Changes

===Cultural Change===

Initially, the Black Death led to a fascination with death among many Italians. The loss of life and the suffering led many to become obsessed with death.<ref> Herlihy, D., ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674076133/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0674076133&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=ed19d965a5f4e3c1389be15f87195a5d The Black Death and the Transformation of the West]'' (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1997) p. 116</ref> The Dance of Death was a popular motif in art and architecture at this time. The general mood was one of pessimism and indeed many expected that sooner or later that the world would end. Alongside this fear of death and the general mood of pessimism, there was a desire to experience the pleasures of life and to seize any happiness that was on offer. This contradictory impact of the Black Death on the culture of the time can be seen in the writings of two of the greatest figures in European literature, Petrarch and Boccaccio.<ref>Benedictow, 2004, p. 173 </ref> These two writers at times wrote in despair about the human condition yet they also wrote about the joys of life and the beauties of nature.