Long celebrated as one of the Three Crowns of Florence, Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 75) experimented widely with the forms of literature. His prolific and innovative writings which range beyond the novella, from lyric to epic, from biography to mythography and geography, from pastoral and romance to invective became powerful models for authors in Italy and across the Continent.This collection of essays presents Boccaccio s life and creative output in its encyclopedic diversity. Exploring a variety of genres, Latin as well as Italian, it provides short descriptions of all his works, situates them...