William of Ockham William of Ockham Plurality should

William of Ockham

William of Ockham • “Plurality should not be assumed without necessity”. • Ockham’s Razor

Literature during the Late Middle Ages • Literature: Petrarch and Boccaccio in Italy, • • • Chaucer in England Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (c. 1385) 31 travelers making a pilgrimage to Canterbury. Most of them tell a tale that suits their character. Most of the tales are comical and involve contemporary character stereotypes. Provides an illustrative cross-section of society.

Literature during the Late Middle Ages • Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron (c. 1351) • Ten young men and women leave the plagueridden town for a country house, where they tell stories to pass the time. • 10 storytellers, 10 tales each = 100 stories. • Light, comical tales commenting on contemporary morals and character types. • Some, but not all, have moral lessons.

Boccaccio

Painting during the Late Middle Ages • Painting: Giotto, whose paintings was directed against the prevailing Italo. Byzantine style. He turned this painting style, with its two dimensional , lifeless quality, into a three dimensional art. • Flemish paintings of Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling

Giotto • Meeting at the Golden Gate

Giotto

Jan van Eyck