Understanding Dante

by Scott, John A.

• ISBN13: 9780268044510
• ISBN10: 0268044511
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-02-25
• Publisher: Univ of Notre Dame Pr

Summary

"DANTE AND SHAKESPEARE DIVIDE the modern world between them; there is no third." Understanding Dante attempts to explain and justify T. S. Eliot's bold claim. John Scott offers readers at all levels a critical overview of Dante's writings: five chapters deal with his New Life of love and poetry (Vita Nova), the Banquet of knowledge (Convivio), his Latin treatise on language and poetics (De Vulgari Eloquentia), Italian lyrics (Rime), and his blueprint for world government (Monarchia). The next five chapters concentrate on Dante's masterpiece, the Comedy. its structure, Dante's worldview (still relevant today), and the Comedy examined as a poem. Much has been written on Dante's moral, political, and religious ideas; important as these are, however, such discussions are perforce limited. It is above all as a work of poetry that the Divine Comedy maintains its appeal to readers of all backgrounds and beliefs. Firmly grounded in the latest advances of Dante scholarship, Understanding Dante offers an original and uniquely detailed, global analysis of Dante as poet of

Table of Contents

About the Series	xiii
Preface	xv
Electronic Resources	xix
Editions of Dante's Works	xxi
Abbreviations	xxv
Chronology, 1215--1321	xxvii
List of Illustrations	xxxi
Dante's New Life: Vita Nova	1	(1)
Beatrice	1	(1)
The prose ``commentary'' to the poems selected	2	(1)
Beatrice's revelations	3	(1)
First sonnet	4	(1)
``Screen'' ladies	5	(1)
The end of the first section	6	(1)
Beatrice denies her greeting	7	(2)
The second section	9	(1)
The core discovery	10	(3)
Sweet new style	13	(1)
Love and the noble heart	14	(1)
The death of Folco Portinari	14	(1)
Premonition of Beatrice's death	15	(1)
Beatrice's earthly apotheosis	16	(1)
Personification allegory and vernacular love poetry	17	(2)
Praise of Beatrice	19	(1)
The unfinished poem and Beatrice's death	20	(1)
Beatrice and the number nine	21	(3)
Dante's sorrow	24	(1)
Anniversary poem	25	(1)
A ``noble lady'' (donna gentile)	26	(1)
Eastertide, 1292	27	(1)
A visionary ending	27	(2)
Conclusion	29	(2)
Texts and translations	31	(1)
Other readings	31
Language and the craft of literature: De vulgari eloquentia	1	(62)
The vernacular versus Latin (grammar)	35	(1)
Dante and the Modistae	36	(1)
Language, the hallmark of the human race	37	(2)
Babel and its aftermath	39	(2)
The mutability of language: ``Grammar'' as an artificial remedy	41	(1)
The regional languages of Italy	42	(2)
The illustrious vernacular	44	(1)
Book 2	45	(1)
Who may use the illustrious vernacular, and for which subjects?	46	(1)
The canzone as poetic vehicle for the illustrious vernacular	46	(1)
The canzone	47	(1)
The noblest style	48	(3)
Lexis	51	(1)
The structure of the canzone	52	(4)
Place of composition	56	(1)
The work in general	57	(1)
Critical fortunes	58	(1)
Conclusion	59	(1)
Texts and translations	60	(1)
Other readings	61	(2)
Dante's lyric poetry: Rime	63	(44)
Early influences	64	(5)
The mature poet's ``purist'' phase	69	(2)
Poetry and philosophy	71	(5)
Voi che 'ntendendo il terzo del movete (lxxix: 59)	71	(1)
Amor che ne la mente mi ragiona (lxxxi: 61)	72	(2)
Le dolci rime d'amor ch'i' solia (lxxxii: 69) and Poscia ch' Amor del tutto m'ha lasciato (lxxxiii: 70)	74	(2)
The petrose poems (c--ciii: 77--80)	76	(13)
Io son venuto al punto de la rota (c: 77)	77	(3)
Al poco giorno e al gran cerchio d'ombra (ci: 78)	80	(3)
Amor, tu vedi ben che questa donna (cii: 79)	83	(2)
Cosi nel mio parlar voglio esser aspro (ciii: 80)	85	(4)
Tre donne intorno al cor mi son venute (civ: 81)	89	(4)
Sonnets exchanged with Cino (xciv--xcvii, cx--cxv: 84a--88a)	93	(3)
Amor, da che convien pur ch'io mi doglia (cxvi: 89)	96	(2)
Doglia mi reca ne lo core ardire (cvi: 83)	98	(2)
Se vedi li occhi miei di pianger vaghi (cv: 82)	100	(2)
Conclusion: Themes, influences, and forms	102	(3)
Texts and translations	105	(1)
Other readings	105	(2)
Dante's Banquet of knowledge: Convivio	107	(36)
Aristotle	108	(1)
Philosophy	109	(1)
Dante's passionate defense of Italian	109	(3)
Book 2 (allegory and cosmology)	112	(12)
Allegory	112	(3)
The literal sense of Voi che 'ntendendo	115	(1)
Astronomy and angels	116	(3)
Beatrice and the soul's immortality	119	(1)
The Consolation of Philosophy	120	(2)
The universe of knowledge and the pre-eminence of ethics	122	(2)
Book 3: A hymn of love to philosophical wisdom	124	(5)
Dante's orthodoxy	126	(3)
Book 4: Philosophy, society, and politics	129	(10)
Rome and her universal empire	129	(3)
The nature of nobility	132	(1)
Second part of book 4	133	(2)
Differences between book 4 and books 1--3	135	(1)
The four ages of man	136	(3)
Conclusion	139	(2)
Texts and translations	141	(1)
Other readings	142	(1)
Dante's vision of world empire and peace: Monarchia	143	(24)
Date of composition	143	(1)
Purpose of the work	144	(1)
Book 1: Is the empire necessary?	145	(5)
Human society's need for peace	147	(1)
Structure of book 1	148	(1)
Justice and the empire	149	(1)
Book 2	150	(5)
Rome acquired empire in conformity with God's will	151	(1)
Vergil's role	151	(1)
Miracles and Roman heroes	152	(2)
Christ and the empire	154	(1)
Book 3	155	(10)
Structure of book 3	157	(1)
Sun and moon analogy	157	(1)
Biblical precedents	158	(2)
Constantine's ``Donation'' and historical precedents	160	(2)
Dante's solution	162	(3)
Texts and translations	165	(1)
Other readings	166	(1)
The Comedy, prolegomena: The prologue scene (Inferno 1--2)	167	(24)
The poem's fictional chronology and date of composition	167	(4)
The poem's title: Why ``comedy''?	171	(2)
The Prologue: Inferno 1--2	173	(2)
The poem's ternary structure	175	(1)
Allegory	176	(1)
The three beasts of canto I	177	(1)
Virgil, the pilgrim's guide through both hell and purgatory	178	(3)
Beatrice and Bernard	181	(1)
Biblical and Vergilian elements and motifs	182	(2)
Archetypal images: Forest/desert/sea	184	(1)
Exodus	185	(2)
Beatrice and grace	187	(3)
Conclusion	190	(1)
Dante's other world: Moral order	191	(22)
The moral order of Inferno	191	(4)
The moral order of Purgatorio	195	(3)
The ``law'' of contrapasso in hell and purgatory	198	(3)
Contrapasso in hell	198	(1)
Contrapasso in Purgatorio	199	(2)
The moral order of Paradiso	201	(7)
The poet's personal evaluation of sins	208	(5)
Dante's other world: Topography and demography	213	(18)
Topography of the Comedy	214	(1)
Hell	215	(3)
Purgatory	218	(3)
Paradise	221	(4)
The poem's demography	225	(1)
Classification of the poem's dramatis personae	226	(5)
Contemporary figures	227	(1)
Biblical and classical figures	228	(1)
Historical figures	228	(3)
Dante and classical antiquity	231	(30)
Aristotle	231	(2)
Vergil/Virgil	233	(1)
Virgil, the guide	234	(2)
Virgil and the pilgrim	236	(1)
Vergilian echoes in the Comedy	237	(2)
Virgil's tragic flaw	239	(2)
Ovid	241	(6)
Lucan	247	(1)
Cato, guardian of purgatory	247	(1)
Cato, the suicide	247	(1)
Cato's opposition to Caesar	248	(1)
Cato the pagan	249	(2)
Statius	251	(1)
Capaneus	252	(2)
Ulysses	254	(7)
Ulysses/Aeneas	255	(1)
Ulysses/Cato	256	(1)
Ulysses/Moses and Solomon	257	(1)
Ulysses/Dante	258	(3)
The poet of the Comedy	261	(48)
Versification	262	(2)
The lexis of the Comedy	264	(29)
Latinisms	266	(1)
Dialects	267	(1)
Gallicisms and Provencalisms	268	(1)
Neologisms	269	(1)
Rhyme	269	(2)
Rhymes in the Comedy	271	(2)
Syntax and terzina unit (tercet)	273	(2)
Enjambment	275	(2)
Syntax, alliteration, and chiasmus	277	(1)
Reduplicatio and anaphora	278	(2)
Imagery and figures of speech	280	(1)
Metonymy and metaphor	280	(6)
Simile	286	(7)
The voyage of the Argonauts	293	(2)
Dante the prophet	295	(2)
Imagery in Paradiso	297	(2)
Appendix: The Comedy and the Bible	299	(10)
Biblical citations	300	(1)
Modified citations of the Bible and liturgy	301	(1)
The Bible and Dante's prophetic mode	302	(3)
Sermo humilis	305	(4)
Dante and his contemporary world	309	(28)
Emergence of Florence as a republic	310	(1)
Frederick II and the papacy	310	(1)
Guelfs and Ghibellines	311	(1)
Regime of the primo popolo (1250--60)	312	(1)
The rout at Montaperti (1260)	312	(1)
The triumph of Guelf Florence	313	(1)
Florence in Dante's time (1265--1302)	314	(1)
The priorate	315	(1)
The Ordinamenti di giustizia (1293)	316	(1)
Dante's political career	316	(1)
Pope Celestine V (1294)	317	(1)
Pope Boniface VIII (1294--1303)	317	(1)
Dante elected prior (1300)	318	(1)
Exile (1302--21)	319	(1)
Papal opposition to the empire	320	(1)
Emperor Henry VII (1308--13)	321	(1)
The world deprived of both ``suns''	322	(1)
The poet's condemnation of Florence	323	(5)
Dante and the Church	328	(1)
Evangelical poverty	328	(3)
Beatrice vs. theologians and unworthy preachers	331	(1)
Church corruption and renewal	331	(1)
Dante's orthodoxy	332	(2)
Dante's political vision in the Comedy	334	(3)
Dante's Latin epistles, Questio de aqua et terra, and eclogues	337	(16)
The Latin epistles	337	(11)
Epistle 1	338	(1)
Epistle 2	338	(1)
Epistle 3	338	(1)
Epistle 4	339	(1)
Epistle 5	340	(1)
Epistle 6	341	(1)
Epistle 7	342	(1)
Epistle 8--10	343	(1)
Epistle 11	343	(1)
Epistle 12	344	(1)
Epistle 13	345	(3)
Questio de aqua et terra	348	(2)
The eclogues	350	(3)
Dante's First Eclogue	351	(1)
Del Virgilio's reply and Dante's Second Eclogue	351	(2)
Glossary	353	(4)
Notes	357	(54)
Works Cited	411	(24)
Index of Names and Notable Matters	435	(16)
Index of Passages from Dante's Works	451