The text under consideration is The Decameron, written by Giovanni Boccaccio in the middle of the fourteenth century when Europe was affected by one of the most devastating epidemics of the Middle Ages. The exact number of the deceased has not been estimated so far, but some researchers note that up to 60% of the population of Europe died.1 The intended audience of this pastoral novel was rather wide and included the nobility and wealthy people who could read (or listen to) the story. The author wrote that the purpose of the book was to entertain noble ladies who had to endure the hardships of their female life, but the real purpose was more complex.2 Boccaccio stated that he wanted to provide comfort to women who “harbour secret fires of love” and have to follow numerous rules and conventions.3 The author attempted to describe the life of different people who lived during that period and the values, as well as vices, that were common. The author ridiculed some groups (including but not confined to the clergy, peasants, and merchants) for their immoral behaviors and inappropriate desires.
The book can be seen as an illustration of the daily lives and values of Europeans who lived in the Renaissance. It is clear that noble people had sufficient resources to escape from the plague and spend a lot of leisure time in pleasures. They could enjoy their lives and tell the stories about other groups with the focus on certain aspects of their lives and the moral or ethical issues. As for the values that existed at that period, they were quite similar to the ones that are common at present. The author revealed his positive attitude towards those characterized by honesty, kindness, compassion, readiness to help, generosity, courage, and being virtuous (sincere, decent, and righteous).4 Similar qualities are highly valued these days, and the major difference between the described and present-day ideas and values are related to religion. People who lived in the Renaissance practiced a religion that played a significant part in their lives, while modern people are more secular. However, the major moral standards have remained unchanged for Europeans for centuries, which is described in Boccaccio’s novel.
In addition, to learning more about the values of the society of that age, the book, as well as any other fictional text, can be useful for historical inquiry. Clearly, the author describes some habits, behaviors, and other peculiarities of different groups. At the same time, it is also possible to explore some political and economic, social, and cultural trends. For instance, the author describes the roles different social layers played. However, it is important to remember that fictional texts do not provide facts exclusively as authors tend to display facts through the prism of their worldviews. When reading The Decameron, the audience should remember about the author’s negative attitude towards the clergy. The author also paid attention to some parts of humans’ lives, leaving many things behind. At the same time, historians should examine fictional writings to gain more insights into the values that existed at different times. Authors also describe events and reveal their attitudes, so the overall perspectives of the people who lived at certain periods become apparent. All this information is important for understanding human society, events, and trends that existed during diverse epochs.
Bibliography
Andrei, Filippo. Boccaccio the Philosopher: An Epistemology of the Decameron. Cham: Springer, 2017.
Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. Portland: The Floating Press, 2015.
Holmes, Olivia. “Decameron 5.8: From Compassion to Compliancy.” I Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance 22, no. 1 (2019): 21-36.
Hunt, Lynn, Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein, and Bonnie G. Smith. The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015.
Footnotes
- Lynn Hunt, Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein, and Bonnie G. Smith, The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures (New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015), 412.
- Olivia Holmes, “Decameron 5.8: From Compassion to Compliancy,” I Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance 22, no. 1 (2019): 21.
- Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron (Portland: The Floating Press, 2015), 16.
- Filippo Andrei, Boccaccio the Philosopher: An Epistemology of the Decameron (Cham: Springer, 2017), 183.