ITAL 178 - With Dante in Hell

1 unit(s)

Where is Hell? Who goes there? Why? Is it organized? How can a poet know so much about it? We read the Inferno in the context of Italy in the Middle Ages. Topics include: political persecution and expulsion, the reciprocal imitation of Empire and Church, the interaction of desire, deceit, and violence, the dialogue of the classical past and the chaotic present, proto-capitalism and radical religious poverty. There are also selected readings from some of Dante’s sources, parallel texts, and critical responses to the poem from the fourteenth-century to the present. Using a bilingual edition, we read the poem in translation with a glance at the original Italian. There are brief weekly writing assignments. Mr. Ahern.

May not be counted towards the Italian major.

Satisfies the college requirement for a Freshman Writing Seminar.

Not offered in 2014/15.

Two 75-minute periods.