See again the remarks by Bynum, and the discussion of this issue in section 2 below.Ģ0 The search for maraviglia in the poem was conducted through the Dartmouth Dante Project (accessed, ). What might strike one as marvelous largely depended on the perspective of each individual person. The fact that the medieval concept of the marvelous can seem tautological or all-encompassing to modern readers is partially the result of the fact that the notion was not merely an ontological category. Moreover, though miracles also engendered wonder, marvelous occurrences ( mirabilia) were clearly distinguished from supernatural miracles ( miracula) in the late Middle Ages. Both categories comprised natural phenomena in two crucial senses: a) the occurrences of each subcategory did not break the laws of nature and b) they were not of supernatural origin. Writers did occasionally, but not always, make a further distinction between the marvels of nature ( naturalia) and human-initiated marvels ( voluntaria or artificalia). As will become evident, it was precisely this broad, fluid, and at times ambiguous understanding of “naturally” marvelous phenomena that was exploited by medieval authors. Boccaccio thus also reminded readers not only to wonder about future, eternal matters, but to cherish the experiences of this our present life.Ĥ For these distinctions, see Bynum, “Wonder,” 3–4, 6–10, 13–14, 21–22, and 24 and Bynum, “Miracles and Marvels,” 802–7. In the Decameron, Boccaccio recalled ideas about local marvels to champion the dignity of his erotic, mundane stories in comparison to Dante's otherworldly, divine poem. In addressing these topics, Boccaccio was inspired by late medieval Latin historians, who foregrounded the novelty of their texts by self-consciously writing about western marvels. In addition, this research examines how Boccaccio drew on marvels to highlight differences between the properties and ethics of Dante's Comedy and these aspects of his Decameron. It proposes that Boccaccio, following Dante, likened his writings to natural marvels to defend the status of literature, a mode of discourse sometimes considered unnatural or fraudulent. This article explores how Boccaccio's engagement with Dante was intertwined with evolving views of the marvelous. Writers debated whether local, western occurrences could be as wondrous - and thus worthy of being recorded in writing - as foreign, eastern phenomena.
In the late Middle Ages, authors of fiction, historical texts, and travel narratives discussed issues related to the places and spaces of marvels.
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