Boccoccio vs. Dante

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Here's a good one. Finally a good one.

Poll Results

OptionVotes
Dante Alighieri, author of the Divine Comedy 9
Giovanni Boccaccio, author of the Decameron 1


Trϵϵship, Friday, 10 May 2019 18:02 (four years ago) link

Dammit i spelled Boccacio wrong

Trϵϵship, Friday, 10 May 2019 18:02 (four years ago) link

I'm easing into the middle ages atm but I have read neither as of yet, is there a way to push back the end date by six months or so, thx

Artisanal Personality Disorder (Old Lunch), Friday, 10 May 2019 18:15 (four years ago) link

Like it's going to take me six months minimum to get up to the Renaissance in my reading list, did you even think about my needs here

Artisanal Personality Disorder (Old Lunch), Friday, 10 May 2019 18:26 (four years ago) link

Boccacio had plenty of precedent in the medieval fabulae. He was essentially a compiler, editor and re-teller of existing tales. He was widely read, much loved, frequently imitated, but seldom equaled.

Dante's Divine Comedy was completely unprecedented. Nothing like it had ever been written before. He somehow managed to merge Thomist theology, Ovid's Metamorphoses, the poetry of courtly love, ecstatic vision, contemporary history and politics, and put it all into a highly elaborate structure written in terza rima, a rhyme scheme he apparently invented just for this work. Whatever you think of his poem, he's one of a kind.

A is for (Aimless), Friday, 10 May 2019 18:27 (four years ago) link

Aimless otm.

pomenitul, Friday, 10 May 2019 18:47 (four years ago) link

I can't be the only person who loves Paradiso as much as Inferno? Piccarda's explanation why she's happy -- euphoric -- at God's placing her in the lowest sphere of heaven has affected my life in many ways.

recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 10 May 2019 19:05 (four years ago) link

Dante is the better writer, but Boccacio is more fun.

my old translation of the Decameron is probably poor but it's largely unmemorable imo

Dante by miles

specific goats my way (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 23 May 2019 07:45 (four years ago) link

one month passes...

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Sunday, 30 June 2019 00:01 (four years ago) link

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Monday, 1 July 2019 00:01 (four years ago) link

Justice done.

A is for (Aimless), Monday, 1 July 2019 00:40 (four years ago) link

Boccaccio for his manner of storytelling. NV - doubt any translation does justice but get a hold of Pasolini's film and maybe have a look at some of the stories again. Just love his play with character and how their fate can change in an instant.

Reading Auerbach's essay on Dante rn. Tracing his achievement and that's quite a book in its own right.

xyzzzz__, Monday, 1 July 2019 09:45 (four years ago) link

eight months pass...

Seeing Boccaccio come up during the Coronavirus a bit now lol

xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 11 March 2020 06:35 (four years ago) link


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