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Dante in Translation

Yale,, Fall 2008 , Prof. Giuseppe Mazzotta

Updated On 02 Feb, 19

Overview

(ITAL 310) The course is an introduction to Dante and his cultural milieu through a critical reading of The Divine Comedy and selected minor works (Vita nuova, Convivio, De vulgari eloquentia, Epistle to Cangrande). An analysis of Dante's autobiography, the Vita nuova, establishes the poetic and political circumstances of the Comedy's composition. Readings of Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso seek to situate Dante's work within the intellectual and social context of the late Middle Ages, with special attention paid to political, philosophical and theological concerns. Topics in The Divine Comedy explored over the course of the semester include the relationship between ethics and aesthetics; love and knowledge; and exile and history.

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Lecture 2: Vita Nuova

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Lecture Details

Dante in Translation (ITAL 310)

This lecture is devoted to the Vita nuova, Dantes autobiographical account of his "double apprenticeship" in poetry and love. The poets love for Beatrice is explored as the catalyst for his search for a new poetic voice. Medieval theories of love and the diverse poetics they inspired are discussed in contrast. The novelty of the poets final resolution is tied to the relationship he discovers between love and knowledge. This relationship is then placed in its larger cultural context to highlight the Vita nuovas anticipation of the Divine Comedy.

0000 - Chapter 1. An Introduction to "Vita nuova" and Its Autobiographical Structure
1052 - Chapter 2. Double Poise Structure
2341 - Chapter 3. Dante Writes about Love
3453 - Chapter 4. Understandings of Love and Friendship
4512 - Chapter 5. The Sweet New Style
5156 - Chapter 6. The Apparition of Beatrice; Moving in Circles
5932 - Chapter 7. "Vita nuova" as a Preamble to the "Divine Comedy"
010239 - Chapter 8. Remarks on Dantes Life; Question and Answer

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website httpopen.yale.educourses

This course was recorded in Fall 2008.