DISCUSSION THEMES
The following themes appear in the ten tales to a greater or lesser degree, and can be used as a springboard for discussion in class. I have outlined a suggested schedule for a unit on the three authors, and the bulk of each day would be an analysis of the themes below.
INTER-RELATIONSHIPS
There are obviously many related items between the tales, but there are two that you might want to specifically point out to students, or create an assignment based on them. The first is the relationship between the tale of the Franklin in Chaucer and the Fifth Story of the Tenth Day in Boccaccio, and the second is the relationship between the Second Story of the Seventh Day in Boccaccio and Story 29 in Marguerite de Navarre. The latter story in each pair are not included in the ten tales of the primary lessons, but nevertheless can be used to enrich and enhance the experience. They are short, and can therefore be copied easily or even read in class.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
On the final wrap-up day, these
questions might be useful to use as a way of beginning opinion-based
discussions with the students.
1. As a whole, what do the ten tales tell us about human behavior?
2. Which author did you find to be the most enjoyable? The least enjoyable? The most thought-provoking?
3. What were the main differences in style between the authors? What were the main differences in tone?
4. What particular story of the ten captured your imagination? Made you think the most?
5. What more modern works are similar to, or could have been
influenced by, the authors and stories under discussion?