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10 The Tale of Frate Cipolla (VI.10)

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The Decameron Sixth Day in Perspective
This chapter is in the book The Decameron Sixth Day in Perspective
10 The Tale of Frate Cipolla (VI.10) cormac ó cuilleanáin Boccaccio scholarship shines countless points of light on Frate Cipolla’s tale. While piggybacking on that critical heritage, the present essay will mostly shadow the structure of a typical Dante lectura: a progressive journey through Decameron VI.10, rather than a definitive analysis that might stray too far from the reading experience, sidestepping risky con-frontations with the text while foregrounding the critic’s reflective judg-ment. Some critical “findings” may, however, be flagged right now: the story’s emphasis on narration as performance; the canny sequencing of its revelations; its playful allegiance to Dante; its challenge to our abil-ity to tell truthiness from fakery; its compulsive creativity regarding names and things. This latter point, universally acknowledged, will be explored here partly through the creative responses of translators, as they grapple with Boccaccio’s storytelling techniques. Our expedition will run into some features that might strike a naïve modern reader as alien. We will evaluate these elements in both real-istic and strategic terms, commenting on story structure, visualizing “performance” elements and audience reactions, while also sketching some broader contexts. This exploratory approach does not claim to break new ground – indeed it involves some bad faith, as everyone who studies the Decameron will have picked up critical perspectives that (happily) guide what we notice when revisiting a favourite text. But a “fresh” rereading may yield the occasional surprise. Decameron VI.10 is justly famed for celebrating the creative power of unmediated eloquence, yet can seem strangely tongue-tied: important interactions are narrated without “live” dialogue – the two tricksters planning their theft (VI.10.14); Cipolla warning his servant to mind his belongings (VI.10.20); Guccio’s pick-up lines (VI.10.22–4); Cipolla eulogizing the Angel Gabriel (VI.10.34). Moreover, Cipolla’s first direct speech, adver-tising his relic-show (VI.10.9–12), is kept relatively grey and boring (the
© 2021 University of Toronto Press, Toronto

10 The Tale of Frate Cipolla (VI.10) cormac ó cuilleanáin Boccaccio scholarship shines countless points of light on Frate Cipolla’s tale. While piggybacking on that critical heritage, the present essay will mostly shadow the structure of a typical Dante lectura: a progressive journey through Decameron VI.10, rather than a definitive analysis that might stray too far from the reading experience, sidestepping risky con-frontations with the text while foregrounding the critic’s reflective judg-ment. Some critical “findings” may, however, be flagged right now: the story’s emphasis on narration as performance; the canny sequencing of its revelations; its playful allegiance to Dante; its challenge to our abil-ity to tell truthiness from fakery; its compulsive creativity regarding names and things. This latter point, universally acknowledged, will be explored here partly through the creative responses of translators, as they grapple with Boccaccio’s storytelling techniques. Our expedition will run into some features that might strike a naïve modern reader as alien. We will evaluate these elements in both real-istic and strategic terms, commenting on story structure, visualizing “performance” elements and audience reactions, while also sketching some broader contexts. This exploratory approach does not claim to break new ground – indeed it involves some bad faith, as everyone who studies the Decameron will have picked up critical perspectives that (happily) guide what we notice when revisiting a favourite text. But a “fresh” rereading may yield the occasional surprise. Decameron VI.10 is justly famed for celebrating the creative power of unmediated eloquence, yet can seem strangely tongue-tied: important interactions are narrated without “live” dialogue – the two tricksters planning their theft (VI.10.14); Cipolla warning his servant to mind his belongings (VI.10.20); Guccio’s pick-up lines (VI.10.22–4); Cipolla eulogizing the Angel Gabriel (VI.10.34). Moreover, Cipolla’s first direct speech, adver-tising his relic-show (VI.10.9–12), is kept relatively grey and boring (the
© 2021 University of Toronto Press, Toronto

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. 1 The Tale of Madonna Oretta (VI.1) 19
  5. 2 The Tale of Cisti the Baker (VI.2) 35
  6. 3 The Tale of Nonna de’ Pulci (VI.3) 56
  7. 4 The Tale of Chichibio and the Crane (VI.4) 92
  8. 5 The Tale of Forese da Rabatta and Giotto (VI.5) 119
  9. 6 The Tale of Michele Scalza (VI.6) 150
  10. 7 The Tale of Madonna Filippa (VI.7) 169
  11. 8 The Tale of Cesca and the Mirror (VI.8) 184
  12. 9 The Tale of Cavalcanti’s Leap (VI.9) 212
  13. 10 The Tale of Frate Cipolla (VI.10) 226
  14. Bibliography 247
  15. Contributors 279
  16. Index 283
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https://doi.org/10.3138/9781487508692-011

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. 1 The Tale of Madonna Oretta (VI.1) 19
  5. 2 The Tale of Cisti the Baker (VI.2) 35
  6. 3 The Tale of Nonna de’ Pulci (VI.3) 56
  7. 4 The Tale of Chichibio and the Crane (VI.4) 92
  8. 5 The Tale of Forese da Rabatta and Giotto (VI.5) 119
  9. 6 The Tale of Michele Scalza (VI.6) 150
  10. 7 The Tale of Madonna Filippa (VI.7) 169
  11. 8 The Tale of Cesca and the Mirror (VI.8) 184
  12. 9 The Tale of Cavalcanti’s Leap (VI.9) 212
  13. 10 The Tale of Frate Cipolla (VI.10) 226
  14. Bibliography 247
  15. Contributors 279
  16. Index 283
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