''Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta'', or ''The Elegy of Lady Fiammetta'' in English, is a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

by the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

writer

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was somet ...

, probably written between 1343 and 1344. Written in the form of a first-person confessional monologue, it describes the protagonist,

Fiammetta Maria d'Aquino (died in 1382) was a Neapolitan noblewoman who is traditionally identified with Giovanni Boccaccio's beloved and muse Fiammetta (Italian for "little flame"). Maria d'Aquino was a “royal bastard”, an illegitimate daughter of ...

's, passion for Panfilo, a Florentine merchant, and takes place in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. It has been characterised as the first

psychological novel In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration examin ...

in Western literature. It consists of a prologue and nine chapters.

Plot

Lady Fiammetta recounts her tragic love affair with Panfilo, offering it as a warning to other women. Lady Fiammetta and Panfilo quickly fall in love and have an affair, only to have it end when Panfilo returns to

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

. Although he promises to return to Naples, she eventually realizes that he has another lover in Florence. The narrative revolves around Fiammetta's jealousy and despair caused by the affair, rather than the development of her relationship with Panfilo. She eventually considers suicide, but her nurse stops her. Her hopes in the end are bolstered by the news that Panfilo may be coming back to Naples after all.

Translations

Two translations of Boccaccio's ''Elegia'' have come out in recent years. The two translations differ in their principles of translation and their Italian texts. ''The Elegy of Madonna Fiammetta Sent by Her to Women in Love'', by Roberta L. Payne and Alexandra Hennessey Olsenhope, is aimed at a popular audience. The Mariangela Causa-Steindler and Thomas Mauch translation, ''The Elegy of Lady Fiammetta'', is more scholarly.

Sources

* Causa-Steindler, Mariangela and Thomas Mauch (1990). ''The Elegy of Lady Fiammetta''. University of Chicago Press. . * Hennessey, Alexandra and Roberta L. Payne (1993). ''The Elegy of Madonna Fiammetta Sent by Her to Women in Love''. Peter Lang Publishing. .

External links

* https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10006/10006-h/10006-h.htm: English translation of ''La Fiammetta'' by Giovanni Boccaccio, translated by James C. Brogan, 1907. 14th-century novels Medieval Italian literature Works by Giovanni Boccaccio Novels set in Naples Italian novels Love stories Psychological novels {{Europe-novel-stub

Plot

Translations

See also

Sources

External links