Point of View

The point of view in The Decameron changes from first person to third person omniscient. In some parts, a person who may be Boccaccio addresses the readers as "Dear Ladies." Only in some places is the narrator announced by name, followed by the same type of introduction, such as the chapter that is devoted to unhappy endings.

The use of third person is the most effective in this case. The characters are such that the third person description adds weight and is able to reveal the characters' motives and idiosyncrasies. As with the first person narration, it is not clear who Boccaccio credits for the writing of the stories, although it is surely his own work.

The point of view as expressed by the author allows the readers to see the humor in some stories where it might be missed otherwise. The writing travels back and...