Date of Award
Spring 5-1-2015
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
English, Linguistics, and Communication
First Advisor
Kennedy, Teresa
Second Advisor
Richards, Gary
Major or Concentration
English
Abstract
Many scholars have discussed the symbolism of love and loss as well as the imagery of the plague in Giovanni Boccacio's the Decameron. In this paper, I discuss Boccaccio's plague narrative in the introduction to the text. Then, I examines the introduction to Day Four to show the inability of language to hinder nature. I also show how the meaning of Filostrato's name, its correlation to the somber theme that he has chosen, and Pampinea's reaction to Filostrato's theme demonstrate that these are emblematic of loss as part of the human condition. Lastly, I closely analyzes the story of Simona and Pasquino (IV,VII) to argue that Day Four is an actualization of the theme of the Decameron: the only way to live a meaningful life is to embrace Nature.
Recommended Citation
Perez, Jessica Lynn, "The Nature of Love, Loss, and the Plague: The Reign of Filostrato in Boccacio's The Decameron" (2015). Student Research Submissions. 93.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/93