Dante’s Divine Comedy

Catalog description

Dante’s Divine Comedy is among the most magnificent products of the human imagination, referencing an immense body of knowledge and including an enormous cast of characters from classical and Christian sources, as well as from contemporary European history. This seminar will provide intensive analysis and discussion of Inferno, Purgatorio, and parts of Paradiso, giving special attention to its dramatization of ethical choices and their consequences, medieval notions of life and afterlife, and the diverse cultural and literary influences on Dante’s epic poem. Short background readings from the Bible, Virgil, Augustine, medieval lyric poetry, etc., will complement the central text. Restriction: No freshman permitted. Offered regularly.