WEEKLY SYLLABUS

Week 1: Thursday, January 22, 2009

• Introduction to the Course: Overview of  The Decameron Web. How to use the electronic syllabus. The Reader's Guide suggested articles in English and Italian; sources on Reserve.

Week 2: January 27

• Boccaccio's Life and Works.
• The Author's Proem: Dante, Boccaccio,Ovid and the therapy of storytelling.

January 29

• First Day: The Author's Introduction. The Plague.  The Brigata and the Frame.  Numerology and narrative structure.
• Brigata roles assignement. Additional links and topics: Merchants, preachers and the origins of the novella.

Week 3: February 3

• First Day (under the rule of Pampinea): Novelle 1 (he paradox of Ser Cepparello), 2 ( Abraam), 3 (Melchisedec), 4 (a Monk and his Abbot), 5 (the Marchioness of Monferrato). Religion and the clergy.

February 5

• First Day. Novelle 6 (an honest man), 7 (Bergamino, Primasso and the Abbot of Cligní), 8 (Guiglielmo Borsiere and Ermino de' Grimaldi), 9 (a woman and the King of Cyprus), 10 (Maestro Alberto from Bologna). Wit and clever remarks. Written assignment due (blog entry): review of the first novella told by your narrator.

Week 4: February 10

• Second Day (under the rule of Filomena) : Novelle 1 (Martellino), 2 (Rinaldo of Asti), 3 (three brothers Agolanti), 4 (Landolfo Rufolo), 5 (Andreuccio's night). Jesters and popular culture in the Middle Ages.
• The Wheel of Fortune. Fortuna as topic.
•  The World of the Decameron and the Advanced Site Search function.

February 12

• Second Day: Novelle 6 (Madama Beritola) and 7 (Alatiel's silence).

Week 5: February 19 (February 17, no class: long weekend)

• Second Day: Novelle 8 (conte d'Anguersa), 9 (Bernabò da Genova), 10 (Paganino da Monaco).
• Third Day (under the rule of Neifile). Novelle 1 (Masetto's heaven), 2 (King Agilulf and the groom), 3 (a Lady's confession), 4 (dom Felice and frate Puccio), 5 (Zima). The Garden of Desire. Amore as a topic. Nature and Morality. Sexual desire.
• Searching the electronic text.
• Written assignment due (blog entry): review of the second novella told by your narrator.

Week 6: February 24

• Third Day: Novelle 6 (Ricciardo Minutolo), 7 (Tedaldo), 8 (Ferondo), 9 (Giletta), 10: Alibech's hell.
• Intro. to Motif Index Code. Historical Characters refashioned.
• Written assignment due (blog entry): review of the third novella told by your narrator.

February 26

• Fourth Day (under the rule of Filostrato). Novelle 1 (Tancredi and Ghismonda), 2 (frate Alberto), 3 (three sisters and three young men), 4 (Gerbino), 5 (Lisabetta and her brothers). Love relics: Ghismonda's heart and Lisabetta's head.  Disguising gender: Lisetta's angel.

Week 7: March 3

• Fourth Day. Novelle 6 (Andreuola and Gabriotto), 7 (Simona and Pasquino), 8 (Girolamo and Salvestra), 9 (Guiglielmo Rossiglione) and 10 (the wife of a physician and the two usurers).
• Written assignment due (blog entry): review of the fourth novella told by your narrator.

March 5

• Fifth Day (under the rule of Fiammetta). Novelle 1 (Cimone and Iphigenia), 2 (Gostanza and Martuccio), 3 (Pietro Boccamazza and Agnolella), 4 (Caterina's Nightingale), 5 (Guidotto's daughter and Giacomino da Pavia).

Week 8: March 10

• Fifth Day, Novelle 6 (Gian di Procida), 7 (Teodoro and Violante), 8 (Nastagio degli Onesti), 9 (Federigo degli Alberighi's Falcon) and 10 (Pietro di Vinciolo).
• Visualizing the Decameron (Nastagio and Botticelli: Cassoni Paintings).
• Written assignment due (blog entry): review of the fifth novella told by your narrator.

March 12

• Sixth Day (under the rule of Elissa). Introduzione. Novelle 1 (madonna Oretta's horse), 2 (Cisti fornaio), 3 (Monna Nonna de' Pulci), 4 (Chichibio), 5 (Messer Forese and Maestro Giotto).

Week 9: March 17

• Sixth Day. Novelle 6 (Michele Scalza and i Baronci), 7 (Madonna Filippa's transgression), 8 (Fresco da Celatico), 9 ( Guido Cavalcanti), 10 (frate Cipolla). Cult of Saints and Relics. In the Valley of Women.
• Written assignments (blog entry): review of the sixth novella told by your narrator.

March 19

• Seventh Day (under the rule of Dioneo). Novelle 1 (Gianni Lotteringhi), 2 (Peronella), 3 (frate Rinaldo), 4 (Tofano), 5 (a jealous husband).
• Who rules the domestic space?

Week 9: March 24-26 Spring Break

Week 10: March 31

• Seventh Day. Novelle 6 (Madonna Isabella), 7 (Madonna Beatrice), 8 (Monna Sismonda), 9 (Lidia), 10 (Tingoccio and Meuccio from Siena).

April 2

• Pier Paolo Pasolini's Decameron.
• Written assignment (blog entry): review of the seventh novella told by your narrator (including comments from class discussion). First draft proposal for final project (1-2 paragraphs on topic itself, structural breakdown, ideas for links, short bibliography -- plain text).

Week 12: April 7

• Eighth Day (under the rule of Lauretta). Novelle 1 (Gulfardo and Gasparruolo), 2 (the Priest from Varlungo and Monna Belcolore), 3 (Calandrino, Bruno and Buffalmacco and the Elitropia), 4 (the Provost of Fiesole and the Widow), 5 (three young men and a judge). Florentine lore: the Calandrino's cycle. Magic in the Middle Ages.

April 9

• Eighth Day. Novelle 6 (Calandrino and the pig), 7 (the Scholar and the Widow), 8 (Zeppa and Spinelloccio), 9 (Maestro Simone), 10 (a Sicilian woman and a merchant)
• Written assignments (blog entry): review of the eighth novella told by your narrator.

Week 13: April 14

• Ninth Day (under the rule of Emilia). Novelle 1 (Madonna Francesca), 2 (an Abbess), 3 (Calandrino and the Magic Scroll), 4 (Cecco Angiolieri and Fortarrigo), 5 (Calandrino in love).

April 16

• Ninth Day. Novelle 6 (two young men), 7 (Talano and his wife), 8 (Ciacco and Biondello), 9 (Salamone and Goose Bridge), 10 (donno Gianni and compar Pietro).
• Written assignment (blog entry): review of the ninth novella told by your narrator.

Week 14: April 21

• Tenth Day. Novelle 1 (messer Ruggieri and the king of Spain), 2 (Ghino di Tacco and the Abbot of Cligní), 3 (Natan and Mitridanes), 4 (Gentile and Niccoluccio), 5 (Madonna Dianora and Messer Ansaldo),

April 23

• Tenth Day. Novelle 6 (the old King Charles in love), 7 (Lisa and the King), 8 (Titus and Sophronia), 9 (messer Torello and the Saladin), 10 (the Marquis of Saluzzo).
• The Author's Epilogue.
• Written assignments (blog entry): review of the tenth novella told by your narrator.

Week 15: April 28-30 (Reading Period)

Week 16: May 7

• Presentations and discussions of final projects in progress.

Deadline for completion of all final projects: May 15

Main: The Project: Electronic Syllabus