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How did Boccaccio influence the Renaissance

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==Introduction==The Renaissance was one of the most important periods in the history of the western world. This era saw the development of the modern conception of the individual, the emergence of humanism and new forms of cultural expression, all of which influence us to this day[[File:Boccaccio 1. There are many important figures in this era which lasted roughly two centuries (1320-1527 AD), who contributed to the Renaissance and the revival jpg|190px|thumb|left|Statue of European culture. These included great artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo and great writers such as Petrarch, Dante, and Machiavelli. One writer who made a dramatic contribution to the Renaissance was Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375), although his contribution is often neglected. This article argues that Boccaccio was an important figure in the development of HumanismUffizi Gallery, the Italian language and the development of modern literature. Florence]]__NOTOC__
[File: Boccaccio 1The Renaissance was one of the most important periods in the history of the western world.jpg|200px|thumb|left| Statue This era saw the development of the modern conception of Boccaccio the individual, the emergence of humanism, and new forms of cultural expression, all of which influence us to this day. There are many important figures in this era which lasted roughly two centuries (1320-1527 AD), who contributed to the Uffizi Gallery, Florence]]Renaissance and the revival of European culture.
==The life of Giovanni Boccaccio==The future writer was born in a village outside of the city of Florence These included great artists such as Michelangelo and he was the son of Boccaccio de Chellino, a wealthy merchant Leonardo and banker, who was employed by the famous Bardi Bank. It appears that Boccaccio was born outside of marriage and he was raised by his father and legitimized. The young boy received an excellent education and was tutored in Latin and his father also gave him some business training. From an early age, the young Giovanni was determined to be a poet. His father moved to Naples and worked great writers such as a financial advisor to the king and Boccaccio was familiar with the Neapolitan Court. The young man was obliged to become an apprentice bankerPetrarch, which he hatedDante, but he was able to meet many writers and scholars <ref>Bartlett, Kenneth RMachiavelli. The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance. Toronto: D.C. Heath and Company, 1992, p 42-43)</ref>. It was about this time that he became interested in the mythology of the Greeks and the Romans. The young man would regularly attend the Royal Court and he fell in love with the young daughter of the king, One writer who inspired some of his later works, but his passion was not requited. Boccaccio’s first efforts were in poetry and he was much influenced by the Sicilian School <ref>Bartlett, p 42</ref>. He wrote made a long poem, Il Filostrato, and Teseida, which represented his emotional turmoil caused by his unrequited love for the King’s daughter. In 1340 the Bardi Bank collapsed, and this causes a European wide financial crisis, which forced Boccaccio dramatic contribution to return to Florence, leaving his beloved in Naples. It was at this time that he grew as a writer and wrote a traditional medieval style Romance in verse, In the Elegy of Lady Fiammetta, which has some of his finest poetry. The young writer traveled throughout Italy at this time and he appears to escape the Black Death unscathed (1347-1350). The plague killed up to one-third of the population of Italy and the devastation it caused, deeply impacted Boccaccio’s writings. The Black Death Renaissance was directly the inspiration for his greatest work the Decameron, which was written between 1348-1353 <ref> Mc William, G.H.: 1995, Introduction to The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, Penguin Classics, Suffolk England, 1995(1313–1375), p 5</ref>although his contribution is often neglected. This is a large prose work and it is a collection of short stories or Nouvelles. It article argues that Boccaccio was an instant sensation and has remained so to this day. Boccaccio came to regret his masterpiece and after completing it he seemed to have experienced some form of crisis. In important figure in the 1350s he met Petrarch and the two men became friends’ and each influenced the works development of Humanism, the other. In the 1350s Boccaccio wrote the biography of Dante and went on to write a collection of biographies On Famous Women and On Famous MenItalian language, which was very popular. He also wrote a work on classical mythology and this is considered to be one of the first studies development of myth ever produced. In 1362 during a religious crisis, he met a monk who told him to abandon modern literature and to burn his extensive library, for the sake of his soul <ref>McWilliam, p 4</ref>. Thankfully, Petrarch intervened and persuaded Boccaccio to follow his vocation as a writer and scholar. His native Florence recognized his talents and he was appointed as a public lecturer on the works of the great Dante. He also because of the influence of his great friend Petrarch, became a diplomat and he was engaged on diplomatic missions throughout Europe. As he grew old he returned to his native Tuscany and lived in the village of Certaldo, until his death in 1375.[File: Boccaccio 3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Florence]]
 ====The life of Giovanni Boccaccio and the birth of the Novel====Despite writing a great deal of poetry [[File: Boccaccio is best known for his prose and he is acknowledge to be one 3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Florence]]The future writer was born in a village outside of the masters city of Italian prose. The Florentine Florence, and he was one of the founders son of Boccaccio de Chellino, a wealthy merchant and banker, who was employed by the modern novel and his most famous work is the DecameronBardi Bank. This work begins with a vivid description It appears that Boccaccio was born outside of the Black Death marriage and he was raised by his father and provides one of history’s most terrifying accounts of societal breakdown <ref> Bowsky, William Mlegitimized. The Black Death: A Turning Point young boy received an excellent education and was tutored in History (Hold Rinehart & WinstonLatin, New Yorkand his father also gave him some business training. From an early age, 1971), pthe young Giovanni was determined to be a poet. 13</ref>. Following this, the reader is introduced His father moved to Naples and worked as a company of young people who flee financial advisor to the plague in the city to the safety of king and Boccaccio was familiar with the countrysideNeapolitan Court. The novel consists of 100 tales that are told by seven young women and three young menman was obliged to become an apprentice banker, which he hated, but he was able to meet many writers and scholars. The tales<ref>Bartlett, often love stories, range from the romantic to the eroticKenneth R. The Decameron was not just a collection of love stories they provide an overview of the human condition[https://www.amazon. The characters in the story came from all classes com/gp/product/1442604859/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1442604859&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=c3d374ea225865ed2995e8921320d0f6 The Civilization of the Early Italian Renaissance .] Toronto: D.C. Heath and many feature nuns, priests and monks <ref>McWilliamCompany, 1992, p 642-43)</ref>It was about this time that he became interested in the mythology of the Greeks and the Romans.  The stories are all based on folk tales from Italy, Franceyoung man would regularly attend the Royal Court, and as far away as India, but skilfully adapted by he fell in love with the Florentine. All young daughter of the stories are king, who inspired some of his later works, but his passion was unrequited. Boccaccio’s first efforts were in Italian and they are all very realistic poetry, and he was much influenced by the characters behave in Sicilian School.<ref>, Bartlett, p 42</ref> He wrote a very natural way. This is one of the reasons why the Decameron is still read and admired to this day as it delightful captures the range of human emotionslong poem, strengthsIl Filostrato, and weaknessesTeseida, which represented his emotional turmoil caused by his unrequited love for the King’s daughter. The tales in the Decameron had many admirers In 1340 the Bardi Bank collapsed, and influenced many writers throughout the Renaissance this creates a European financial crisis, which forced Boccaccio to return to Florence, leaving his beloved in Italy and beyondNaples. The work It was at this time that he grew as a writer and wrote a traditional medieval style Romance in verse, In the inspiration for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales WrightElegy of Lady Fiammetta, one which has some of the first great works in the canon of English literature<ref>Herbert Ghis most beautiful poetry. Boccaccio in England: From Chaucer  The young writer traveled throughout Italy at this time, and he appears to Tennyson escape the Black Death unscathed (London, A&C Black, 20141347-1350), p 13</ref>. Many The plague killed up to one-third of the tales in population of Italy and the 14th-century work were adapted by dramatists of the stature of Shakespearedevastation it caused, Lope De Vega, and Molieredeeply impacted Boccaccio’s writings. The Florentine’s work Black Death was a shift away from Medieval Romances to literary realismdirectly the inspiration for his most celebrated work the [https://www.amazon. He demonstrated that prose could capture the complexity of humans and their situations and while poetry remained the dominant mode of literary expressioncom/gp/product/0140449302/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0140449302&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=c9aa7bd74453a31a3ad010c425b948eb Decameron], after the Decameronwhich was written between 1348-1353.<ref> Mc William, literary prose became more popular and widely acceptedG.H. : 1995, Introduction to The second great Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, Penguin Classics, Suffolk England, 1995), p 5</ref> This is a large prose work of Boccaccio , and it is the Elegy a collection of Lady Fiammetta (1345-1347) short stories or Nouvelles. It was an instant sensation and has remained so to this is regarded as the world’s first psychological novelday. This work is in the Boccaccio came to regret his masterpiece, and after completing it, he seemed to have experienced some form of a monologue by a young woman narrating her tragic love for a young merchantcrisis. Boccaccio’s work was unlike anything else written before  In the 1350s, he met Petrarch and its psychological realism was a radical departure from medieval literature where characters were stereotypes the two men became friends and not individualseach influenced the works of the other. In the 1350s Boccaccio inspired many writers to abandon allegory, so typical wrote the biography of the Middle Ages Dante and adopt went on to write a realist style collection of writing portraits <refi>On Famous Women and On Famous Men</i> Burckhardt, Jacobwhich was very popular. He also wrote a work on classical mythology, The Civilization and this is considered to be one of the Renaissance in Italy (Londonfirst studies of myth ever produced. In 1362 during a religious crisis, Penguin Bookshe met a monk who told him to abandon literature and to burn his extensive library, 1987)for the sake of his soul.<ref>McWilliam, p 674</ref>. The Florentine  Thankfully, Petrarch intervened and persuaded Boccaccio to follow his vocation as a writer and scholar. His native Florence recognized his talents, and he was also one appointed as a public lecturer on the works of the first biographers and his work on the Life of great Dante is one of the first literary biographies. His potted accounts He also because of the lives influence of famous people also decisively shaped the Renaissance tradition of biographyhis great friend Petrarch, for examplebecame a diplomat and was engaged on diplomatic missions throughout Europe. As he grew old, Vasari’s Lives of he returned to his native Tuscany and lived in the Artists. The impact village of Boccaccio on literature Certaldo, until his death in Europe cannot be overstated <ref>McWilliams, p 4</ref>1375. [File: ====Boccaccio 2.jpgFile and the birth of the Novel====[[File:Boccaccio 3.pngjpg|200px350px|thumb|left| A 15th century painting of a scene from the DecameronFlorence]]==Boccaccio and Despite writing a great deal of poetry==Today the poetry of , Boccaccio is only read by academics best known for his prose, and his fame as a poet has long since been eclipsed by his works in he is acknowledged to be one of the masters of Italian prose. However, he Florentine was a fine poet and he decidedly shaped one of the direction founders of Renaissance poetry in both Italy the modern novel, and elsewhere. He helped to popularise many rhymes and verse forms especially his most famous work is the Octavo stanzasDecameron. Moreover, it appears that he introduced Petrarch to This work begins with a vivid description of the works Black Death and provides one of the Sicilian School which had developed innovative stanza formshistory’s most terrifying accounts of societal breakdown. Many believe that this inspired Petrarch to develop his own form of the sonnet <ref>McWilliamsBowsky, p 7</ref>William M. Boccaccio wrote many long narrative poems’ The Black Death: A Turning Point in History (Holt Rinehart & Winston, and this inspired many poets throughout EuropeNew York, including Chaucer1971), p. His long poems such as 13</ref>  Boccaccio then introduces the Il Filostrato had many imitators, and indeed this work was reader to a company of young people who fled the plague in the city to the safety of the basis for Shakespeare’s tragedy Troilus and Cressidacountryside. The poet’s works novel consists of 100 tales that are often categorized as belonging told by seven young women and three young men. The tales, often love stories, range from the romantic to the ‘Courtly Love’ tradition and his verse popularized this form erotic. The Decameron was not just a collection of love stories; they provide an overview of self-expression, throughout the European realmshuman condition. Boccaccio’s poetry was very much focused on The characters in the personal and the emotional lives story came from all classes of the individual Early Renaissance, and their ambitionsmany feature nuns, hopespriests, and sorrowsmonks.<ref>BurckhardtMcWilliam, p. 1136</ref>. This was something that inspired many to adopt a more personal style of verse which had a great impact  The stories are all based on European culture folk tales from Italy, France, and as far away as India, but skilfully adapted by the 14th century to Florentine. All of the present.==Influence on Humanism==Boccaccio was stories are in Italian, and they are all very much interested in realistic, and the classical past and can be considered to be characters behave in a very natural way. This is one of the great mediators between reasons why the classical world Decameron is still read and Renaissance Italy. His encyclopedia on classical myths did much to generate interest admired to this day as it delightful captures the range of human emotions, strengths, and weaknesses. The tales in Ancient history the Decameron had many admirers and culture influenced numerous writers throughout the Renaissance in Italy and persuaded many to study Greek-Roman civilizationbeyond. Boccaccio The work was like his friend Petrarch fascinated by the classical past and he popularized inspiration for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, one of the first great works of Homer in Florence and this persuaded many to study the works canon of the poet who sang of the destruction of Troy and the adventures of OdysseusEnglish literature.<ref>Herbert G. Boccaccio was one of the first Italians who celebrated the Greeks and their culture, especially in his role as a public lecturer. The Florentine was a deeply religious manEngland: From Chaucer to Tennyson (London, A&C Black, but he saw value in this life and believed that earthly pleasure was not inherently sinful. There is a real delight in nature and people 2014), p 13</ref> Many of the tales in the works on the writer 14th-century work were adapted by dramatists of the stature of Shakespeare, Lope De Vega, and he stressed that everyone was an individual <ref>Burckhardt, p 19</ref>Moliere.  Boccaccio’s work was a shift away from Medieval Romances to literary realism. In his works, his characters are struggling with circumstances He demonstrated that prose could capture the complexity of humans and using their reason situations, and foresight to improve their lot in life. In his main workwhile poetry remained the dominant mode of literary expression, after the Decameron, he shows young people enjoying literary prose became more popular and celebrating life despite the fact that the Black Death widely accepted. The second extraordinary work of Boccaccio is raging all around them <refi>The Elegy of Lady Fiammetta</i> Steel(1345-1347), David. "Plague writing: from Boccaccio to Camusand this is regarded as the world’s first psychological novel." Journal This work is in the form of European Studies 11, noa monologue by a young woman narrating her tragic love for a young merchant. 42 (1981): 88-110 </ref>. The Decameron Boccaccio’s work was influential in promoting the humanistic worldview in the Renaissance. ==Vernacular literature==Boccaccio unlike anything else written before, and its psychological realism was determined to make Italian a respected literary languageradical departure from medieval literature where characters were stereotypes and not individuals. Until the start  Boccaccio inspired many writers to abandon allegory, so typical of the 14th centuryMiddle Ages, Italian was not considered to be and adopt a vehicle for literary expressionrealist style of writing. Latin was the language of the literary elite and the vernacular languages were not rated highly. Beginning with Dante the use <ref> Burckhardt, Jacob, The Civilization of the vernacular became more accepted Renaissance in poetry. What Dante did for poetryItaly (London, Penguin Books, 1987), Boccaccio did for prose. He used his native Tuscan and p 67</ref> The Florentine was able to make it capable also one of great descriptive power the first biographers and expressionhis work on the Life of Dante is one of the first literary biographies. He sought to create an Italian that was as concise as Latin and his prose does have this quality. The quality His potted accounts of the prose lives of famous people also decisively shaped the Florentine and its precision and elegance demonstrated that Italian was the equal Renaissance tradition of biography, for example, Vasari’s Lives of the language of Cicero and HoraceArtists. Boccaccio’s Decameron Boccaccio's impact on literature in particular was read around Europe and it inspired other authors to write in their native language and shun LatinEurope cannot be overstated. The author contributed to one of the most significant changes in Europe wrought by the Renaissance and that was the adoption of the Vernacular language for literary expression<<ref>McWilliams, p 4</ref> Brotton, J., The Renaissance: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, OUP, 2006), p 19</ref>.   ==Conclusion==Boccaccio was one of and poetry====Today the three great writers poetry of the early Renaissance who decisively shaped its direction. He along with Dante Boccaccio is only read by academics and his fame as a poet has long since been eclipsed by his works in prose. However, he was a fine poet and Petrarch laid he decidedly shaped the foundations for the literature direction of this period not only Renaissance poetry in both Italy but also throughout Europeand elsewhere. Boccaccio was a great writer and he He helped to elevate prose popularise many rhymes and made verse forms especially the Octavo stanzas. Moreover, it a vehicle for literary appears that he introduced Petrarch to the works. He was also critical in the development of the novel and he shifted literature away from allegory and romance Sicilian School which had developed innovative stanza forms. Many believe that this inspired Petrarch to a more realistic approach. His emphasis on the psychology of develop his characters. and by describing individuals in social settings he changed the direction own form of literature and this is evident in the prose and drama of the periodsonnet. While best known as a prose writer he helped to develop new techniques for poetic expression <ref>McWilliams, p 7</ref> Boccaccio wrote many long narrative poems,’ and his narrative this inspired many poets throughout Europe, including Chaucer. His long poems found such as the Il Filostrato had many imitators. Like many other intellectuals of the time, he did not believe that , and indeed this life work was a vale of tears but had meaning and joy, as evident in the characters basis for Shakespeare’s tragedy Troilus and the stories of the DecameronCressida.  The author was critical in poet’s works are often categorized as belonging to the development ‘Courtly Love’ tradition and his verse popularized this form of Italian as a literary language and this, in turnself-expression, influenced many throughout Europe to write in their mother tongue and this ultimately led to the establishment of national literatureEuropean realms. Boccaccio’s poetry was very much focused on the personal and the emotional lives of the individual and their ambitions, hopes, and sorrows. ==Further Reading==Lewis<ref>Burckhardt, Clive Staplesp. The discarded image: An introduction 113</ref> This was something that inspired many to medieval and renaissance adopt a more personal style of verse which had a great impact on European culture from the 14th century to the present. ====Influence on Humanism====[[File:Boccaccio 2.jpg |250px|thumb|left| A 15th century painting of a scene from the Decameron]]Boccaccio was very much interested in the classical past and can be considered to be one of the great mediators between the classical world and Renaissance Italy. His encyclopedia on classical myths did much to generate interest in Ancient history and culture and persuaded many to study Greek-Roman civilization. Boccaccio was like his friend Petrarch fascinated by the classical past, and he popularized the works of Homer in Florence, and this persuaded many to study the works of the poet who sang of the destruction of Troy and the adventures of Odysseus. Boccaccio was one of the first Italians who celebrated the Greeks and their culture, especially in his role as a public lecturer.  Boccaccio was a deeply religious man, but he saw value in this life and believed that earthly pleasure was not inherently sinful. There is a real delight in nature and people in the works of the writer, and he stressed that everyone was an individual.<ref>Burckhardt, p. 19</ref> In his works, his characters are struggling with circumstances and using their reason and foresight to improve their lot in life. In his main work, he shows young people enjoying and celebrating life even though the Black Death is raging all around them.<ref> Steel, David. "Plague writing: from Boccaccio to Camus." Journal of European Studies 11, no. 42 (1981): 88-110</ref> The Decameron was influential in promoting the humanistic worldview in the Renaissance. ====Vernacular literature ====<dh-ad/>Boccaccio was determined to make Italian a respected literary language. Until the start of the 14th century, Italian was not considered to be a vehicle for literary expression. Latin was the language of the literary elite and the vernacular languages were not rated highly. Beginning with Dante the use of the vernacular became more accepted in poetry. What Dante did for poetry, Boccaccio did for prose. He used his native Tuscan and was able to make it capable of great descriptive power and expression. He sought to create an Italian that was as concise as Latin and his prose does have this quality.  The quality of the prose, its precision, and elegance demonstrated that Italian was the equal of Latin. Boccaccio’s Decameron, in particular, was read around Europe and it inspired other authors to write in their native language and shun Latin. The author contributed to one of the most significant changes in Europe wrought by the Renaissance and that was the adoption of the vernacular languages for literary expression.<ref> Brotton, J., [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0192801635/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0192801635&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=2a9f28aad8d467196202eaadfbb16846 The Renaissance: A Very Short Introduction] (Oxford, OUP, 2006), p 19</ref> ====Conclusion====Boccaccio was one of the three great writers of the early Renaissance who decisively shaped its direction. He along with Dante and Petrarch laid the foundations for the literature of this period not only in Italy but also throughout Europe. Boccaccio was a great writer and he helped to elevate prose and made it a vehicle for literary works. He was also critical in the development of the novel and he shifted literature away from allegory and romance to a more realistic approach. His emphasis on the psychology of his characters and by describing individuals in social settings changed the direction of literature and this is evident in the prose and drama of the period. While best known as a prose writer he helped to develop new techniques for poetic expression and his narrative poems found many imitators.  Like many other intellectuals of the time, he did not believe that this life was a vale of tears but had meaning and joy, as evident in the characters and the stories of the Decameron. The author was critical in the development of Italian as a literary language and this, in turn, influenced many throughout Europe to write in their mother tongue and this ultimately led to the establishment of national literature. ====Further Reading====Lewis, Clive Staples. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1107604702/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1107604702&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=7e401d88097e078de0524cb64327751b The discarded image: An introduction to medieval and renaissance literature] (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1994).
Kallendorf, Craig. "The rhetorical criticism of literature in early Italian humanism from Boccaccio to Landino." Rhetorica 1, no. 2 (1983): 33-59.
Mazzotta, Giuseppe. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691610878/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0691610878&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=e742cd3c0a062f529a1871a3358e157d The World at Play in Boccaccio's Decameron]. (Princeton University Press, 2014){{MediaWiki:AmNative}} ====References====<references/> {{Contributors}}[[Category:Wikis]] [[Category:Renaissance History]] [[Category:Italian History]]

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