Finding Dante: The Inferno
This course focuses on Inferno, the first canticle of the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (1265- 1321), the culture that originated it, and connections with today’s world. In particular, the course pays attention to Dante’s ties to classical and medieval Christian culture, his political views, his ideas on language, his involvement in contemporary intellectual debates, his efforts to use poetry for ethical and religious ends, and his literary experimentation.