The University of Reading
Department of Italian Studies
Dante’s Divine Comedy
Course convenor and tutor: Dr Paola Nasti
Course Programme
Autumn Term 2003
CONTENTS
Aims, Outcomes and Responsabilities
p. 3
Prescribed Text
p. 3
Course work and Essay Topics
p.3
Course Outline
p. 4-6
Seminar Topics
p. 6-10
Guidelines for Presentations and Commentaries
p. 11
Bibiliography
p. 12-16
2
AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES
The aims of this course are:
• To extend the student's knowledge and appreciation of the poetry of the Divina Commedia;
• to engage students in the challenge of understanding Medieval forms of art, thought and
culture;
• to foster students’ ability to use resources, to develop independent thinking and selfexpression.
The student who has successfully completed the course unit will be able to demonstrate:
• an understanding of the content and structure of the Divina Commedia;
• a sufficient ability to contextualise and comment pertinently on any portion of the Italian text
of the poem singled out for close textual study, explaining significant linguistic, historical, and
doctrinal matters;
• a competent use of a wide range of resources and critical approaches for the understanding
of poetry.
PRESCRIBED TEXT
Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso, with commentary by Natalino
Sapegno, 3 vols (Florence: La Nuova Italia, 1985).
STUDENTS RESPONSABILITIES
•
•
•
Students are required to read the whole Divine Comedy, in spite of the fact that
during the course attention will be focused on a group of specific cantos. Students are
also required to read any associated material attentively, engaging in further reading.
English translations can be used, but ultimately students will have to show an
understanding of the original text. Lectures and seminars will be based on the original,
students are therefore required to bring a copy of the Divine Comedy in class.
Attendance during lectures and seminar sessions are compulsory and essential to a
successful outcome. Students are required to participate actively in seminars, whether
in discussion, by asking questions, or by giving properly prepared presentations.
COURSEWORK
Course work will involve two essays over the all year. The average of their marks counts for 30%
of the Final result. The essays should be no longer than 3000 words. If you have any difficulty
over submission, or require any advice, please come and see me well in advance of the deadline.
ESSAY TOPICS
AUTUMN TERM
1. Analyse Dante’s presentation of Virgil in Inferno.
2. What are the functions of Inferno 1 and 2 in the structure of the Commedia.
3. Discuss Dante’s idea of love (focus on Inferno and Purgatorio.)
4. Illustrate snd discuss Dante’s involvment as a character, with characters and events he
encounters in Inferno and Purgatorio.
SPRING TERM
1. Discuss the significance of the episode of Earthly Paradise within the whole Commedia.
2. Analyse the relationship between Dante the character and Beatrice in Paradiso.
3. To what extent and why is Paradiso concerned with political matters?
4. Discuss Dante’s anticlericalism in the Comedy.
3
COURSE OUTLINE
Familiarize yourself with the programme and pay attention to all lectures and seminars content.
A reading task has been set for most of the lectures and seminars. Please make sure you read
the prescribed cantos before your class. A practical task, i.e. writing a commentary, has been
scheduled for week 6 of the Autumn Term. This will not be assessed but it is planned in your
interest, to give you some practice on commentary writing for your final exam.
NB. For a brief description of seminars content please see the section on ‘Seminar Topics’ on pp.
7-10.
AUTUMN TERM
Week 1
Tu
Lecture: Unlocking the Comedy: genesis of a masterpiece
Th
Lecture: Exile, poetry and prophecy
Week 2
Tu
Lecture: Questions of genre, language and style
Th
Lecture: The journeys of the Comedy
Week 3
Tu
Lecture: The prologue to Inferno 1-2
Reading task: Inferno 1, 2 and 3
Th
Lecture: The Bible and the Comedy: reflecting on allegory.
Week 4
Tu
Lecture: Dante among the classics
Reading task: Inferno 4
Th
Lecture: Good love, bad love
Reading task: Inferno 5
Week 5
Tu
Seminar 1: The moral and physical structure of Inferno
Reading task: Every group must reflect on the first seminar topic planned for
this week and read Inferno 11
Th
Seminar 2: Heresy and the terrestrial
Reading task: Inferno 10
Week 6
Tu
Seminar 3: The master and his pupil: the drama of Brunetto Latini
Reading task: Inferno 15
Th
Lecture: Dante, the Church and the corrupted Popes
Reading task: Inferno 19
Practical: write a commentary on Inferno 19
Week 7
Tu
Seminar 4: The triumph of the comical
Reading task: Inferno 21-23
4
Th
Lecture: Journeys of perdition: Ulysses’ intellectual sin
Reading task: : Inferno 26
Practical: submit commentary on Inferno 19
Week 8
Tu
Lecture: At the heart of evil
Reading task: Inferno 32-33
Th
Lecture: The creation of Purgatory
Reading task: Purgatorio 1 and 2
Week 9
Tu
Lecture: Purification, nostalgia and hope: the poetry of Purgatorio
Reading task: Purgatorio 1 and 2
Th
Lecture: Politics in the Comedy
Reading task: Purgatorio 5-6
Week 10
Tu
Seminar 5: The purgation of pride
Reading task: Purgatorio 10-12
Th
Seminar 6: The doctrine of love and free will
Reading task: Purgatorio 16-18
SPRING TERM
Week 1
T
Lecture: Poets and poetry in the Comedy
Reading task: Purgatorio 21-26
Th
Seminar 1: Statius and Virgil: Dante’s attitude to Classical antiquity
Reading task: Purgatorio 21 and 22
Week 2
Tu
Seminar 2: Dante and the vernacular literary tradition
Reading task: Cantos 24 and 26
Th
Lecture: Earthly Paradise
Reading task: Purgatorio 30-33
Week 3
Tu
Lecture: Meeting Beatrice
Reading task: Purgatorio 30-33
Th
Lecture: The drama of desire: introduction to Paradiso
Reading task:
Week 4
Tu
Lecture: Canto 1 the poetry of Ineffability
Reading task: Paradiso 1
5
Th
Seminar 3: The sweetness of loving God
Reading task: Paradiso 3
Week 5
Tu
Seminar 4: God’s Empire
Reading task: Paradiso 6
Th
Seminar 5: Love and politics
Reading task: Paradiso 8-9
Week 6
Tu
Lecture: The heaven of the Sun
Reading task: Paradiso 10, 11 & 12
Th
Lecture: The Resurrection of the body
Reading task: Paradiso 14
Week 7
Tu
Lecture: Dante’s poetic mission
Reading task: Paradiso 15-17
Week 8
Tu
Seminar 6: God’s Justice and the problem of Salvation
Reading task: Paradiso 19-20
Th
Lecture: Metaphors and language in Paradiso
Week 9
Tu
Seminar 7: The fury of Peter
Reading task: Paradiso 26-27
Th
Seminar 8: The heavenly rose and St Bernard
Reading task: Paradiso 30 and 31
Week 10
Tu
Lecture: The end of the journey
Reading task: Paradiso 32 and 33
Th
Revision Seminar
6
SEMINAR ORGANIZATION AND TOPICS FOR THE AUTUMN
The class will be divided into study groups, each of which will be expected to organize its own
learning activities and to provide a forum for the discussion of the set topics. Each group will be
assigned one of 6 seminars listed in the Autumn ‘Course Outline’, with the exception of Seminar
1, which will be shared by all groups. The groups will arrange to meet in order to prepare for a
oral presentation. Pool your thoughts on the topic in question, organize them in some coherent
manner, formulate any unresolved problems you wish to raise, and appoint a spokesperson if you
wish. The topics generally concentrate on the analysis of a number of chosen cantos, but this
should ultimately serve as the basis for the discussion of broader issues. Suggestions on the issues
to discuss in the seminars are offered below, but the choice of topics belongs to the study groups.
Remember to outline the general context of the canto/cantos you deal with as well as their main
ideological, philosophical, theological, and rhetorical features (for more help on how to prepare a
seminar see ‘Guidelines’ on p. 8).
1 The moral and physical structure of Inferno
Study group: all
• Describe the structure of the universe on which Dante’s afterlife is based (you might
want to have pictures/figures to help discuss this point).
• How was hell created according to Dante?
• On which philosophical system is Dante’s division of sins based upon?
• Following the analysis offered in Inferno 11, describe the division/organization of
sins/sinners in Inferno (you might want to have pictures/figures to help discuss this
point).
• Which are the literary models of Dante’s Inferno?
• What is the contrappasso? Analyse some examples.
• What is the relationship between the physical reality of Inferno and the moral conditions
of its inhabitants?
2 Heresy and the terrestrial
Study group:
• What is the function of the first 21 lines of the Inferno 10? More generally analyse the link
between the landscape described in this canto and the moral condition of the sinners met
here.
• What is the relation between heresy (Epicures) and Farinata’s fixation with politics? Or
between heresy and Cavalcante’s insistence on his son’s fame?
• Why most of the sinners we meet in Inferno are Florentines like Farinata?
• What is the image of Florence portrayed by Farinata and Dante in Inferno 10?
• How do you explain the magnitude of the sinners met by Dante in Inferno 10? What does
his say about the human persona and the nature of sin?
• Analyse the similarities as well as differences between Farinata and Dante.
• Discuss the prophecy of Dante’s exile.
• Discuss the meaning of the meeting with Cavalcante dei Cavalcanti and Dante’s
relationship with Guido Cavalcanti.
• Is this canto about the limits of reason ? If so why?
3 The master and his pupil: the drama of Brunetto Latini
Study group:
• Who was Brunetto Latini (Inferno XV)? What was his relationship with Dante?
• What is Brunetto’s greatest sin?
• Discuss Brunetto’s concepts of literary fame and fortune. How do they contribute to our
understanding of his sin?
• Analyse Brunetto’s language. How does it reflect his sinful attitude ?
7
•
•
•
•
Discuss the differences between Dante the poet’s and Dante the character’s treatment of
Brunetto.
How do you explain the co-existence of magnitude and felony in Brunetto’s soul?
How and why did the student surpass the teacher?
Why do you think the inhabitants of Inferno 15-17 are mainly Florentines? Relate the
decadence of Florence to the sinners’ idea of politics as featured in these cantos.
4 The triumph of the comical
Study group :
• Carefully analyse the language and the similes of Inferno 21-23. In which way are they
realistic? Comic? Farcical? Theatrical?
• Discuss Dante’s comic representation of the Devils in Inferno 21-22. In which way do
they differ from the other mythical creatures of Inferno (Caron, Geryon etc.)?
• Why do you think the souls in these cantos are often compared to animals? What is
Dante’s consideration of Barratry?
• What are the implications of Virgil’s failure to unmask the devils’ lies? What does this tell
us about Virgil?
• Discuss the first indication in these cantos that Dante will surpass his guide.
5 The purgation of pride
Study group:
• Why is pride the first sin to be expiated in Purgatory?
• What is pride? (26, 125) and its opposite humility? (Purg. 3, 34-45)
• Discuss Dante’s choice of examples of humility in Purgatorio 10?
• Discuss Dante’s use of ‘Padre nostro’ at the beginning of Purgatorio 11.
• Assess the implications of Dante’s self-reference in Purgatorio 11, 99.
• What elements are common to the process of purification on all cornices of Purgatory?
6 The doctrine of love and free will
Study group:
• What is is free will? What, in Dante’s view, guarantees human freedom?
• Examine carefully the structure of Marco Lomabrdo’s argument in Purgatorio 16, 25-129
and the connections between the topics he touches on.
• What is the importance of the distinction between ‘il primo ben’ and ‘[i beni] secondi’
(Purg. 17, 97-102)
• Discuss how Virgil’s analysis of love in Purgatorio 17 gives grounds for the classification
of sinful tendencies and thus for the structure of Dante’s Purgatory?
• Consider the relationship between astral influence, human nature, appetite, intellect, and
the freedom of will, dealt with in Purgatorio 16-18
• In which way Dante’s conception of free will affects his treatment of individuality in the
Comedy?
SEMINAR ORGANIZATION AND TOPICS FOR THE SPRING
As in the Autumn term, the class will be divided into study groups, each of which will be
expected to organize its own learning activities and to provide a forum for the discussion of the
set topics. Each group will be assigned 1 of 8 seminars listed in the Spring ‘Course Outline’, with
the exception of Seminars 1 and 8, which will be shared by all groups. The groups will arrange to
meet in order to prepare for a oral presentation. Pool your thoughts on the topic in question,
organize them in some coherent manner, formulate any unresolved problems you wish
to raise, and appoint a spokesperson if you wish. As in the Autumn term, the topics generally
concentrate on the analysis of a number of chosen cantos, but this should ultimately serve as the
basis for the discussion of broader issues. Brief suggestions on the issues to discuss in the
8
seminars are offered below, but you are strogly encouraged to add more topics for discussion.
Remember to outline the general context of the canto/cantos you deal with as well as their main
ideological, philosophical, theological, and rhetorical features (for more help on how to prepare a
seminar see ‘Guidelines’ on p. 8).
1 Statius and Virgil: Dante’s attitude to Classical antiquity
Study group:
• Comment upon Statius’s attitude towards poetry and Virgil in Purgatorio 21-22
• Analyse the significance of the conversation about Limbo in Purgatorio 22
• What does Dante’s treatment of Statius tell us about his attitude to Vergil, Statius and in
general, to the historical and cultural role of the poets and intellectuals of the ancient
world?
• In the light of your answer to the previuos question, why is Cato chosen as guardian of
the shores of Purgatory?
•
2 Dante and the vernacular literary tradition
Study group
• Who are the poets that Dante meets in Purgatorio 24 and 26?
• What was their historical and cultural role/significance?
• What is Dante’s attitude towards them?
• Who are the best poets according to Dante?
• What do these cantos say about Dante’s own poetry?
3 The sweetness of loving God
Study group
Analyse and comment upon the following features of Paradiso 3:
• The nature of beatitude as described by Piccarda.
• The Order of the Universe.
• Characterisation and individuality in Paradiso.
• The vocabulary and language of bliss.
4 God’s Empire
Study group
Analyse and comment upon the following features of Paradiso 6:
• Dante’s political utopia: unity versus division.
• The theology of the Empire.
• The praise of active life.
• Romeo da Villanova, the exul immeritus.
5 Love and Politics
Study group
Analyse and comment upon the following features of Paradiso 8 and 9:
• The nature of love in Paradiso (charity).
• The identification of love and politics.
• Predestination and free will.
• Poetry and poets in Paradiso.
• The poetics of neologisms.
6 God’s Justice and the problem of salvation
Study group
Analyse and comment upon the following features of Paradiso 19 and 20:
9
•
•
•
•
•
The relationship between divine and human justice.
The problem of salvation.
Dante’s invective.
Politics as caritas.
Rifeo and the tragedy of Virgil.
7 The fury of Peter
Study group
Analyse and comment upon the following features of Paradiso 26-27:
• Dante’s view of the decadence of the Church.
• Prophetic poetry and the language of God’s wrath.
• The presence of earthly matters in heaven.
8 The heavenly rose and St Bernard
Study group
Analyse and comment upon the following features of Paradiso 30-31:
• The form of Heaven.
• The poetry of ineffability (language, symbols and metaphors)
• The loss and triumph of Beatrice.
• St. Bernard and the prayer to Mary.
10
SEMINARS, PRESENTATIONS AND COMMENTARIES
D A very brief guide to seminar and presentations D
Prepare yourself: read the canto(s) more than once [it is good practice to read (if you haven’t
already done so) also the canto preceding and following the one(s) you are going to discuss]. A
second reading will allow you to note down details about the poet’s choices. Leave adequate time
for reading, and consultation with the other members of your group.
Define your aims and objectives: decide what the important issues are, what it is that you want
to communicate to your audience, and how best to express it. Bear in mind the time limitations.
Try to concentrate on important points. Aim not to describe but to explain the significance of
the facts you are bringing to the attention of your audience.
Interact with your audience: try not to read from a script but speak fluently and slowly about
you ideas and points. Take your time, engage your audience, look at them, speak to them, ask
questions (provide handouts or any material you think might help your audience). A good
presentation should be able to stimulate topics for discussion and raise unresolved questions or
problems.
Organize your team and pace yourself: you might decide to elect a spokesperson or divide the
material of your presentation among all the members or the team. Whatever your choice, pay
attention to the time limits (25 minutes) and leave time for discussion.
D A very brief guide on how to write a commentary D
(Also useful for presentations)
•
ƒ
ƒ
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Organise your material in a revealing and principled way, i.e.
Providing an effective introduction and conclusion
Addressing important features and linking them together rather that
simply moving through the passage line by line.
Clearly and accurately contextualise the passage
Assess the passage’s significance in the text as a whole
Show a good understanding of the passage’s content. Under no circumstances
whatsoever should you simply summarise the passage.
Offer an appreciation of the passage’s style and language
Show a wider knowledge of the text by relating your remarks on content and form to
the text as a whole
Use secondary material
Where relevant, show wider knowledge of the culture and the literature of the Middle
Ages.
11
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I. Texts:
La Divina Commedia. You are expected to own a copy of the edition by Natalino Sapegno
(3 vols, Florence 1985), for its excellent commentary, an indispensable aid to your study. You
will also find it useful to have a copy of either:
Inferno and Purgatorio, transl. R. and J. Hollander (Doubleday, 2000-2003);
or:
The Divine Comedy, transl. M. Musa, 3 vols (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1984-85)
2. Minor Works:
Reference to Dante's ‘minor works' is essential for your understanding of the Comedv.
La Vita Nuova, ed. D. De Robertis, Milan-Naples: Ricciardi, 1980 (Transl. by B. Reynolds,
Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1969).
Il Convivio, ed. C. Vasoli, in Dante Alighieri, Opere minori, 2 vols, Milan- Naples: Rieciardi, 1979-88,
I/ii. (Transl. by C. Ryan, Saratoga: ANMA Libri, 1989).
De vulgari eloquentia, ed. P. V. Mengaido, in Opere minori cit., I, (Transl. by S. Botterill, Cambridge:
Cambridge UP, 1996).
d) Monarchia, ed. B. Nardi, in Opere minori cit., I, (Transl. by P. James, Cambridge: Cambridge UP,
1995).
Letters, ed. A. Frugoni and G. Brugnoli, in Opere minori cit., I, (Transl. by P. J. Toynbee, Oxford,
Clarendon Press,1962).
II. Background:
A basic knowledge of medieval history, and a grasp of the principal intellectual and cultural
currents of the time are important to help you understand Dante and his poem.
1. History
R. H. C. Davis, A History of Medieval Europe, London: Longman, 1970
J. K. Hyde, Society and Politics in Medieval Italy, London: Macmillan, 1973
J. Larner, Italy in the Age of Dante and Petrarch 1216-1380, London & New York: Longman, 1980
F. Schevill, Medieval and Renaissance Florence, 2 vols, New York: Frederick Ungar, 1963: in particular
vol. 1. chapters 8-14
2. Culture and Thought:
E. Auerbach, Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature, Princeton: Princeton UP,
1968, pp. 3-202
E. R. Curtius, European Literature and the Latin Middle Ages, London: RKP, 1953
E. Gilson, Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages, London: Sheed and Ward, 1955
D. Knowles, The Evolution of Medieval Thought, London: Longman, 1970
12
C. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image, Cambridge: CUP, 1964 (well-written and wide-ranging survey of
the medieval concept of the universe)
A. J. Minnis, Medieval Theory of Authorship, Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1988
A. J. Minnis and A. B. Scott (eds), Medieval Literary Theory and Criticism, Oxford: Clarendon Press,
1988
J. J. Murphy, Rhetoric in the Middle Ages, Berkeley-Los Angeles-London: University of California
Press, 1974
B. B. Price, Medieval Thought, Oxford: Blackwell, 1992
Since any attempt to read these books in full would prevent you from concentrating on the
Comedy, you would be well advised to use only those sections which will help you to improve your
understanding of the Commedia. Similarly, the critical writings which follow must also be
considered primarily as 'guides' to help you appreciate this highly complex poem. They must not
be treated as substitutes for it. You cannot expect these studies to give you all the answers.
Instead, you will have to try to discover those books, or parts of books, which will be most
helpful and stimulating to you personally. The lists which follow are very basic (more
comprehensive bibliographies dealing with both individual cantos and wider aspects of the poem
can be found in the works cited (and in particular those found in Section 4).
III. Criticism
A vast store of information on all aspects of Dante’s life and writings, ranging from individual
words to a survey of Florentine history, can be found in the Enciclopedia dantesca, 5 vols, Rome,
1970-76. In the Appendice, vol 6, 1979 comprises a biography of Dante, analyses of his language
and style, the critical editions of all his works, and a bibliography. For a very useful alternative, see
The Dante Encyclopedia, ed. Richard Lansing, New York, Garland, 2000.
1. General studies on Dante (philosophical, theological, political and literary issues):
E. Auerbach, ‘Figura’, in his Scenes from the Drama of European Literature, New York: Meridian,
1959, pp. 11-76 (an impressive survey of the meaning and function of 'figuralism' from classical
times to its culmination in D.)
-----------------, Dante: Poet of the Secular World, [1929], transl. R. Manheim, Chicago: Univ. of
Chicago Press, 1961, [Midway Reprint 1988]
Z. G. Baranski, ‘Sole nuovo. luce nuova’. Saggi sul rinnovamento culturale in Dante, Turin: Scriptorium,
1996.
-----------------------, I segni di Dante, Napoli: Loffredo, 2000
---------------------, ‘Dante and Medieval Poetics’, A. A. Iannucci (ed), Dante, Toronto: Toronto
UP, 1997, 3-22.
T. Barolini, Dante's Poets, Princeton: Princeton UP, 1984
P. Boyde, Dante Philomythes and Philosopher, Cambridge: CUP, 1981
-------------, Human Vices & Human Worth in Dante’s Comedy, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2000
M. Corti, La felicità mentale, Turin: Einaudi, 1983
13
C. T. Davis, Dante and the Idea of Rome, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1957
---------------, Dante’s Italy and Other Essays, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1984
P. Dronke, Dante and Medieval Latin Traditions, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1986
A. P. d'Entreves, Dante as a Political Thinker, Oxford: Clarendon Press 1952
J. M. Ferrante, The Political Vision of the ‘Divine Comedy’, Princeton: Princeton UP, 1984
K. Foster, The Two Dante’s and Other Essays, London; Darton, Longman & Todd, 1977
E. Gilson, Dante the Philosopher, London: Sheed and Ward, 1948
R. Hollander, Studies in Dante, Ravenna: Longo, 1980
P.V. Mengaldo, Linguistica e retorica di Dante, Pisa: Nistri-Lischi, 1978
B. Nardi, "Filosofia e teologia ai tempi di Dante in rapporto al pensiero del poeta', in his Saggi e
note di critica dantesca, Milan-Naples: Ricciardi, 1966, pp. 3-109
------------, ‘Whether Dante Was a True Prophet’, in Critical Essays on Dante, ed. G. Mazzotta,
Boston:G.K.Hall &Co., 1991, pp. 113-118
G. Padoan, Introduzione a Dante, Florence: Sansoni, 1975
G. Petrocchi, Vita di Dante, Bari: Laterza, 1983
M. Reeves, ‘Dante and the Prophetic View of History’, in The World of Dante, ed. C. Grayson,
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980, pp. 44-60
2. Collections of Essays on Dante’s works
J. Barnes & J. Petrie (eds), Word and Drama in Dante, Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1993
J. Barnes & C. O. Cuillenain (eds), Dante and the Middle Ages, Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1995.
Th. Cachey (ed), Dante Now, Notre Dame: Notre Dame University Press, 1995
G. Contini, Un'idea di Dante, Turin: Einaudi, 1976 (fundamental, although very difficult to read).
A. A. Iannucci (ed), Dante, Toronto: Toronto UP, 1997
R. Jacoff (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Dante, Cambridge: CUP, 1993
C. Grayson (ed), The World of Dante, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1979
M. Picone (ed.), Dante e le forme dell’allegoresi, Ravenna: Longo, 1987
3. La Divina Commedia (studies dealing primarily with the poem as a whole, or with individual
cantiche)
Z. G. Baranski, ‘La lezione esegetica di Inferno I: Allegoria, storia e letteratura nelia Commedia’, in
M. Picone (ed.), cit., pp. 79-97.
14
---------------------, ‘“Primo tra cotanto senno”. Dante and the Latin Comic Tradition’, Italian
Studies, 46 (1991), 1-36.
T. Barolini, The Undivine Comedy, Prineeton: Princeton UP, 1992.
L. Battaglia Ricci, Dante e la tradizione letteraria medievale, Pisa: Giardini, 1983.
R. Hollander, Allegory in Dante's 'Commedia', Princeton: Princeton UP, 1969.
-----------------, ‘Dante’s Commedia and the Classical Tradition’, in The ‘Divine Comedy’ and the
Encyclopedia of Arts and Sciences, ed. G. Di Scipio & A. Scaglione, Amsterdam/Philadelphia: J.
Benjamins,1988, 15-26
G. Mazzotta, Dante's Vision and the Circle of Knowledge, Princeton: Princeton UP, 1993
A. Morgan, Dante and the Medieval Other World, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1990
L. Pertile, La puttana e il gigante. Il Cantico dei cantici e il Paradiso Terrestre, Ravenna: Longo, 1997.
G. Petrocchi, L'Inferno' di Dante, Milan: Rizzoli, 1978, 11 'Purgatorio' di Dante, ibid; and 11.
'Paradiso' di Dante, ibid.
C.S. Singleton, 'Commedia': Elements of Structure, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard UP, 1954
--------------------, Journey to Beatrice, ibid., 1958
4. Further readings on the Divine Comedy
Inferno
P. Armour, ‘Brunetto, the Stoic Pessimist’, Dante Studies 112 (1994), 1-18
Z. G. Baranski, ‘The “Marvellous” and the “Comic”: Toward a Reading of Inferno XVI’, Lectura
Dantis 7 (1990), 72-95
T. Barolini, ‘Dante’s Ulysses: Narrative and Transgression’, in A. A. Iannucci (ed), Dante,
Toronto: Toronto UP, 1997, 113-132
K. Gross, ‘Infernal Metamorphoses: An Interpretation of Dante’s “Counterpass”’, MLN 100
(1985), 42-69
A. Hatcher & M. Musa, ‘The Kiss: Inferno V and the Old French Prose Lancelot’, Comparative
Literature, 20 (1968), 97-109
M. Musa, ‘Inferno V: Text and Commentary’, Lectura Dantis 8 (1991), in particular 122-33
S. Noakes, ‘The Double Misreading of Paolo and Francesca’, Philological Quarterly 62 (1983), 221239
J. Pequigney, ‘Sodomy in Dante’s Inferno and Purgatorio’, Representations 36 (1991), 22-42
M. Picone, ‘Poetic Discourse and Courtly Love: An Intertextual Analysis of Inferno 5’, Lectura
Dantis Newberryana, ed. P. Cherchi & A.C. Mastrobuono, vol II (1990), 173-186
J. A. Scott, ‘Inferno XXVI: Dante’s Ulysses, Lettere Italiane 23 (1971), 145-186
15
Purgatorio
P. Armour, Dante’s Griffin anf the History of the World, Oxford: Oxford UP, 1989
--------------, The Door of Purgatory, Oxford: Oxford UP, 1983
K. Foster, ‘Dante’s Idea of Love’, in From Time to Eternity: Essays on Dante’s Divine Comedy, ed. T.
Bergin, New Haven: Yale UP, 1967
J. Le Goff, The birth of Purgatory, London: Scolar Press, 1984
J. A. Scott, Dante’s Political Purgatory, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996
Paradiso
M. Chiarenza, ‘Dante’s Lady Poverty’, in Dante Studies CXI (1993), 153-75
F. Ferrucci, ‘Paradiso I’, in Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’: Introductory Readings. III: Paradiso, ed. T.
Wlassics, Lectura Dantis Virginiana 16-17 (1995), pp. 3-13
L. Pertile,’Paradiso: A Drama of Desire’, in Word and Drama in Dante, eds. J.C.Barnes & J. Petrie,
Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1993, pp. 143-180. Also in
Iannucci, pp. 148-66
L. Pertile, ‘Poesia a scienza nell’ultima immagine del Paradiso’, in Dante e la scienza, a cura di P
Boyde e V. Russo, Ravenna: Longo, 1995, pp. 133-148
More collections of lecturae
G. Getto (ed.), Letture dantesche, 3 vols, Florence: Sansoni, 1955-61
P. Giannantonio (ed.), Lectura Dantis Neapolitana, Naples: Loffredo, 1982
M. Marcazzan (ed.), Lectura Dantis Scaligera, 3 vols, Florence: Le Monnier, 1967-68
A. Masciandaro (ed.), Nuove letture dantesche, 8 vols, Florence: Le Monnier, 1966-76
T. Wlassics (ed.), Dante's "Divine Comedy": Introductory Readings, 3 vols, Charlottesville: n.p., 1990-95
For the most recent bibliographies and for present developments in Dante scholarship, you can
consult the journals:
Studi danteschi, L'Alighieri, Lectura Dantis and Dante Studies, and the annual collection of essays
Letture Classensi, Ravenna: Longo, 1966-.
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