Taught in English, using a parallel-text edition of Inferno.

A close introductory reading of Dante’s Inferno, aimed at guiding readers through a complex and challenging poetic narrative; situating Dante and his work in their intellectual, historical, and cultural context; and discussing the questions of ethics, aesthetics, interpretation, and critical practice raised by the provocative presence of this medieval masterpiece in the early twenty-first century.

Course Requirements

Students will be expected to participate in class discussion and write several very short (max. 2 pp.) response papers in the first half of the semester; thereafter, in consultation with the instructor, they will devise an individual project on which they will write a research paper (12-15 pp.). There will be no midterm or final exam.

Prerequisites

None.

Texts

Dante Alighieri, Inferno, translated by Stanley Lombardo (Hackett)