The Satiric Subject, its Practices and Purposes in Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron.

There are three basic genres in literature: drama, fiction, and poetry. All three categories can use comedy. Comedy again can be divided into high and low comedy. High comedy is comedy that is appealing to, and reflecting the life and problems of the upper social classes, characterized by witty and sardonic treatment. Low comedy is comedy that gets its effect mainly from action and situation, as burlesque, farce, slapstick, and horseplay, rather than from witty …

… be all knowing, divine, and flawless. He constantly presents human desires and human flaws among priests and nuns throughout the 100 stories. The fact that Boccaccio published his criticism in the form of comedy and through the narrative frame of the ten storytellers probably saved his life. His satiric work was eventually a great success, by leading to social reforms and finally to the Lutheran Protestant movement. Works Cited: Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. London: Penguin, 2003.