The aesthetics of humanism during the renaissance: a case study of Boccaccio

Research Article
Open access

The aesthetics of humanism during the renaissance: a case study of Boccaccio

Yutong Chen 1*
  • 1 Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China    
  • *corresponding author 343119582@qq.com
Published on 26 June 2025 | https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7080/2025.24259
AHR Vol.12 Issue 3
ISSN (Print): 2753-7099
ISSN (Online): 2753-7080

Abstract

The intense political and religious atmosphere of medieval Europe exerted great pressure on human nature, suppressing individual expression. In response, humanist thought—rooted in natural human tendencies—began to emerge under this weight. Originating in Italy and centered on the critical inheritance of classical Greek culture, the Renaissance unfolded through the medium of the arts. Boccaccio’s literary works, in particular, exhibit distinct stylistic features. His Decameron, a representative example of the frame narrative form, is imbued with the unique aesthetics of humanism and realism characteristic of the Renaissance. This aesthetic not only highlights the brilliance of human nature through its critique of the medieval Church and political authorities, but also expresses a historically specific literary style through its “text within a text” narrative structure reminiscent of One Thousand and One Nights. By blurring the boundaries between fiction and reality, this structure conveys a dual metaphor of imagery and reality, offering an interwoven and multifaceted aesthetic experience.

Keywords:

Renaissance, humanism, Boccaccio, aesthetics

Chen,Y. (2025). The aesthetics of humanism during the renaissance: a case study of Boccaccio. Advances in Humanities Research,12(3),1-3.
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References

[1]. Zhu, G. Q. (2002). History of Western aesthetics (pp. 143–). People’s Literature Publishing House.

[2]. Bakhtin, M. (1998). Rabelais study (pp. 6–). Hebei Education Press.

[3]. Boccaccio, G. (1981). The Decameron (F. Ping & K. Wang, Trans.) (p. 260). Shanghai Translation Publishing House.

[4]. Zeng, Y. (2017). The diasporic characteristics of Robinson Crusoe. Foreign Language Research, (4), 108–111.

[5]. Spurgeon, C. F. E. (Ed.). (1960). Five hundred years of Chaucer criticism and allusion, 1357–1990 (Vol. 2, pp. 43–278). Russell.

[6]. Kant, I. (2011). Critique of judgment (Q. Li, Trans.) (pp. 67–). Renmin University of China Press. (Original work published 1790)

Cite this article

Chen,Y. (2025). The aesthetics of humanism during the renaissance: a case study of Boccaccio. Advances in Humanities Research,12(3),1-3.

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About volume

Journal：Advances in Humanities Research

Volume number: Vol.12
Issue number: Issue 3
ISSN：2753-7080(Print) / 2753-7099(Online)

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References

[1]. Zhu, G. Q. (2002). History of Western aesthetics (pp. 143–). People’s Literature Publishing House.

[2]. Bakhtin, M. (1998). Rabelais study (pp. 6–). Hebei Education Press.

[3]. Boccaccio, G. (1981). The Decameron (F. Ping & K. Wang, Trans.) (p. 260). Shanghai Translation Publishing House.

[4]. Zeng, Y. (2017). The diasporic characteristics of Robinson Crusoe. Foreign Language Research, (4), 108–111.

[5]. Spurgeon, C. F. E. (Ed.). (1960). Five hundred years of Chaucer criticism and allusion, 1357–1990 (Vol. 2, pp. 43–278). Russell.

[6]. Kant, I. (2011). Critique of judgment (Q. Li, Trans.) (pp. 67–). Renmin University of China Press. (Original work published 1790)

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