Giovanni Boccaccio, a Biographical Study

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

46722

Title

Giovanni Boccaccio, a Biographical Study

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Edward Hutton presents a frank biographical study of Giovanni Boccaccio, exploring the life of the author of the Decameron. This work defends its subject against historical criticism, examining his love for Fiammetta, his relationship with Dante and Petrarch, and his role as a foundational humanist who brought literature into the realm of real life.

Summary up to 500 words

Edward Hutton's *Giovanni Boccaccio, a Biographical Study* offers a comprehensive defense and exploration of one of Europe's greatest creative writers. Hutton argues that while Dante represents profound mysticism and Petrarch extraordinary sweetness, Boccaccio is more complete, embodying a humanism full of laughter, humility, and love. The book posits that Boccaccio was the most human writer of the Renaissance, interpreting nature and man rather than focusing solely on the next world. The text delves into Boccaccio's life, describing it as laborious yet relatively uneventful. Hutton highlights a unique duality in the author's work: his greatest creation, the *Decameron*, is distinctively impersonal, whereas his earlier romances serve as passionate confessions of his own loves and sufferings. A central theme of the study is Boccaccio's attitude toward women, which Hutton suggests is the true subject of the book. The study also addresses the Church's condemnation of the *Decameron* by the Council of Trent, explaining that objections were often directed at tales involving clergy rather than the licentiousness itself. Hutton traces Boccaccio's influence on English literature, particularly Geoffrey Chaucer, noting how works like *Troilus and Criseyde* are indebted to Boccaccio's *Filostrato*. Through a frank presentation of facts and sources, Hutton aims to restore Boccaccio's reputation as an enthusiastic laborer in the Latin language and a creator of a classic Tuscan prose. The book situates Boccaccio within the turbulent historical context of his era, marked by the fall of the Empire, the exile of the Popes, and the transition from medieval to modern civilization. It specifically analyzes the political turmoil in Florence, including conflicts between the Guelf factions (Neri and Bianchi) and the rise of tyrants like Corso Donati. Ultimately, Hutton presents Boccaccio not merely as a storyteller, but as an interpreter of life whose work remains a vital literary influence across three centuries.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Classics
• Biography