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“Masterpieces of Italian Literature at ������Ƶ” aims to develop a thriving community of graduate students of all Schools and specializations that will consider texts of Italian Literature that played a pivotal role in global history. Although the group will focus on Italian texts, we intend to involve as many ������Ƶ students as possible, and therefore, our conversations about primary and secondary readings will be in English, and the texts might be read either in Italian or English. This reading group plans to use resources in the Van Pelt Library and its vast collections of Italian manuscripts and prints. While reading some of the most influential works in Italian history, the group will circulate knowledge about Italian culture in the United States with the help and collaboration of scholars from the University of ������Ƶsylvania and external guests. The graduate students in Italian Studies are proud to announce the fifth year of “Masterpiece of Italian Literature @ ������Ƶ,” a graduate-led group that aims to read literary texts that have played a pivotal role in global literature. This year, we will read several short stories from the Decameron written by Giovanni Boccaccio. Boccaccio was born in Florence in 1313 where he died in 1375. Along with Dante and Petrarch, he is considered one of the three “crowns” of Italian Literature. Boccaccio is best known for Decameron, which was written in the Florentine vernacular and would become a model for Italian prose. Boccaccio’s influence extends beyond just the Italian language as Decameron was an inspiration for Geoffery Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, one of the greatest works of English literature, as well. Decameron, written in the wake of the Black Death, is a collection of one hundred tales told by a group of seven young women and three young men who flee their afflicted city of Florence and seek safety and refuge from the pandemic of their day in the surrounding countryside. The tales told in the Decameron range from love stories to tragedy, from erotic to commedy. The wealth of these stories reflect the diversity and range of the human experience which is still celebrated today. Modern representations of Boccaccio’s Decameron include Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1970 film as well as a 2024 Netflix series. We hope you will join us in enjoying the Boccaccio’s original Decameron, the timeless classic of Italian literature which continues to charm audiences for more than seven centuries. Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/ital-milap For any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at milaupenn@gmail.com