The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
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The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
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1313-1375
Italian writer, best known for the Decameron(1353), who discussed geology in his Filocolo (c. 1340). In the latter text, he wrote on the origin of fossils and maintained that the sea had once covered the Earth. The willingness of Boccaccio, an educated man for his time, to accept ancient myths is instructive regarding the medieval mind: at one time he reported that the remains of Polyphemus, the Cyclops described in Homer's Odyssey, had been located in a cave in Sicily. According to Boccaccio, the giant was 300 ft (91.5 m) tall.