[Past] 16 Dante's Divine Comedy - Summer 2017
CLASS NUMBER:
770-91
INSTRUCTOR:
TIME:
Wednesdays, 6:00 - 9:00 pm
LOCATION:
TBD
DESCRIPTION:
A close reading of Dante’s whole poem (Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise) in its philosophical (Plato, Aristotle), theological (Augustine, Aquinas), historical (Papacy vs. Empire, Florentine factionalism), and literary (Virgil, Arthurian romance) contexts, as well as an exploration of its influence on later thinkers, artists, poets, and popular culture (Machiavelli, Botticelli, Borges, Eliot, Rodin, Dali, ‘Se7en’). Each class will require a close reading of several canti of Dante’s poem, along with a supplementary reading. These secondary readings consider the poem from a variety of perspectives: as an historical document produced at a specific space and time; an aesthetic object which uses particular narrative strategies to produce meaning; and an ethical and political treatise that both problematizes and prioritizes a certain set of values.
Course Materials:
Four books to buy:
Dante
Inferno, Tr. Mandelbaum. 9780553213393
Purgatorio, Tr. Durling. 9780195087451
Paradiso, Tr. Kirkpatrick. 9780140448979
Vita nuova, Tr. Mortimer. 9781847493583 (try bookdepository.com)
One recommended book:
Virgil, The Essential Aeneid, Tr. Lombardo. 9780872207905 or Tr. Mandelbaum
N.B. All other readings on Sakai
Course Work:
Course participation and in-class Provocation (25%)
Three Short Papers (50%)
One Final Paper (25%)
History, Literature, Philosophy