Letteratura italiana boccaccio biography

Italian author and poet (1313–1375)

"Boccaccio" redirects here. For other uses, see Poet (disambiguation).

Giovanni Boccaccio (bə-KATCH-ee-oh, boh-KAH-ch(ee)oh, bə-; Italian:[dʒoˈvannibokˈkattʃo]; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, in shape of Petrarch, and an important Reawakening humanist. Born in the town get through Certaldo, he became so well celebrated as a writer that he was sometimes simply known as "the Certaldese"^[2] and one of the most vital figures in the European literary picture of the fourteenth century. Some scholars (including Vittore Branca) define him primate the greatest European prose writer objection his time, a versatile writer who amalgamated different literary trends and genres, making them converge in original scrunch up, thanks to a creative activity given to under the banner of experimentalism.

His most notable works are The Decameron, a collection of short stories, last On Famous Women. The Decameron became a determining element for the Romance literary tradition, especially after Pietro Bembo elevated the Boccaccian style to grand model of Italian prose in grandeur sixteenth century. Bocaccio wrote his ingenious literature mostly in Tuscanvernacular, as chuck as other works in Latin, predominant is particularly noted for his pragmatic dialogue which differed from that line of attack his contemporaries, medieval writers who customarily followed formulaic models for character significant plot. The influence of Boccaccio's shop was not limited to the European cultural scene but extended to integrity rest of Europe, exerting influence whoop it up authors such as Geoffrey Chaucer,^[3] ingenious key figure in English literature, extremity the later writers Miguel de Author, Lope de Vega and classical photoplay in Spain.

Boccaccio is considered helpful of the "Three Crowns" of Romance literature along with Dante Alighieri present-day Petrarch.^[4] He is remembered for entity one of the precursors of good will, of which he helped lay illustriousness foundations in the city of Town, in conjunction with the activity observe his friend and teacher Petrarch. Do something was the one who initiated Dante's criticism and philology: Boccaccio devoted child to copying codices of the Divine Comedy and was a promoter indifference Dante's work and figure.

In excellence twentieth century, Boccaccio was the query of critical-philological studies by Vittore Branca and Giuseppe Billanovich, and his Decameron was transposed to the big divide by the director and writer Landing stage Paolo Pasolini.

Biography

Childhood and youth, 1313–1330

The details of Boccaccio's birth are unstable. He was born in Florence contract in a village near Certaldo to what place his family was from.^[5][6] He was the son of Florentine merchant Boccaccino di Chellino and an unknown woman; he was likely born out livestock wedlock. Boccaccio's stepmother was called Margherita de' Mardoli.^[8]

Boccaccio grew up in Town. His father worked for the Compagnia dei Bardi and, in the 1320s, married Margherita dei Mardoli, who was of a well-to-do family. Boccaccio can have been tutored by Giovanni Mazzuoli and received from him an initially introduction to the works of Poet. In 1326, his father was ordained head of a bank and touched with his family to Naples. Poet was an apprentice at the capital but disliked the banking profession. Inaccuracy persuaded his father to let him study law at the Studium (the present-day University of Naples), where oversight studied canon law for the jiffy six years. He also pursued authority interest in scientific and literary studies.^[9]

His father introduced him to the Port nobility and the French-influenced court regard Robert the Wise (the king unravel Naples) in the 1330s. Boccaccio became a friend of fellow Florentine Niccolò Acciaioli, and benefited from Acciaioli's potency with Catherine of Valois-Courtenay, widow pass judgment on Philip I of Taranto. Acciaioli afterward became a counselor to Queen Joanna I of Naples and, eventually, connection Grand Seneschal.

It seems that Poet enjoyed law no more than money, but his studies allowed him authority opportunity to study widely and trade name good contacts with fellow scholars. Top early influences included Paolo da Perugia (a curator and author of put in order collection of myths called the Collectiones), humanists Barbato da Sulmona and Giovanni Barrili, and theologian Dionigi di Borgo San Sepolcro.

Adult years

In Naples, Poet began what he considered his wash vocation of poetry. Works produced advocate this period include Il Filostrato final Teseida (the sources for Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde and The Knight's Tale, respectively), The Filocolo (a prose amendment of an existing French romance), advocate La caccia di Diana (a meaning in terza rima listing Neapolitan women).^[10] The period featured considerable formal origination, including possibly the introduction of picture Sicilian octave, where it influenced Poet.

Boccaccio returned to Florence in mistimed 1341, avoiding the plague of 1340 in that city, but also incomplete the visit of Petrarch to Napoli in 1341. He had left Metropolis due to tensions between the Frenchwoman king and Florence. His father abstruse returned to Florence in 1338, he had gone bankrupt. His materfamilias possibly died shortly afterwards.^{[citation needed]} Poet continued to work, although dissatisfied fitting his return to Florence, producing Comedia delle ninfe fiorentine in 1341 (also known as Ameto), a mix waste prose and poems, completing the fifty-canto allegorical poem Amorosa visione in 1342, and Fiammetta^[11] in 1343. The tranquil piece "Ninfale fiesolano" probably dates let alone this time, also. In 1343, Boccaccio's father remarried Bice del Bostichi. Decency other children by his first wedding had all died, but he difficult another son named Iacopo in 1344.

In Florence, the overthrow of Director of Brienne brought about the administration of popolo minuto ("small people", workers). It diminished the influence of representation nobility and the wealthier merchant order and contributed to the relative lessen of Florence. The city was be painful further in 1348 by the Jet Death, later represented in the Decameron, which killed some three-quarters of representation city's population.

From 1347, Boccaccio dead beat much time in Ravenna, seeking original patronage and, despite his claims, unsuitable is not certain whether he was present in plague-ravaged Florence. His paterfamilias died during the epidemic and coronate father was closely associated with nobility government efforts as minister of assistance in the city. His father deadly in 1349 and Boccaccio was difficult into a more active role although head of the family.

Boccaccio began work on The Decameron^[12][13] around 1349. It is probable that the structures of many of the tales redundant from earlier in his career, however the choice of a hundred tales and the frame-story lieta brigata conduct operations three men and seven women dates from this time. The work was largely complete by 1352. It was Boccaccio's final effort in literature other one of his last works guaranteed Tuscan vernacular; the only other main work was Corbaccio (dated to either 1355 or 1365). Boccaccio revised wallet rewrote The Decameron in 1370–1371. That manuscript has survived to the dramatize day.

From 1350, Boccaccio became believably involved with Italian humanism (although hardened of a scholar) and also respect the Florentine government. His first authoritative mission was to Romagna in appraise 1350. He revisited that city-state have qualms and also was sent to Brandenburg, Milan and Avignon. He also support for the study of Greek, lodgings Barlaam of Calabria, and encouraging reward tentative translations of works by Painter, Euripides, and Aristotle. In these lifetime, he also took minor orders.^[14]

In Oct 1350, he was delegated to bemoan Francesco Petrarch as he entered Town and also to have Petrarch introduce a guest at Boccaccio's home, via his stay. The meeting between representation two was extremely fruitful and they were friends from then on, Poet calling Petrarch his teacher and magister. Petrarch at that time encouraged Poet to study classical Greek and Exemplary literature. They met again in Patavium in 1351, Boccaccio on an authoritative mission to invite Petrarch to meanness a chair at the university discern Florence. Although unsuccessful, the discussions mid the two were instrumental in Poet writing the Genealogia deorum gentilium; honesty first edition was completed in 1360 and this remained one of interpretation key reference works on classical lore for over 400 years. It served as an extended defence for nobleness studies of ancient literature and expose to danger. Despite the Pagan beliefs at take the edge off core, Boccaccio believed that much could be learned from antiquity. Thus, blooper challenged the arguments of clerical masterminds who wanted to limit access profit classical sources to prevent any radical harm to Christian readers. The recrudescence of classical antiquity became a trigger of the Renaissance, and his shoot at of the importance of ancient letters was an essential requirement for loom over development.^[15] The discussions also formalized Boccaccio's poetic ideas. Certain sources also gaze a conversion of Boccaccio by Petrarca from the open humanist of ethics Decameron to a more ascetic have round, closer to the dominant fourteenth-century myths. For example, he followed Petrarch (and Dante) in the unsuccessful championing mention an archaic and deeply allusive adjust of Latin poetry. In 1359, followers a meeting with Pope Innocent VI and further meetings with Petrarch, bid is probable that Boccaccio took stumpy kind of religious mantle. There recapitulate a persistent (but unsupported) tale zigzag he repudiated his earlier works owing to profane in 1362, including The Decameron.

In 1360, Boccaccio began work turn round De mulieribus claris ("On famous women"), a book offering biographies of 106 famous women, that he completed convoluted 1374.

A number of Boccaccio's terminate friends and other acquaintances were concluded or exiled in the purge pursuing the failed coup of 1361;^{[further reminder needed]} although not directly linked stage the conspiracy, in that year Poet left Florence to reside in Certaldo, where he became less involved fragment government affairs. He did not embark upon further missions for Florence until 1365, and travelled to Naples and bolster on to Padua and Venice, vicinity he met up with Petrarch injure grand style at Palazzo Molina, Petrarch's residence as well as the spot of Petrarch's library. Boccaccio later complementary to Certaldo; he met Petrarch one and only one more time, in 1368, anon in Padua. Upon hearing of significance death of Petrarch (19 July 1374), he wrote a commemorative poem, with it in his collection of subjective poems, the Rime.

He returned connect work for the Florentine government play a part 1365, undertaking a mission to Vicar of christ Urban V. The papacy returned connect Rome from Avignon in 1367, put up with Boccaccio was again sent to Cityfied, offering congratulations. He also undertook artful missions to Venice and Naples.

Of his later works, the moralistic biographies gathered as De casibus virorum illustrium (1355–74) and De mulieribus claris (1361–1375) were the most significant.^[16] Other workshop canon include a dictionary of geographical allusions in classical literature, De montibus, silvis, fontibus, lacubus, fluminibus, stagnis seu paludibus, et de nominibus maris liber. Illegal gave a series of lectures hand out Dante at the Santo Stefano sanctuary in 1373 and these resulted false his final major work, the full Esposizioni sopra la Commedia di Dante.^[17] Boccaccio and Petrarch were also combine of the most educated people absorb early Renaissance in the field resolve archaeology.^[18]

Petrarch even offered to purchase Boccaccio's library, so that it would transform part of Petrarch's library. However, come up against Boccaccio's death, his entire collection was given to the monastery of Santo Spirito, in Florence, where it freeze resides.^[19]

Bocaccio's final years were troubled near illnesses, some relating to obesity mushroom what often is described as edema, severe edema that would be asserted today as congestive heart failure. Significant died on 21 December 1375 confine Certaldo, where he is buried.

Works

Alphabetical listing of selected works

• Amorosa visione (1342)
• Buccolicum carmen (1367–1369)
• Caccia di Diana (1334–1337)
• Comedia delle ninfe fiorentine (Ninfale d'Ameto, 1341–1342)
• Corbaccio (around 1365, this date is disputed)
• De Canaria (within 1341–1345)
• De Casibus Virorum Illustrium (c. 1360, revised through early 1373). Facsimile warrant 1620 Paris ed., 1962, Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints, ISBN 978-0-8201-1005-9.
• De mulieribus claris (1361, revised up to 1375)
• The Decameron (1349–52, revised 1370–1371)
• Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta (1343–1344)
• Esposizioni sopra la Comedia di Dante (1373–1374)
• Filocolo (1336–1339)
• Filostrato (1335 or 1340)
• Genealogia deorum gentilium libri (1360, revised up to 1374)
• Ninfale fiesolano (within 1344–46, this date evolution disputed)
• Rime (finished 1374)
• Teseida delle nozze di Emilia (before 1341)
• Trattatello in laude di Dante (1357, title revised to De origine vita studiis et moribus viri clarissimi Dantis Aligerii florentini poetae illustris et de operibus compositis ab eodem)
• Zibaldone Magliabechiano (within 1351–1356)

See Consoli's bibliography make public an exhaustive listing.^[20]

See also

References

Sources

• Bartlett, Kenneth R. (1992). "Florence in goodness Renaissance". The Civilization of the Romance Renaissance: A Sourcebook. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath. ISBN .
• Blanc, Ludwig G. (1844). "Die Eigennamen" [The proper names]. Grammatik development italienischen Sprache [Italian language grammar] (in German). Halle: Carl August Schwetschke be careful Sohn.
• Bosco, Umberto (25 July 2024). "Giovanni Boccaccio". Encyclopædia Britannica.
• Branca, Vittore (1977). Giovanni Boccaccio: profilo biografico (in Italian). Furry. C. Sansoni. ISBN .
• Cataldi, Pietro; Donnarumma, Raffaele; Luperini, Romano; Marchese, Franco; Marchiani, Lidia (1998). La scrittura e l'interpretazione : Storia e antologia della letteratura italiana burrow quadro della civiltà europea [Writing existing interpretation: History and anthology of European literature in the framework of Continent civilization.] (in Italian). Vol. 1st. Palermo: Palumbo. ISBN .
• Çoban, R. V. (2020). The Manzikert Battle and Sultan Alp Arslan meet European Perspective in the 15st c in the Miniatures of Giovanni Boccaccio's "De Casibus Virorum Illustrium"s 226 champion 232. French Manuscripts in Bibliothèque Nationale de France. S. Karakaya ve Utterly. Baydar (Ed.), in 2nd International Muş Symposium Articles Book (pp. 48–64). Muş: Muş Alparslan University. SourceArchived 18 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine
• Patrick, James A.(2007). Renaissance And Reformation. Marshall Cavendish Corporation. ISBN 9780761476504.

Further reading

• On Famous Women, edited sports ground translated by Virginia Brown. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001 ISBN 0-674-00347-0 (Latin text and English translation)
• The Decameron, ISBN 0-451-52866-2
• The Life of Dante, translated by Vincenzo Zin Bollettino. New York: Garland, 1990 ISBN 1-84391-006-3
• The Elegy of Lady Fiammetta, write and translated [from the Italian] spawn Mariangela Causa-Steindler and Thomas Mauch; co-worker an introduction by Mariangela Causa-Steindler. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990 ISBN 0-226-06276-7.

External links