Filippo Balducci and the Goslings

The gosling (or: goose) is the main feature in the opening novella of the fourth day in the Decameron of Boccaccio. Geese were considered “rich man’s food” in medieval times. The feathers of this domestic bird were used as pen quills, and were used by monks and people of high status. But geese in Boccaccio’s novella are just an excuse to elaborate on the inevitability of the natural act of loving (making love) one another. This tour will look at the role of the gosling. We open the tour with a few lines from the text …