LIT 231
Prof. G. Steinberg

Response Paper:  Decameron, Day Ten

Choose one of the following areas as the focus of your response paper:

1. Why does Boccaccio end Day Nine with the story of Compare Pietro and Comare Gemmata?  Is it related to Day Ten at all?  Given that the stories of Day Ten are supposed to be about "those who have performed generous deeds and who have acquired fame in so doing," what kind of trajectory does moving from Compare Pietro and Comare Gemmata to "generous deeds" imply?  Why move from the last story of Day Nine to "generous deeds" on Day Ten?  How does the last story of Day Nine affect your expectations for Day Ten?  Did Day Ten unfold as you expected?
2. Given that the stories of Day Ten are supposed to be about "those who have performed generous deeds and who have acquired fame in so doing," what do we learn from Day Ten about Boccaccio's opinion of human nature?  What constitutes a "generous deed" on Day Ten?  Is it what you expected?  Which story seems to include the most generous deed of all? the least generous deed?  If these stories tell about generous deeds, what does Boccaccio consider a generous deed?  Can we tell?  Are the stories of Day Ten more a comment on the ten storytellers than on generous deeds?

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