DECEMBER 4/5/6: A CHRISTIAN EPIC/THE END OF THE
JOURNEY (DANTE'S INFERNO,
CANTOS 1-5, 8-9, 11, 24-26)
READINGS (Monday, December 4): the Inferno, cantos 1-5, pp. 3-47.
READINGS (Tuesday night, December 5): the Inferno, cantos 1-5, pp.
3-47; cantos 8-9, pp. 69-83; canto 11, pp. 95-101; cantos 24-26, pp.
217-45.
READINGS (Wednesday, December 6): the Inferno, cantos 8-9, pp.
69-83; canto 11, pp. 95-101; cantos 24-26, pp. 217-45.
Goals: In our discussions of the Inferno, I will suggest three
approaches to Dante’s work: poetic,
political/historical and moral/religious. We will use the first cantos
of the Inferno to show how the work can be read on several levels and
be interpreted from these different perspectives. We will pay special
attention to Dante’s presentation of Virgil as his poetic mentor and
guide on his journey. We will highlight Dante's encounter with the
sinners, Francesca and Paolo. In this dramatic scene, we will see the
different perspectives of Dante, the pilgrim, and Dante, the poet, and
we will discuss Dante's views of love and love poetry. We may compare
his views with the ideas about love that we found in Sophocles'
Antigone and in Virgil's story of the love affair between Dido and
Aeneas, and with the criticisms of literature that we read in
Plato's
Republic and Augustine's Confessions.We will conclude with reflections
on Dante's view of the
relationship between ancient and medieval culture, and the place of the
arts in the Christian culture
of the Middle Ages by considering Dante’s use of Virgil; his references
to the Roman poets, Ovid and Lucan
(Inf. 25); and his description of Ulysses’ last, tragic journey (Inf.
26).
THREE PERSPECTIVES ON DANTE’S INFERNO
- Dante's poetry: How does Dante use Virgil to create a
Christian epic in the vernacular language, Italian? How does he
describe his poetic "journey" in the poem itself? How is his
poetry shaped by
the tradition of reading the Bible figuratively on several levels?
- Dante's vision of Christian history and Italian politics: How
does Dante link pagan and Christian Rome? How does he respond to
the
involvement of the church in worldly affairs and the conflicts that
divide
the Italian cities?
- Dante's moral vision: Compare Dante's journey with
Augustine's progress towards conversion or Aeneas' development in the
Aeneid. How does Dante the poet describe the moral progress of
Dante the pilgrim?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: INTERPRETING AND APPRECIATING
DANTE'S INFERNO
-Cantos 1-5
-In the first canto, how does Dante make you aware that this is more
than a story of a walk in the woods?
-Why does Dante admire Virgil? Why is he an appropriate guide for
Dante?
-In canto 2, how does Dante relate pagan and Christian Rome?
-How is Dante’s journey compared with that of Aeneas?
-Why has Dante been summoned to take this journey?
-COMPARING WORKS>>> Compare Dante's description of
the ferryman, Charon, and the souls waiting to cross the Acheron river
(canto 3), with Virgil's description of the souls and the crossing
(Aeneid
6.390-416).
-Explain Dante’s response to the souls in LIMBO.
-In Canto 5, why are these souls in the Second Circle of
hell? How is their sin described?
-When Virgil names some of the sinners here, how does Dante
respond? Explain his response.
-Explain Dante's response to FRANCESCA's first speech.
Does Dante sympathize with Francesca and Paolo? Why does
Dante faint?
-Why is the story of LANCELOT important to Dante's narrative?
-COMPARING WORKS>>> Compare Dante's view of reading
with that of Augustine.
-COMPARING WORKS>>> Compare Dante's view of poetry
with that of Plato.
-COMPARING WORKS>>> Compare the view of love expressed
by Dante with those expressed by Virgil in the story of Dido and
Aeneas.
-COMPARING WORKS>>> Examine the relationship between
Dante, the poet, and Dante, the pilgrim, in canto five, and compare it
with the relationship between an author and character in another work
we
have studied.
-COMPARING WORKS>>> Compare Dante's encounter with
sin with Augustine's reflections on his own sinful past.
Cantos 8-9, 11, 24-26
-Does Dante respond appropriately to FILIPPO ARGENTI in canto
8?
-Explain the importance of Virgil's doubts and hesitations in cantos 8
and 9.
-Did Virgil save Dante by protecting him from the MEDUSA in
canto 9?
-In canto 11, Virgil explains the categories of sin, their causes, and
their different degrees of severity. How does this view of sin
and evil compare with other explanations of evil and suffering that we
have encountered in the course?
-Explain the significance of Virgil’s words of encouragement to Dante
in canto 24 (lines 46-57).
-Why does Dante refer to the "believability" of his poetry and that of
Virgil (13: 46-48; 25: 46-48)?
-In Canto 25, Dante implies that he has outdone the Roman poets, Lucan
and OVID (lines 94-102). How have they been surpassed? In
the next canto, why does he say that he must curb his talent (26:
20-24).
Is he curbing his talent? Analyze the similes that follows those
remarks
(25-42)
-Why does Virgil speak to ULYSSES on Dante's behalf?
-Compare Dante's reaction to Francesca and Paolo with his reaction to
Ulysses.
-What is the significance of Ulysses' speech to his men (lines 112-120)?
-What is the meaning of Ulysses' journey? How does it compare to
Aeneas' journey (lines 90-99) or that of Dante?Why does it fail?
I leave you with Virgil’s last words to Dante at the threshold of the
Earthly Paradise, mankind’s lost Garden of Eden, (Purgatorio
27.127-142/Allen Mandelbaum translation, Bantam Books):
“My son, you’ve seen the temporary
fire
and the eternal fire; you have reached
the place past which my powers cannot
see.
I’ve brought you here through
intellect and art;
from now on, let your pleasure be
your guide;
you’re past the steep and past the
narrow paths.
Look at the sun that shines
upon your brow;
look at the grasses, flowers, and the
shrubs
born here, spontaneously, of the
earth.
Among them, you can rest or
walk until
the coming of the glad and lovely
eyes -
those eyes that, weeping, sent me to
your side,
Await no further word or sign
from me:
your will is free, erect, and whole -
to act
against that will would be to err:
therefore
I crown and miter you over
yourself.”
It’s all over...I hope you liked it!
FINAL EXAM, DECEMBER 11/12
SCHEDULE OF
READINGS
(Monday/Wednesday)
SCHEDULE OF
READINGS (Tuesday night)
RETURN TO HUM 2211