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Kinky Texts |
Giovanni
Boccaccio
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Decameron
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| "Read whatever you like in Italian, except Boccaccio's Decameron," wrote Johann Wolfang Goethe to his younger sister in 1765. For centuries, Decameron has been considered a receptacle of obscenities. Not only did inquisitors frequently censure Decameron, but also brothers and fathers prohibited their wives and daughters from reading it. Librarians used to lock Decameron in the erotic section, so that they could control access to it. Inquisitors used to correct or delete the most uninhibited passages and published numerous purged editions of the book. To date, despite feminism and sexual liberation, Decameron is still a controversial text, the source of inspiration for cinematic masterpieces and, at the same time, soft-core movies. Why has Decameron been titillating our imagination for centuries? Which effects did this book's focus on the woman's body and sexual intercourse have on Western society's imagery? Why is it still perceived as a kinky text, at least by popular culture? May a book of the 14th Century still communicate with our deepest feelings and emotions, and influence our perception of sexuality? These are some of the questions this course will address and discuss through a close reading of some short stories from Decameron and the viewing of pictures and movies by the following artists: Vasari, Botticelli, Palma, Tiziano, Veronese, Pasolini, Fellini, Wertmüller, and Almodóvar. Other mixed media will offer some input for the analysis of the popular perception of the Decameron and related themes. |
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© 2003 Nicoletta Marini-Maio |
University of Pennsylvania |