The Elegy of Lady Fiammetta
by Giovanni Boccaccio
A milestone in feminist literature and told by a woman, this wonderful European novel is considered the first psychological novel in the modern language and the harbinger of the flow of fictional consciousness. The narrator and first-person protagonist, Lady Fiammetta, tells us that despite being a married woman, she falls in love with a beautiful young stranger named Panfilo and becomes her lover by acting with irresistible passion. Later, Panfilo leaves Fiammetta and returns to his hometown, where his elderly father is said to have died. When he doesn't fulfill his promise to return, Fiammetta, in whose heart the narrative lies, describes his aspirations, suffering, and despair.
