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Liminal Spaces Within Bocaccio's Decameron and UC Irvine
"Their sojourn in the country will be more than a mere escape, of course; it will be a way for them to find some personal and intellectual, if not social and intellectual, means to cope with the plague..." - Rebhorn, Decameron xxv
Preceding Context
The brigata, a group of 7 young women and men, escape Florence in refuge of peace and isolation away from the tragedy of the plague. During their journey, they each tell tall tales that surround themes of love, tragedy, and fortune (or lack thereof) as a coping mechanism, revisiting the notion of power in storytelling that took root in our reading of Homer’s Odyssey, Book IX. Throughout the days, they take refuge in one particular space, liminal or not, for their stories.
The Brigata's Garden: Liminal, Pastoral, or Both?
Liminal Spaces: transitional or transformative spaces associated with a disconnection from the concept of reality (BetterHelp)
Pastoral Spaces: spaces charactersitic of natural, rural, and/or rustic areas; the countryside (Dictionary.com)
Above: Villa d'Este Gardens, Tivoli, near Rome. Image Credit: Celebrity Cruises
Above: The Decameron from Hulton Fine Art Collection. Image Credit: GETTY IMAGES
One of the first settings in which the brigata take refuge in is the garden presiding within the abandoned countryside home they're inhabiting for the time being. As it is a garden, some may be quick to assume that it represents a pastoral and idyllic space, but at a closer glance, the garden has been marked by the human footprint, filled with luxurious courtyards and elaborate water fountains. Italian gardens— such as the brigata's—are meticulously constructed to meet a standard of aesthetic that only the financially-fortunate could afford during the 1300s.
So is it merely a liminal space, if not pastoral? In reality, the garden represents both a pastoral and liminal in their function, as they "do not exactly enter the wilds of nature" but embrace "both nature and culture" (Rebhorn xxvi). The brigata utilize the garden as a space in which they can imagine their own worlds and tell stories as an escape from their reality of death and dying—making it a liminal space—but also a pastoral space in which the garden provides for them the same peace and serenity that the countryside would. Although the brigata do find their way towards pastoral spaces in which they continue storytelling, such as a meadow and a river in which they bathe in, this particular garden represents the bridge between pastoral and liminal spaces.
My Liminal Spaces Within UC Irvine
MY DORM ROOM
MY DORM ROOM
My dorm room serves as my major liminal space, a space in which I can take refuge and cut myself off from my reality as a full-time student just as the garden blocks the brigata from their reality back in Florence. Whether it's climbing into bed and curling up with a good novel or having a good vent with my roommate, my dorm room gives me an illusion of separation from UC Irvine, despite the fact that I live on campus.
RING MALL & RING ROAD
RING MALL & RING ROAD
Riding around on my bike on Ring Mall or Ring Road serves as my next major personal liminal space. Whenever I need to take a step away from my heavy courseload, I take myself for a ride throughout campus. Despite the wind stinging my cheeks and my nose running as the cold assaults me because I'm riding above the speed limit of 8 mph, my brain fog and worries of homework clears as gravity takes me down the hilly, cracked roads
MIDDLE EARTH, CALMINDON
MIDDLE EARTH, CALMINDON
Calmindon, my dorm hall within Middle Earth, serves as my last major liminal space on campus. As my new home away from home, Calmindon is a place of refuge in the kitchen where I put together comforting meals using my family's recipes and in the study room where I share sweet treats with my roommate as a reward after a long day. Although it is on campus, it is a space where I can pretend that I've just come home from a long day of work.
Aldrich Park, UC Irvine: Liminal, Pastoral or Both?
Above: Magenta trees framing the Computer Science building: Aldrich Park, UCI by Ian Parker. Image Credit: Parker Lab
Aldrich Park, though beautiful in its glory, is manmade. Built on the native lands of the indigenous Gabrieleños, Luiseño, and Juaneño people who originally tended to the land, the modern human footprint is evident in the weekly shaven lawns to avoid natural overgrowth, carefully placed trees to provide shade, and annoying water sprinklers.
But just like the brigata's garden, Aldrich Park is both liminal and pastoral in its function. The park serves as a liminal haven for students between classes, where naps, walks, and picnics allow them to separate themselves from their academic reality. And just as a trip into the countryside would, the park provides the same pastoral benefits of peace and serenity.
In final reflection...
Just as nothing is completely black or white, but rather shades of gray, the spaces observed within Bocaccio's Decameron and UC Irvine can serve as both liminal and pastoral spaces depending on one's personal perspective of the environments. Both the brigata's garden and my personal liminal spaces serve as a safe space for the individuals inhabiting them to build themselves a separate world away from our more negative realities, with the brigata escaping the plague and me escaping my duties as a full time student. In conclusion, a liminal space can exist anywhere for anyone, but it is what you make of it yourself.
WORKS CITED:
Boccaccio, Giovanni. Selections from The Decameron. Translated and edited by Wayne Rebhorn, Norton, 2016.
Header Image: Waterhouse, John William. A Tale from the Decameron. Lady Lever Art Gallery, UK, 1849-1917.
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