The Pleasures of Reading: Boccaccio's Decameron and Female Literacy

This paper considers the Decameron in the context of female literacy in Boccaccio's society. The theories about education of women, particularly as expressed in the conduct books of the time, indicate a general reluctance to teach women to read, largely for fear of the erotic influence that certain texts might exercise. A consideration of some of these tenets is utilized to reframe aspects of the Decameron, to illuminate some of Boccaccio's narrative strategies, and to give further interpretation to the dedication of his work to the idle ladies.