Boccaccio and Kafka: A Comparative Study
Boccaccio
1. The Author and His Times
Feudalism characterized the social organization of the 11th century. The 14th-century economic revival and urban development favored the bourgeoisie, who organized themselves into guilds. City-states emerged in Germany and Northern Italy, including Florence, Boccaccio’s birthplace.
Cultural influences included monasteries, medieval schools, the Camino de Santiago, and schools of translators.
The 13th and 14th centuries witnessed significant developments: the declining influence of monastic orders benefited new orders (Franciscans, Dominicans); a new bourgeois mentality and urban development arose. Castilian began its rise as the official language, and universities fostered branches of knowledge previously dominated by theology.
Humanism, which placed man as the center of the universe, emerged in 15th-century Italy. The invention of printing facilitated the dissemination of humanist ideas. Thanks to Latin (the common language of educated Europeans), these ideas spread throughout Europe, with Erasmus of Rotterdam as a key figure. Three written genres flourished: history, prose fiction, and educational texts.
The poetic works of Dante and Petrarch (Boccaccio’s friend) ushered in the Renaissance.
2. The Author and His Work
An admirer of Dante and friend of Petrarch, Boccaccio wrote almost exclusively in the vernacular.
- Fiammetta: A quasi-autobiographical narrative that inverts the traditional love affair: Boccaccio, represented as Panfilo, abandons Fiammetta. This psychologically rich novel offers a compelling interior monologue on heartbreak.
- Corbacho: A satire against women, featuring Elena, a widow who may have been a real love interest of the author. Infatuated, he imagines a nocturnal encounter where Elena’s deceased husband appears and catalogs her physical and moral defects, discouraging him.
- The Decameron: Boccaccio’s most important work, a collection of 100 stories set against the backdrop of the 1348 plague. Ten young people retreat to a villa to escape the epidemic and entertain themselves by storytelling. This narrative technique, inspired by Eastern narratives like Arabian Nights, presents the grotesque and vile aspects of society with comedic realism. Characters have names, professions, and familiar locations, adding to the verisimilitude. This work is considered a masterpiece of modern European prose.
Biography
Boccaccio, the illegitimate son of a Florentine merchant, was sent to Naples to study business. However, he preferred literature. Upon his father’s death, he returned to Florence to manage the family estate. He served as an ambassador and addressed the community’s economic problems, which allowed him to travel. During one of these trips, he met Petrarch, who preserved the manuscript of The Decameron. Boccaccio died in 1375.
Structure of The Decameron
100 stories preceded by a preface and an introduction, concluding with a final statement.
Style
Comic narrative style, depicting everyday reality in the vernacular. Known for sarcasm and a mocking tone towards his characters’ miseries.
Characters
Common, flawed beings, including thieves, adulterers, and liars, whose cunning and ability to navigate difficult situations are highlighted. Boccaccio’s portrayal of women is noteworthy; he equates them with men in their personal values and right to life’s pleasures, love, freedom, and adventure. However, he also presents a contrasting image of women as sinister and evil, embodying all vices.
Preface
Boccaccio explains his motivation for writing the book for “friendly women.” Aware of women’s confinement and subjugation to parents or siblings, he offers these 100 stories for their comfort and pleasure.
He addresses bourgeois women who can read, but also includes prostitutes, pimps, and individuals connected to the Church.
Themes
Primarily secular, reflecting the bourgeois mentality. Three main themes: love, wealth, and human intelligence.
Kafka
1. The Age and the Author
The late 19th century transformed the novel, emphasizing form, structure, and language. The focus shifted to the complexities of the self, giving rise to the interior monologue.
Novels of this period are reflexive and ironic, prioritizing reflection over narration.
Expressionism, a reaction against Naturalism and Impressionism, emerged in the early 20th century. Primarily found in Germanic countries, this movement prioritized emotional expression, seeking a more authentic reality. It focused on representing feelings, experiences, and inner reactions.
Biography
Born in Prague in 1883 to an upper-middle-class German-Jewish family, Kafka was deeply affected by his father’s harsh and authoritarian personality. A good student with unhealthy traits, Kafka, at his father’s insistence, studied law and Germanic studies at the University of Prague, where he befriended Max Brod. He began writing in college. After finishing law in 1906, he worked at an insurance company and later at the Insurance Institute of Occupational Accidents of the Kingdom of Bohemia. His father never approved of his literary pursuits. Diagnosed with tuberculosis, Kafka experienced four failed relationships, fearing he would become like his father. His illness severely limited him, and he moved to Berlin, hoping for recovery. He died in Austria on June 3, 1924. His sisters perished in a concentration camp. On his deathbed, Kafka asked Max Brod to burn his writings, but Brod defied his wishes and published them posthumously.
2. The Author and His Work
Kafka’s work includes novels (The Metamorphosis, Amerika, The Trial, The Castle), short stories (“Description of a Struggle,” “Contemplation,” “A Country Doctor”), and correspondence (“Letter to His Father”).
The Metamorphosis
Kafka’s most important work, divided into three parts reflecting Gregor Samsa’s psychological evolution. The first part begins with Gregor’s transformation into an insect. The second part follows Gregor’s initial appearance. The third part centers on the motif of doors.
Written in the expressionist style, The Metamorphosis conveys the anguish of human life. Kafka uses exaggeration to intensify artistic communication. The third-person omniscient narrator tells the story from Gregor’s perspective, referring to characters as “father,” “mother,” “Grete.” After Gregor’s death, the narrator becomes objective, using “the father,” “the mother.” Direct style is also employed.
Autobiographical elements permeate the novel. The story transcends a simple tale of a man transformed into an insect; it explores themes of solitude and societal incomprehension.
Themes
- The Absurd: An intellectual stance acknowledging the existence of non-rational reality or knowledge.
- Mediocre Life: Viewing life as meaningless, stemming from low self-esteem.
- Death as Escape: A consequence of loneliness, abandonment, and frustration.
- Lack of Interest: Detachment from the moral, psychological, physical, material, and personal due to societal rejection.
- Disappointment: The realization of truth arising from deception.
- Insensitivity: Inability to feel things that cause pain.
- Daily Routine: The monotonous, leading to exhaustion.
- Isolation/Loneliness: Withdrawal caused by abuse.