Questions:

Chat:

• Is the transition effective, moving from the graphic realism of describing historic events of the black death to telling mildly salacious stories?  What themes or values do you find continuous from the framing historical material into the stories?
• How realistic is Boccaccio's ideal liberal arts college in the countryside? Do you suspect that the tuition rate there would be higher than yours?  Historically, universities helped to subvert the power of the medieval church by graduating lawyers to do the work of nationalistic empire.  Does Boccaccio have trouble in imagining how his college fits into the real world; or how it might prepare its graduates for careers in this world?
• Does the caviler appropriation of religious terminology, using them to describe sexual acts in the story about putting the devil in hell -- does this effectively communicate the corruption of the church?  If the church is everywhere, in every facet of life, then it is difficult to perceive it as special or as offering a refuge & perspective on secular life.
• Did you find Boccaccio's values strange or challenging in the story of the homosexual?  By the end of the story, Boccaccio mildly rebukes the husband for violating Natural Law, but he is fairly tolerant about homosexuality.  He also turns the tables to support the wife's claim that she has a right to sexual satisfaction.  I assume that you are surprised by such secular frankness in a story from the 14th c.  What does this imply about religion or moral values at the time or about our stereotypical view of that time?
• What did you think after a first reading of the last story (the one about Griselda)?  Was the theme about her right to life obvious?  Did you object to the actions of the king at any point?  Does Boccaccio go too far in asking us to believe that a mother would so mildly consent to the murder of her daughter & then have another child with this man?  If Griselda fails as a believable fictional character, does this destroy the success of the story?

When you finish answering the questions, go to the Review above.