The Decameron: Misogynist or Feminist?
The Decameron: A Feminist or Misogynist text?
Giovanni Boccaccio is one of the leading Italian writers in the 1300s and has been considered as the father of Italian writing style through his composition of one hundred novelle. The Decameron continuously pictures women not as the objects of discussion but as the active producers and interpreters of their actions. Women are portrayed as they are or as they should be; they are shown to be as aggressive as men are while at the same time they can be submissive whenever they need to be. In many instances, Boccaccio depicts women as protagonists who do not readily accept the traditional role – being subservient to men and having no voice in the male-dominated society–, make their own decisions, and are ready to face the consequences of their choices. Boccaccio also uses the fictional protagonists to imply that women need to stand up for themselves to gain equality in the society. His representation of women is undoubtedly a characteristic of a feminist text (Lalwani). Yet, The Decameron is also interpreted by some people, who think that men are superior to women, as stories depicting a mildly misogynistic view of women because they think Boccaccio wanted women that do not readily accept the traditional role to receive a barrage of criticism; however, such myopic interpretation of The Decameron is absurd because Boccaccio did not portray women in a despicable or reprehensible manner, but praised their decisions to act against the traditional role. In order to prove that Boccaccio’s work is a feminist text, this paper will look at the stories that Dianeo, Pampinea, and the queen share to show that The Decameron is not a conflicting collection of misogynistic and feministic narratives but purely a feminist text.
Boccaccio uses the voice of his raconteur Dioneo to signify his thoughts on the tension between maleness and femaleness in the story of Ricciardo (X, II). Boccaccio’s depiction of Ricciardo’s wife may appear radical
Giovanni Boccaccio is one of the leading Italian writers in the 1300s and has been considered as the father of Italian writing style through his composition of one hundred novelle. The Decameron continuously pictures women not as the objects of discussion but as the active producers and interpreters of their actions. Women are portrayed as they are or as they should be; they are shown to be as aggressive as men are while at the same time they can be submissive whenever they need to be. In many instances, Boccaccio depicts women as protagonists who do not readily accept the traditional role – being subservient to men and having no voice in the male-dominated society–, make their own decisions, and are ready to face the consequences of their choices. Boccaccio also uses the fictional protagonists to imply that women need to stand up for themselves to gain equality in the society. His representation of women is undoubtedly a characteristic of a feminist text (Lalwani). Yet, The Decameron is also interpreted by some people, who think that men are superior to women, as stories depicting a mildly misogynistic view of women because they think Boccaccio wanted women that do not readily accept the traditional role to receive a barrage of criticism; however, such myopic interpretation of The Decameron is absurd because Boccaccio did not portray women in a despicable or reprehensible manner, but praised their decisions to act against the traditional role. In order to prove that Boccaccio’s work is a feminist text, this paper will look at the stories that Dianeo, Pampinea, and the queen share to show that The Decameron is not a conflicting collection of misogynistic and feministic narratives but purely a feminist text.
Boccaccio uses the voice of his raconteur Dioneo to signify his thoughts on the tension between maleness and femaleness in the story of Ricciardo (X, II). Boccaccio’s depiction of Ricciardo’s wife may appear radical
Cited: Boccaccio, Giovanni, and G. H. McWilliam. The Decameron. London: Penguin, 2003. Print Lalwani, Puja. "Feminist Literature." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Buzzle: Intelligent Life on the Web, 23 Sept. 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/feminist-literature.html>. Sandison, Angela. “The Role of Women in the High Middle Ages.” World History. Rhodes University, 14 Dec. 2009. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. <http://www.worldhistory.knowledge4africa.com/medieval/women.jsp>.