Allegory of the self: Boccaccio's Buccolicum carmen

<p>This thesis sets out to provide an interdisciplinary study of four of the sixteen hexameter poems in Giovanni Boccaccio’s pastoral Buccolicum carmen (ca. 1362/63). It argues that the Buccolicum is a coherent book of poetry that displays an allegory of Boccaccio’s autofictional self, constru...

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Main Author: De Oliveira Fonseca Junior, A
Other Authors: Harrison, S
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2021
Subjects:
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author De Oliveira Fonseca Junior, A
author2 Harrison, S
author_facet Harrison, S
De Oliveira Fonseca Junior, A
author_sort De Oliveira Fonseca Junior, A
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description <p>This thesis sets out to provide an interdisciplinary study of four of the sixteen hexameter poems in Giovanni Boccaccio’s pastoral Buccolicum carmen (ca. 1362/63). It argues that the Buccolicum is a coherent book of poetry that displays an allegory of Boccaccio’s autofictional self, constructed through different bucolic characters and themes which symbolise different fragments of Boccaccio, as well as different steps in his literary and ethical ascent. Consequently, it intends to dispel the unhelpful dichotomy between autobiography and fiction which has dominated most commentaries and studies on the Buccolicum. It also investigates the place of the Buccolicum (Boccaccio’s only book of Latin poetry) in his literary career. Reflecting Boccaccio’s theoretical approach towards pagan literature, developed especially in the Genealogie deorum gentilium (ca. 1359–74), the Buccolicum engages with the classical tradition, and particularly with Virgil’s Eclogues, to support an autofictional narrative of conversion. In the wake of Petrarch’s own Bucolicum carmen, Boccaccio presents the pastoral world as the earthly world of temporary pleasures, sin and sorrow. In sum, the present study aims to provide a thorough examination of a selection of four of Boccaccio’s eclogues, each focusing on one key theme of the Buccolicum (love, politics, poetry, and religion). At the same time, this thesis scrutinizes the processes of reception, mediation and allusion to classical texts which shed light on Boccaccio’s bucolic autofiction, as well as on the classical texts themselves.</p>
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spelling oxford-uuid:9bdb83e9-b355-431a-9832-c3e3af2fe84d2024-09-03T08:43:04ZAllegory of the self: Boccaccio's Buccolicum carmenThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:9bdb83e9-b355-431a-9832-c3e3af2fe84dClassical literaturePastoral poetryItalian literatureLiterature, MedievalEnglishHyrax Deposit2021De Oliveira Fonseca Junior, AHarrison, SGilson, SMcLaughlin, MManuwald, G<p>This thesis sets out to provide an interdisciplinary study of four of the sixteen hexameter poems in Giovanni Boccaccio’s pastoral Buccolicum carmen (ca. 1362/63). It argues that the Buccolicum is a coherent book of poetry that displays an allegory of Boccaccio’s autofictional self, constructed through different bucolic characters and themes which symbolise different fragments of Boccaccio, as well as different steps in his literary and ethical ascent. Consequently, it intends to dispel the unhelpful dichotomy between autobiography and fiction which has dominated most commentaries and studies on the Buccolicum. It also investigates the place of the Buccolicum (Boccaccio’s only book of Latin poetry) in his literary career. Reflecting Boccaccio’s theoretical approach towards pagan literature, developed especially in the Genealogie deorum gentilium (ca. 1359–74), the Buccolicum engages with the classical tradition, and particularly with Virgil’s Eclogues, to support an autofictional narrative of conversion. In the wake of Petrarch’s own Bucolicum carmen, Boccaccio presents the pastoral world as the earthly world of temporary pleasures, sin and sorrow. In sum, the present study aims to provide a thorough examination of a selection of four of Boccaccio’s eclogues, each focusing on one key theme of the Buccolicum (love, politics, poetry, and religion). At the same time, this thesis scrutinizes the processes of reception, mediation and allusion to classical texts which shed light on Boccaccio’s bucolic autofiction, as well as on the classical texts themselves.</p>
spellingShingle Classical literature
Pastoral poetry
Italian literature
Literature, Medieval
De Oliveira Fonseca Junior, A
Allegory of the self: Boccaccio's Buccolicum carmen
title Allegory of the self: Boccaccio's Buccolicum carmen
title_full Allegory of the self: Boccaccio's Buccolicum carmen
title_fullStr Allegory of the self: Boccaccio's Buccolicum carmen
title_full_unstemmed Allegory of the self: Boccaccio's Buccolicum carmen
title_short Allegory of the self: Boccaccio's Buccolicum carmen
title_sort allegory of the self boccaccio s buccolicum carmen
topic Classical literature
Pastoral poetry
Italian literature
Literature, Medieval
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