Boccaccio describes prayer and social disruption during plague
About this date: 1348 dates the epidemic described in the Decameron's introduction; the literary work is written afterward.
Boccaccio opens the Decameron with an account of plague in Florence. Public prayers, attempted precautions, disrupted care, and changes to burial customs appear within his portrait of the crisis.
Historical context
The narrative brings disease into the history of worship and community. It records both organized responses and the breakdown of obligations under overwhelming mortality.
Key points
- Religious supplication and civic precautions occur together.
- Illness disrupts ordinary relationships of care.
- Funeral practices change under pressure.
People
- Giovanni Boccaccio
Sources and further reading
- Decameron: plague introduction
Primary literary account of epidemic and communal life.