Texts

The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Inferno. Trans. Allen Mandelbaum (Bantam)
The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Purgatorio. Trans. Allen Mandelbaum (Bantam)
The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Paradiso. Trans. Allen Mandelbaum (Bantam)
Web Dante Text

Calendar

March        31        Introduction: A Plan for the Course
                Dante and Paradise [Discussion: March 31]

April        5        Inferno I-IV
        7        Inferno V-VIII
                Paradiso, I-IV [Discussion: April 7]

        12        Inferno IX-XII
        14        Inferno XIII-XV
                Paradiso, V-VIII [Discussion: April 14]

        19        Inferno XVI-XIX
        21        Inferno, XX-XXII
                Paradiso, IX-XII [Discussion: April 21]

        26        Inferno, XXIII-XXVI
        28        Inferno, XXVI-XXVIII
                Paradiso, XIII-XVI [Discussion: April 28]

May        3        Inferno, XXIX-XXXIV
        5        Purgatorio, I-III
                Paradiso, XVII-XX [Discussion: May 5]

        10        Purgatorio, IV-VII
        12        Purgatorio, VIII-X
                Paradiso, XXI-XXIV [Discussion: May 12]

        17        Purgatorio, XI-XV
        19        Purgatorio, XVI-XVIII
                Paradiso, XXV-XXVIII [Discussion: May 19]

        24        Purgatorio, XIX-XXII
        26        Purgatorio, XXIII-XXIV
                Paradiso, XXIX-XXXII [Discussion: May 26]

        31        Purgatorio, XXV-XXVIII
June        2        Purgatorio, XXIX-XXXIII
                Paradiso, XXXIII [Discussion: June 2]

        7        Final Thoughts and Discussions

Final: Wednesday, June 15, 1:30-3:30

Position Project

The written work in the course will center on a medieval letter, of about nine pages. In this you will write as Dante, explaining the nature of various souls in your Commedia to your patron, Guido Novella da Polenta. As Dante has done in the handout letter to Can Grande della Scala, you will be discussing the logic of your poem: specifically, why this character has been placed in his particular location, and his function there.

Clearly, for a topic as foreign (and ambitious) as this, research is obligatory, with the Dictionary of the Middle Ages and the Cambridge Medieval History both serving as excellent starting-points (Humanities/Social Sciences Reference, Main Library). On-line, there are many sites listed on the Medieval Studies page. It is strongly recommended that you bring rough drafts to office hours for comments and suggestions. Please attach these rough drafts to your final submission.

Any factual material must be supported by a reference, even if it arises from lectures, office hours, or the texts. If the reader or I supply you with information or suggest concepts, please note this in the text and in the works cited section. Papers without notes and bibliographies will be returned, with some penalty. Late submissions are accepted, though again with a penalty attached. Please refer to the bibliography instructions on the web for the correct bibliographic format.

The Project will be due in three stages:

• May 5 A three-page section on the nature of Ugolino (Cantos 32 and 33 of the Inferno)

• May 26 A three-page section on the nature of Arnaut Daniel (Canto 26 of the Purgatorio)

• June 10 A three-page section on the nature of Cacciaguida (Cantos 15 and 16 of the Paradisio)

Since the object is to create a single letter with three sections, as each section is returned to you, you may correct and ever rewrite it for the next submission; if you do change any of your previous paper (a good idea), please attach the old copy to the submission.

Graded Work, and Relative Weight

I will determine grades on the following basis:

• Papers    55% [15-20-20]
• Participation in Discussion    30%
• Participation in Class    5%
• Final Exam    10%