Creation of the Idyllic Space

Boccaccio's The Decameron

Locus amoenus— ‘charming place, pleasance’, a phrase. . . used by modern scholars to refer to the literary topos of the set description of an idyllic landscape, typically containing trees and shade, a grassy meadow, running water, song-birds, and cool breezes.

Idyllic Spaces as Seen in The Decameron

Boccaccio's The Decameron does not lack in its numerous descriptions of setting— these descriptions of the characters' environments may otherwise be recognized as the exhibition of locus amoenus.

For the times the brigata migrate to a new location, Boccaccio writes a very lengthy and detailed description of their new surroundings. Take for example, the description of the second estate the brigata find themselves at:

"A walled garden attached to the palace was opened up for them, and when they went inside, it seemed at first glance a thing of such wondrous beauty that they set out to explore it in detail. There were wide walks. . . covered over with trellised vines that gave every promise of producing grapes in abundance that year. . . It would take a long time to describe how numerous and varied the plants were that grew in the garden. . . but actually the most praiseworthy of its features, namely, a lawn of exceptionally fine grass, so intensely green that it seemed almost black. . . The sight of this garden, so beautifully arranged, with its plants and its fountain and the little streams that flowed out of it, gave so much pleasure to the ladies and the three young men that with one voice they declared that they did not think the beauty of the place could be improved on, and that if Paradise could be created on earth, they could not imagine it having any other form" (92-93).

The specific idyllic tone and word choice in which Boccaccio writes this description evokes the feeling of astonishment and pleasure in readers; he literally describes the characters, the seven women and three men collectively, as being so pleasured by the views of their environment that they could agree that they were in Paradise on earth. In combination— the evoked feelings of the readers, expressed feelings of the brigata, and the extensive picturesque description of nature classifies this description as an example of pastoral locus amoenus!

Locus Amoenus at UCI

How the UCI campus, from my eyes, provides "charming" spaces for retreating, reflecting, critiquing, and building worlds with others.

Aldrich Park

A large expanse of of green and trees— what is not serene and idyllic about the rolling hills of Aldrich Park? In the first few weeks of my time here at UCI, I have found many others and myself at Aldrich Park; whether it be retreating to the park to study, taking a self-reflection walk, or building worlds with others via collaboration opportunities (e.g. organization activities and club meetings) hosted at Aldrich Park.

My Dorm

I would argue this is (my personal) favorite place to retreat to at UCI— though I may be a bit biased. My roommate and I have made our dorm our second home; both her and I have indefinitely spent a lot of time reflecting, critiquing, and building worlds with one another in our humble little space. To elaborate some on "building worlds," we have literally spent time and effort creating this space— our dorm is a small world of our creation!

The Science Library

One of the notable spaces provided by UCI. The Science Library is reputable as a place of retreat, reflection, critique, and worldbuilding. It is the place people go to relax before or after a class, to work on pending assignments, and for people to work together. To once again highlight worldbuilding, this time in relation to the Science Library— people commonly rely on this place for knowledge and inspiration for bringing their ideas to life.

A Personal Reflection: The Possibilities of Worldbuilding

In Professor Shemek's series of lectures, the reoccurring topic of the relationship between the real world and spaces in storytelling is thoroughly explored. During her analyses of Boccaccio's The Decameron, I found one of the topics discussed in her first lecture most memorable or intriguing: the pastoral locus amoenus.

Whilst working on this assignment, I found myself really getting into it— maybe because I am enjoying the reading for The Decameron or because understood the concept of the pastoral mode and locus amoenus from the lecture. Regardless, in recognizing either concepts in Boccaccio's work and the spaces at UCI, I have made the realization that the possibilities of worldbuilding are endless. Worldbuilding is spotted in fictional and nonfictional works of literature, it is found in art, and it definitely exhibits itself in reality; people want to create idyllic spaces!

My final realization and conclusion that I have come to whilst working on this assignment is that UCI as a university is definitely NOT largely a function of liminal space. UCI, and ultimately any other space or location, is what you make it out to be. For example, you can see Aldrich Park as what it is literally: grass and trees. But you can also view Aldrich Park as an idyllic space; looking at Aldrich Park through a pastoral locus amoenus "lens," the shade provided by its trees and the mass expanse of green hills makes the location feel like it's its own world right in the middle of UCI. At the end of the day, worldbuilding is all about perspective!

References

Informational

Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. Translated and edited by Wayne Rebhorn, Norton, 2016.

Hardie, Philip. "Locus amoenus." Oxford Classical Dictionary, 7 March 2016, https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3751. Accessed 8 November 2023.

Photos

William Waterhouse, John. A Tale From the Decameron. 1916. Joy of Museums, https://joyofmuseums.com/museums/united-kingdom-museums/liverpool-museums/lady-lever-art-gallery/a-tale-from-the-decameron-by-john-william-waterhouse/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CA%20Tale%20from%20the%20Decameron%E2%80%9D%20by.

Welch, Terrill. Bell Towers of Florence Countryside. 2015. Artwork Archive, https://www.artworkarchive.com/profile/terrill-welch/artwork/bell-towers-of-florence-countryside.

*Additional pictures in "Locus Amoenus at UCI" taken by myself.

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