Activity 2

Banner image description: 

A picture of the church of Santa Maria Novella, the church where the brigata met before fleeing from Florence and the plague.

What I found most interesting about Professor Shemek's lectures is the different frames of storytelling and how the meaning of a story changes based upon its frame. As Brown's Decameron Web put it, the presence of the brigata "forces us to mentally move back and forth across those ideal and invisible boundaries [of the frames] in order to discuss or assess the "meaning" or "message" of a single story or the whole work" (Brown par. 2).

For example, Filostrato opens his story in Day 4 Story 9 by saying "Considering how much you are saddened, my most compassionate ladies, by lovers’ misfortunes, the tale that presents itself to me will make you feel at least as much pity as the last one did, since the people involved in the events I am about to relate were of loftier rank and met with a crueler fate than those of whom we have already spoken" (Bocaccio par. 4). Not only is there the interpretive meaning of that story's world in particular, but there is also then the meaning to the world of the Brigata, which in this case as demonstrated by the quote might involve Filostrato out of lovesickness trying to outdo the previous story narrated by his love-interest Filometa. Then, there is perhaps yet another world of interpretation in Boccacio's frame, the real world, where Boccaccio is having this conflict with the Brigata may point out the view of how lovesick men (such as Filostrato) oversimplify women in their minds. This is perhaps for the purpose of trying to create a pro-feminist theme in his book, namely that men should take care to understand and acknowledge the struggles of women. What all the interpretations demonstrate is that each frame creates with it its own meaning for the sociocultural purpose of that frame's world.

Gif Explanation: This gif shows how I interpret the Decameron, starting at the deepest frame and moving outwards.

What is the world inside UCI?

Like any large university, UCI is home to many worlds within it. Depending on who one decides to spend their time with, and where they interact, different people in UCI may have very different experiences. 

There are many pastoral worlds accessible within UCI. The obvious one is Aldrich park, where people commonly have picnics and enjoy the natural serenity of their surroundings without worrying about the more industrial settings of their classes. Less obvious settings that mimic the pastoral ones in the Decameron include the camping and hiking clubs. 

Other worlds can be defined by academics, one's own culture, or one's own interests. Each one carry with them their own sociocultural constructions within the bubble of a much smaller self-defined society. For example, the ping pong club has members that may be highly esteemed for their skill within the club, but nobody outside of the club would know the level of dedication and talent said person may have. Using a personal example, given that UCI is a fairly liberal school, it was interesting seeing how the norm within the religious club I went to was more conservative, which meant that within this world there were different conceptions on common issues.

Yet, nobody at UCI fits one world perfectly. All of us exist in some liminal space in-between multiple worlds of academics, extracurriculars, and personal relationships. Yet, with every lecture or club meeting we choose to give up that liminal space temporarily to collectively create a new space, and that new space takes the values that everyone in the room shares and creates a new world of conceptions around it.

Descriptions

Slide 1: My first day in the humanities core lecture room. a space where the worlds we build as a class are based largely upon the analysis of worlds other authors have created.

Slide 2: The gym, a physical retreat where the world is defined by the gains each person make, and the process of making personal progress. Yet, this space also contains many connections to the outside world through television sets placed throughout. It is almost dreamlike being in a world where everyone is focused on lifting yet seeing these remnants of either children's shows, or in other times news channels that bring back different worlds to the gym. It is almost as if we were prisoners and TV was our shadow puppet. 

Slide 3: The Muslim Student Union, a cultural space where I felt in touch with the world where I came from, the Middle Eastern world. The sermon leader had a different conception of the world than I did, and so this world was conflicting for me, as on one hand it was refreshing being able to connect to my own culture and religion, but on the other hand it was a bit alienating not being able to express my voice on issues that I disagreed with him on.

Slide 4: The overall anime club, a big club where the collective world is based on fictional worlds created by the anime studios and manga authors. Like the brigata, part of our world is defined by the stories we experience, but instead of telling the stories ourselves these stories have come from an outside source.

Slide 5: A subset of the anime club, a Thursday watchparty that is a more intimate setting and specifically for watching seasonal and popular anime. In this world unlike the offshoot anime club that includes cosplay, events, and social interaction, this world involves a subset of people who have collectively decided that their main enjoyment stemmed from watching anime in a group setting. This is similar to when the brigata split into groups that create their own worldly experience, such as the women and men splitting to bathe in the Valley of Ladies.

Slide 6: My favorite spot in Aldrich park, a clearing that requires a walk past some pointy branches, but after the walk there is a shady sizable area with flowers on the outside. This place and the outside of Aldrich remind me of the pastoral spaces in The Decameron.

Banner Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/santa-maria-novella-florence-italy-2425131/ 

Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron (First Edition) (Norton Critical Editions). Available from: Yuzu, W. W. Norton, 2015.

“Decameron Web.” Decameron Web | Literature, https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/literature/theory/frame.php. 

Gif Source: A screenrecording of Shemek Lecture 1 Page 17 but zooming out