Why is Il Corbaccio described as misogynistic?

Il Corbaccio (1354–55) is described as misogynistic because it functions as a bitter satire directed at a widow who had rejected the author’s romantic advances.1

While Giovanni Boccaccio had previously written works that praised women and love, this text represents a sharp departure from his earlier themes. Scholars suggest that this shift was likely influenced by personal disappointments in love and a potential decline in his physical health, leading him to express intense resentment toward the woman who jilted him. Following this work, Boccaccio largely moved away from imaginative Italian literature to focus on humanist scholarship and Latin writings.1