Una stagione con Dante: introduzione

The first session introduces you to Dante's life, his political and philosophical views and gives an overview of the structure of the poem. We will devote the following three sessions (from January onwards) to reading, analysing and commenting on a selection of cantos. Please note that the selection of the cantos read in the following sessions will be different from that of previous years, so you are welcome to re-enrol even if you have attended before.

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Reading Dante's Divine Comedy in Italian can be very confusing as it is an extremely complex poem. This lecture will touch on the main characteristics of the poem, providing the reader with the basic background knowledge: Dante's politics, his theological beliefs and some of the key features of the work. Please note that the selection of the cantos read in the following sessions will be different from that of previous years, so you are welcome to re-enrol even if you have attended before.

What will we cover?

In this session we will give a brief overview of:
- The political background and Dante’s exile as a result of his political views;
- The philosophical and theological framework behind the Divine Comedy;
- Dante’s beliefs and knowledge.

By the end of this course you should be able to...

1. Have an understanding of the main political factions in Florence during Dante's life
2. Better understand the structure of the poem
3. Give an example of how Dante detaches himself from the beliefs and knowledge of his time.

This lecture will be conducted in Italian and is therefore aimed at those of you with an advanced level of the language. It is suitable if you are attending Italian 4 or 5 at City Lit or have an equivalent level.