The 'Decameron' Sixth Day in Perspective ed. by David Lummus

Abstract

Reviewed by: The 'Decameron' Sixth Day in Perspective ed. by David Lummus Emily Di Dodo The 'Decameron' Sixth Day in Perspective. Ed. by David Lummus. (Lectura Boccaccii, 6) Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 2021. xii+290 pp. $75. ISBN 978–1–4875–0871–5. The Sixth Day of the Decameron, over which Elissa reigns, is widely regarded as a tour de force of rhetorical concision, the theme being 'those who, on being provoked by some verbal pleasantry, have returned like for like, or who, by a prompt retort or shrewd manœuvre, have avoided danger, discomfiture or ridicule' (Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron, trans. by G. H. McWilliam (New York: Penguin, 2003), p. 444). This volume offers a fresh perspective on and rich insights into these tales, engaging with past criticism, especially concerning the metaliterary nature of the tales, but then builds upon it with novel readings, which in some cases unabashedly move against the grain of traditional scholarship. The book will become a point of reference especially for students, both undergraduate and graduate. All the same, I would have found it more constructive if all contributions had considered the function of the individual tales within the work as a whole, thus offering a perspective of the novelle in their intended or broader context. The Introduction by David Lummus considers the function of Day vi in the architecture of the Decameron, aptly highlighting its reflections on the art of storytelling through the power of the word, drawing parallels with Cicero, Scripture, and Boccaccio's own Genealogia deorum gentilium. The introduction has a welcome focus on the framing narrative, specifically the thematic consequences of the 'plebian distraction' (p. 11) and the originality of the conclusion, which establishes the 'valle delle donne' (vi, concl. 18) as a theatre for 'the aestheticization of the erotic' (p. 14). Teresa Kennedy is tasked with vi. 1, in which she persuasively looks past the superficial humour of Madonna Oretta's witty retort, revealing a darker interpretation consisting in the avoidance of sexual violence through metaphorical language and [End Page 254] wit. This is supported by the intertextual allusions created by the attribution of the tale to Filomena, as this evokes her homonymous counterparts in the Filostrato and Ovid's Metamorphoses, as well as earlier tensions with the Decameron's Filostrato. Tale vi. 2 is explored by Giulia Cardillo, who engages with the Genealogia to draw links between the preceding tale and the theme of Day vi. Cardillo convincingly emphasizes the importance of Pampinea's preamble as a didactic tool with which to instruct the discerning reader to lift the 'poetic veil' (p. 40) and reveal a deeper interpretation of the analogy made between wine and words, made all the more valuable by 'the poet's obscuritas' (p. 44). Guyda Armstrong, in her analysis of vi. 3, fills a critical gap in scholarly discourse surrounding this tale by proposing an 'explicitly feminist' (p. 57) reading. Armstrong begins by situating the tale and narrator within the context of the day's theme. She thus draws attention to its status as a continuation of the discourse on language initiated by Pampinea on Day i, as well as the gendered tensions within the brigata, specifically between Dioneo and Elissa. Armstrong gives equal attention to the narrative realism evoked in the tale, for which she outlines a complex web of connections to fourteenth-century Florentine society, staging 'the routine male invasion of [Nonna de' Pulci's] personal space' (p. 67). Broader thematic considerations give way to an essential commentary, offering a 'historicized close-reading' (p. 90) of the socio-political frictions that have often been overlooked. James C. Kriesel's chapter on vi. 4 presents an intertextual analysis of the significance of the crane intertwined with considerations surrounding the tale's 'vernacularity' (p. 96). On this latter point, it would have been beneficial to consider, for example, how Brunetta and Chichibio relate to other plebeian interactions (e.g. Licisca and Tindaro). Kriesel goes on to explore how the protagonists enact a discourse on truth, highlighting biblical resonances, followed by an analysis of Boccaccio's linguistic congruence potentially inspired by Dante. Tale vi. 5 is covered by Zygmunt G. Barański...