Dante (in English)
Dante’s Divine Comedy is a classic of world literature: we will seek to understand why. We will consider the work in its medieval cultural context, as well as its reappearance in contemporary translations and popular culture. Starting with Dante’s poetic predecessors (Virgil, Romance vernacular poets), and Dante’s youthful work, Vita Nuova, we will focus on Inferno and Purgatorio, with selected cantos from Paradiso. In our exploration, we will refer as well to medieval religion, politics, philosophy, and both medieval and contemporary visual culture (particularly film), to understand why the Divine Comedy continues to stimulate discussion, critique, and rebirth into today.