Assignment: Primary Source Document Analysis Worksheet

Primary source: Giovanni Boccaccio - The Decameron

1. What is the main idea Boccaccio is trying to communicate in this excerpt from The Decameron? How does he describe the reactions of the citizens of Florence?

2. What is the author's bias? What might have motivated Boccaccio to describe the Black Death's impact in Florence?

3. What was the context in which Boccaccio was writing? Where and when was this document written, and what was going on at that time (beside the plague epidemic)?

4. Who was the intended audience for The Decameron?

5.Can you connect The Decameron to other things you've learned about, either in class or elsewhere? How might this source add to our understanding of history?

Using the excerpt The Decameron as a primary source, complete the Primary Source Analysis Worksheet (both linked below) and submit it through the Assignment Inbox button at the bottom of this page.

Answer each question completely, taking into account material covered both in class and in the text. Answers should be in complete sentences, organized in paragraph form.

Sometimes the primary source won't provide a clear or straightforward answer to a question on the worksheet. If that happens, it's okay to take a guess based on the information you have.

This is not intended to be an assignment that requires outside research; your answer should be based on the material covered in class and in the text.

Attachment:- Boccaccio-Decameron.pdf