''Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta'', or ''The Elegy of Lady Fiammetta'' in English, is a
novel
A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
by the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
writer
Giovanni Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian people, Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so ...
, probably written between 1343 and 1344. Written in the form of a first-person confessional monologue, it describes the protagonist,
Fiammetta's, passion for Panfilo, a Florentine merchant, and takes place in
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
. It has been characterised as the first
psychological novel
In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of its characters. The mode of narration examin ...
in Western literature. It consists of a prologue and nine chapters.
Plot
Lady Fiammetta recounts her tragic love affair with Panfilo, offering it as a warning to other women. Lady Fiammetta and Panfilo quickly fall in love and have an affair, only to have it end when Panfilo returns to
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
.
Although he promises to return to Naples, she eventually realizes that he has another lover in Florence. The narrative revolves around Fiammetta's jealousy and despair caused by the affair, rather than the development of her relationship with Panfilo. She eventually considers suicide, but her nurse stops her. Her hopes in the end are bolstered by the news that Panfilo may be coming back to Naples after all.
Translations
Two translations of Boccaccio's ''Elegia'' have come out in recent years. The two translations differ in their principles of translation and their Italian texts. ''The Elegy of Madonna Fiammetta Sent by Her to Women in Love'', by Roberta L. Payne and Alexandra Hennessey Olsenhope, is aimed at a popular audience. The Mariangela Causa-Steindler and Thomas Mauch translation, ''The Elegy of Lady Fiammetta'', is more scholarly.
See also
*
Juan de Flores
Juan de Flores (c. 1455 - c. 1525) was a Spanish courtier, knight, administrator, diplomat and author, most known for two "sentimental novels": ''Grimalte y Gradissa'' and ''Grisel y Mirabella'', both probably written between 1470 and 1477 and publ ...
wrote a sentimental novel, ''Grimalte y Gradissa'', which presents itself as a kind of sequel to the ''Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta''.
Sources
* Causa-Steindler, Mariangela and Thomas Mauch (1990). ''The Elegy of Lady Fiammetta''. University of Chicago Press. .
* Hennessey, Alexandra and Roberta L. Payne (1993). ''The Elegy of Madonna Fiammetta Sent by Her to Women in Love''. Peter Lang Publishing. .
External links
* https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10006/10006-h/10006-h.htm: English translation of ''La Fiammetta'' by Giovanni Boccaccio, translated by James C. Brogan, 1907.
14th-century novels
Medieval Italian literature
Works by Giovanni Boccaccio
Novels set in Naples
Italian novels
Love stories
Psychological novels
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