Women, Enjoyment, and the Defense of Virtue in Boccaccio's Decameron, 2015 The New Middle Ages Series

Providing new ways of reading Boccaccio's masterpiece, Decameron , Ferme analyzes the dynamics between the women who rule the first half of the story. Peeling back the many narrative layers within and outside of the framework, this book unearths the complications and trickery surrounding gender and death in Boccaccio's world and culture.

Introduction 1. Galeotto: A Prologue by way of the Proem 2. Contested Interlude: The Plague 3. Pampinea 's 'Honest' Leadership in the Decameron 4. Sicurano da Finale and Paganino da Mare: Of Corsairs, Merchants and Identity in the Late Middle Ages 5. Giletta of Narbonne: Chastity and Matrimony on the Day of Sexual Excesses 6. 'Love and Death': Male Authority and the Threat of Violence under Filostrato's Rule 7. Fiammetta's Revolution: Honor, Love and Marriage in Day V Conclusion

Valerie C. Ferme is the Chair of the Department of French & Italian at the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA.