Long celebrated as one of "the Three Crowns" of Florence, Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-75) experimented widely with the forms of literature. His prolific and innovative writings - which range beyond the novella, from lyric to epic, from biography to mythography and geography, from pastoral and romance to invective - became powerful models for authors in Italy and across the Continent. This collection of essays presents Boccaccio's life and creative output in its encyclopedic diversity. Exploring a variety of genres, Latin as well as Italian, it provides short descriptions of all his works, situates them in his oeuvre, and features critical expositions of their most salient features and innovations. Designed for readers at all levels, it will appeal to scholars of literature, medieval and Renaissance studies, humanism and the classical tradition, as well as European historians, art historians, and students of material culture and the history of the book. Anchored by an introduction and chronology, this volume contains contributions by prominent Boccaccio scholars in the United States, as well as essays by contributors from France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The year 2013, Boccaccio's seven-hundredth birthday, will be an important one for the study of his work and will see an increase in academic interest in reassessing his legacy.

About the Author
Victoria Kirkham is professor emerita of Romance languages at the University of Pennsylvania. Michael Sherberg is associate professor of Italian at Washington University in St. Louis. Janet Levarie Smarr is professor of theater history and Italian studies at the University of California, San Diego.


Book Information
ISBN 9780226079189
Author Victoria Kirkham
Format Hardback
Page Count 576
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 936g
Dimensions(mm) 24mm * 17mm * 4mm