This paper is available for the academic year 2025-26.
This course offers an opportunity for in-depth study of Dante’s writings, with particular attention to his masterpiece, the Commedia. Dante’s works and personal experience are deeply rooted in the turbulent socio-political and cultural context of his time—one that marked a crucial turning point in the development of Italian history and identity. At the same time, Dante’s highly experimental and innovative approach gave remarkable impetus to the emerging Italian literary tradition and to the vernacular language. Through a combination of thematic approaches and close readings of individual works, the course opens up a wide range of possible explorations of Dante’s oeuvre, set within the historical, literary, artistic, religious, and theological landscape of late-medieval Italy.
This paper is available to students in Italian/MML well as English. Students of Itlaian will be expected to work with the Italian texts with judicious use of recommended translations. Students of English will be encouraged to work with both Italian and English versions.
Core texts:
Dante’s works (recent critical editions and some English translations are available on DanteOnLine):
- Commedia, ed. Anna Maria Chiavacci Leonardi, 3 vols (Milan, 1990-1998), or the facing page translation by Robin Kirkpatrick (London, 2006-2007), or the facing page translation by Robert Durling and Ronald Martinez (Oxford, 1996-2011). There are also many other good editions. A full range of commentaries and additional English translations is available on the DanteLab
- Vita nuova, ed. Stefano Carrai (Milan, 2009)
- Rime giovanili e della 'Vita Nuova', eds Teodolinda Barolini and Manuele Gragnolati (Milan, 2009), or the English translation Dante’s Lyric Poetry: Poems of Youth and of the Vita Nuova, ed. Teodolinda Barolini, trans. Richard Lansing (Toronto, 2014)
- Convivio, ed. Gianfranco Fioravanti, in Opere, vol. 2, dir. Marco Santagata (Milan, 2011; there is also a reprint of the Convivio alone); a good facing page translation is by Andrew Frisardi (Cambridge 2018)
- De vulgari eloquentia, trans. Steven Botterill (Cambridge, 1996)
- Monarchy, trans. Prue Shaw (Cambridge, 1996)
- Letters, trans. Paget Toynbee (1920 and reprints); Four Political Letters, ed. Claire Honess (London 2007)
- Eclogues, in P. H. Wicksteed and E. G. Gardner, Dante and Giovanni del Virgilio: Including a Critical Edition of Dante’s ‘Ecloghae Latinae’ and of the Poetic Remains of Giovanni del Virgilio (Westminster: Constable, 1902).
Topics: Explorations in the cultural history of the period:
- late-medieval Italian literature
- the social, political, and economic situation of the time
- visual arts
- religious orders and late-medieval spirituality
- theological and philosophical thought.
The best way to prepare for this paper is to read as much of the Commedia as possible, helping yourself through with parallel language editions and the introductions and notes in those editions.
For a general introduction, have a look at
- E. Brilli and G. Milani, Dante’s New Lives: Biography and Autobiography (Chicago: Chicago UP, 2023).
To explore individual works or issues, as well as to gain some contextual information on the history and politics of Dante’s time, you could also explore
- Z.G. Barański, S. Gilson (eds), The Cambridge Companion to Dante’s Commedia (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2019)
- Z.G. Barański, T.J. Cachey jr. (eds), Dante’s ‘Other Works’: Assessments and Interpretations (Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 2022);
- Z.G. Barański, L. Pertile (eds), Dante in Context (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015).
You may wish to read some Duecento poetry. A wonderfully rich resource may be found online here: http://www.silab.it/frox/200/index.htm
The paper will be taught through a combination of lectures, supervisions, and seminars. Lectures will focus on Dante’s works and their literary, artistic, philosophical, historical, political and religious contexts. Students are encouraged to develop their own interests in supervision work, whether interests in Dante or in other poets and artists of the period.
For the It.7 Moodle site, please see here.
The paper will be assessed through a combination of coursework and online examination: one question to be answered in a coursework essay and one or two further questions to be answered in a 3-hour timed online examination during which students have access to resources.
One question (worth one third of the marks) to be answered in a coursework essay of no more than 1800 words.
One or two further questions (worth two thirds of the marks) to be answered in a three-hour online examination in the Easter Term exam period. Either students will answer two questions, writing essays no longer than 1500 words, or they may choose to write one essay of no more than 3000 words. The questions available for this single answer option will be identified with an asterisk *.
Candidates for this paper may not draw substantially on material from their dissertations or material which they have used or intend to use in another scheduled paper. Candidates may not draw substantially on the same material in more than one question in this assessment.
Dr Helena Phillips-Robins |
