human Comedy'.
Entities
Artists
- Giovanni Boccaccio
- Dante Alighieri
- Francesco Petrarch
- Geoffrey Chaucer
- Andrea del Castagno
- Gustave Wappers
- Franz Xaver Winterhalter
- John William Waterhouse
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Francesco De Sanctis
- Boccaccio di Chiellino
- Margherita de' Mardoli
- Beatrice
- Virgil
Institutions
- Bardi Bank
- Angevine court
- Uffizi Gallery
- Fine Arts Museum Belgium
- Liechtenstein Museum
- Lady Lever Art Gallery
- Kunsthistorisches Museum
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Accademia di Belle Arte
- Catholic Church
- Sotheby's
Locations
- Florence
- Italy
- Certaldo
- Naples
- Fiesole
- Avignon
- Asia
- Europe
- Mediterranean region
- Milan
- Bruxelles
- Liechtenstein
- Liverpool
- Vienna
- London