marriage – Islam & Medieval Western Literature

Petrarch vs. Boccaccio.

jordan — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:23:18 +0000

This will be brief; Dr. K is supposed to be here in five minutes and I just finished Petrarch’s letter as well as his version of Boccaccio’s Griselda story.

So far, I’m not a big fan of Petrarch’s. In the letter, he seemed to slap Boccaccio with some indirect-but-backhanded comments, ie: suggesting that Petrarch has much more serious work to attend to than to be writing in the vernacular as Boccaccio has. And he eventually goes on to completely (I believe) misinterpret Boccaccio’s story.

In reading the notes at the end of our edition, you find that many Biblical allusions are made within the story. At one point, Griselda is likened to the Virgin Mary, and at another Job. Of course! That’s exactly what this was– a sort of retelling of Job. A woman is, after all, supposed to love and support her husband as part of her service to God.

The kicker is when, upon completing the story, Dioneo denounces Gualtieri for his behavior. So… if Gualtieri’s actions are representative (albeit on a small scale) of God’s (ie: Job), and Griselda’s patience, faith and constancy was being tested… yet Gualtieri is a big butthead…? In a way I want to read this as a Boccaccio-angry-with-God story, but I can’t. As Kathryn pointed out yesterday, Boccaccio’s disillusionment seems aimed at the clergy, though Boccaccio doesn’t seem to have difficulty in separating the actions of the clergy with faith in God.

So this leads me to believe that this story is in the same vein: Boccaccio is not saying that God is a butthead– I don’t think– but rather that this sort of reasoning is ridiculous, the sort of reasoning used by the clergy.

And Kennedy arrives…

Griselda

kathryn — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:22:48 +0000

Boccaccio tells that story of Griselda, a story that we learn from Petrarch’s letter to him, is one that is well known in Italy at the time. I think this story is just wrong. Any man who would let a woman think that he had killed her children and then was going to put her aside for another wife is just plain wrong. And the idea that Griselda just goes along with it is terrible. Griselda needs to grow a backbone and tell her husband to shove it where the sun don’t shine. I know it makes a good story but the reality is that no one is that gracious and humble and obedient.

As we discussed in class, that fact that the story can be read as an allegory, does not mean that is should be read as such. Others see Griselda as the perfect Christian, who does whatever is asked of her by her lord and master. The fact that is not at all what most people would tolerate in real life has no bearing on the story and it’s characters.

These three panels show the story of Patient Griselda.

The story details the humilation of peasant girl Griselda by a rich Marquis, Gualteiri, who is seeking to mould the perfect wife.

Here Griselda (right) is forced to strip in front of the male courtiers.

In the second panel, Griselda has married Gualteiri, but he is keen to test her further.

He orders one of his servants to take Griselda’s baby daughter and tell her it is to be killed.

The panel shows Griselda’s acceptance as she tells the servant; “do exactly what your lord and mine has ordered you to do.”

The story climaxes with the return of Griselda’s daughter, now twelve, who was secretly raised in Bologna.

Griselda is told it is not her daughter but Gualteiri’s new bride-to-be, and she is ordered to sweep her quarters – which she does.

Eventually, Gualteiri confesses his trick, and says he has now taught Griselda “to be a wife.”

All images are copyright of the National Gallery.

Bold Women

kaseyd — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:01:47 +0000

The issue I seem to keep running up against in both Arabian Nights and the Decameron is the extent of control women have in their marriage choices. I really hadn’t thought that they would have much say in the matter of who they would or would not marry. In the Tale of Kamar Al-Zaman, not only does Kamar refuse to marry, but Princess Budur refuses her father as well. And yeah, so she gets scolded, locked up in her own little chamber, but she still gets what she wants: no husband. And when the lovely princess decides that she’s changed her mind, she’ll only marry Kamar. When I had thought of wealthy aristocratic families like this, whether Arabic or English, I had thought the daughters married who their fathers said they would marry, no questions asked. And they certainly wouldn’t get away with threats of suicide.
And in the Decameron, second day, tenth story. How in the world does Bartolomea get away with deciding to stay with the man who kidnapped her over the man she married? Since when did women have the balls to do something like that and when did men start letting them get away with this in the medieval times? As much as I applaud her efforts, I’m truly struggling to wrap my brain around these women playing such an active role in their marriage choices and lives.

And another thing, in both the Tale of Kamar Al-Zaman and about three or four stories in the Decameron, women are dressing up and parading around as men. I mean, I know Boccaccio is trying to create this blended world of unknown Greek and exotic Arabic, but really? How believable is it that women could dress up as men, hide their completely different body types and mannerisms, and become kings, sultans, advisers, husbands, etc. I especially liked that the daughter of the King of England is traveling as a male Abbott. I really think the royal family may have had a problem with this.