The Redemption of Eve: The Decameron as New Genesis

Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron (1349-51) has long been regarded as a secular celebration of humanity. Yet, his choice of title—a play on hexameron—frames his short story collection as a gloss on Genesis. In this essay, I argue that the author’s reevaluation of scripture is an essential part of his vision of a post-plague society in which gender roles have been redefined. Boccaccio challenges traditional interpretations of the biblical account of humanity’s creation and fall, in which Woman/Eve is primarily blamed for Original Sin and its consequences. He implies that such misogynistic readings have served to subjugate women, and thus offers an alternate version, a “new Genesis.” Furthermore, he identifies women readers, previously excluded from the practice of biblical exegesis, as the rightful interpreters of humanity’s new origin story