Syllabus

Italian 102: Boccaccio's Decameron
Class meetings: M. 3-5:20
(room 102, 190 Hope Street)

Instructor: Ronald Martinez
Room 308, 190 Hope St.
Tel. 863-3950/3-1561
e-mail: Ronald_Martinez@brown.edu


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WEEKLY SYLLABUS

Week 1: Monday 29 January

  • Introduction. Boccaccio's life and works. Before the Decameron: the origin of Literature. The 14th Century. Readings (handout): Dante's Francesca; Novellino, prologue. Boccaccio, Filocolo, book IV: “Questions of Love”; Fiammetta, introduction.
    (N.B.: When clicking on links to the encoded texts, please be patient, as it may take a minute.)

Week 2: Monday 5 February

  • Fiammetta. “Questions of Love.” (handout). Dante's Francesca, Boccaccio's commentary-novella, and the title of the Decameron.
  • Research: Filocolo, Questions.

Week 3: Monday 12 February

  • Pampinea. The Prologue. The Brigata.
  • Introduction, and First Day of First Week (martedì, mercoledì): Plague and Escape; Choosing a Head and Writing the Rules.
  • Reading: Tales 1-4. Research: 1. Plague; 2. Rule of St. Benedict (handout).

Week 4: Mon 19 February – no class

Week 5: Monday 26 February

  • I.First Day, Tales 5-10. Free subject: Many heads, feet of clay.
  • Speaking truth to power. Research: 1. Ideas of the Book. 2. Astrology in the Decameron? [First short paper due].

Week 6: Monday 5 March

Week 7: Monday 12 March

Week 8: Monday 19 March

Week 9: Spring Break.

Week 10: Monday 2 April

Week 11: Monday 9 April

Week 12: Monday 16 April

Week 13: Monday 23 April

  • Emilia and Lauretta. VIII-IX First and Second Days (Sunday, Monday) of Third Week.
  • Generalizing Trickery, another Free Day; returning to the “workaday.” Especially: VIII.3, 6, 7, 9, 10; IX.3, 4, 5, 8, 10.
  • Research: 1. Magic, 2. Ledgers.

Week 14: Monday 30 April

Week 15: Monday 7 May

  • Project presentations.

Main: The Project: Electronic Syllabus