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 plague-ridden 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