Module Content and Indicative Topics 

This module offers the opportunity to study Dante’s Commedia, one of the most famous works of European literature. It is a poem that broke the mould in its own time, and has continued to fascinate readers ever since. At a time when serious literature was supposed to be written in Latin, Dante used everyday Italian, which caused scandal by giving open access to his opinions of popes and political leaders, bankers and warriors, poets and artists. The poem plunges its readers into a vividly imagined journey through the Christian afterlife, raising all sorts of questions along the way about what Dante wanted to say, and how he chose to say it. What did he mean by calling his poem about death and judgement a ‘comedy’? Why did he make the pagan poet Virgil his major guide to a Christian afterworld? Where did he imagine heaven, hell and purgatory to be located, and how did he claim to have gone there? This module aims to address questions like these, via thematically as well as sequentially ordered study of the Commedia. It provides students with an overview of the structure and main themes of the poem as a whole, and introduces some of the debates and emphases in the long tradition of its reception. The module necessarily focuses on selections from the 100 canti that make up Dante’s narrative, but will cover key episodes such as the dramatic entry through the hell-gate that warns ‘Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’intrate’ (Abandon all hope, you who enter here); the cannibalistic encounter with hell’s Count Ugolino; the surreally compelling dream of the Siren in purgatory; and the final vision of paradise in the form of a rose. We will explore some of the visual interpretations that have been used over the generations to help readers understand Dante, as far as possible including works with special UCL connections, like the ‘incunable’ (pre-1500) print copies in the Library’s Special Collections, and the illustrations by Flaxman whose preparatory materials are held in the Art Museum. 

Teaching Delivery 

Classes combine the tutor’s introduction to a weekly topic, often via a mini-lecture of 15-20 minutes, with close reading and thematic discussion focusing on selected canti from the Commedia. The classes are run as two-hour blocks, 

sometimes with informal student presentations, or work in pairs or groups to analyse single passages of poetry. There will be weekly assignments of reading to prepare for class, usually requiring you to review the basic plotline of a group of cantos, as well as to study one or two specified canti in more detail, reading related notes and commentary to support class-time discussion. 

On successful completion of the module, you should be able to: 


	Engage with and analyse Dante’s text, showing informed understanding of key themes and literary techniques. 
	

	Situate passages from Dante’s Commedia in context, both with regard to their place within the poem, and in relation to medieval European cultural concerns. 
	

	Present and analyse debates in Dante criticism, and evaluate critical approaches to the text. 
	

	Write concise textual analysis of selected primary source passages, demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the original Italian text. 
	

	Produce written work that develops and defends sound arguments, and displays critical thinking and research skills. 
	

	Manage preparation tasks and meet specified deadlines in presenting work both in oral discussion and in written assignments. 
	
Recommended Reading 

In preparation for the module, we advise reading the following core texts, which can be found in the UCL Library: 

Essential 

Dante Alighieri, Commedia 

There are multiple excellent study texts available from Italian publishers. Recommended editions include those prepared by: Anna Maria Chiavacci Leonardi (Mondadori, 1991-97); Umberto Bosco e Giovanni Reggio (Le Monnier, 1988). 

If you wish, you may use an Italian text with English facing-page translation. Good, affordable versions of this kind include the translations by Robert M. Durling (OUP, 1997-2010); Robin Kirkpatrick (Penguin, 2006); Robert and Jean Hollander (Doubleday, 2003); Mark Musa (Penguin, 1984). 

Recommended studies 

Erich Auerbach, Dante, Poet of the Secular World (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1961) 

Zygmunt G. Bara ski and Lino Pertile, eds., Dante in Context (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015) 

Zygmunt G. Bara ski and Simon Gilson, eds., The Cambridge Companion to Dante’s Commedia (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2019) 

Teodolinda Barolini, The Undivine Comedy: Detheologizing Dante (Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1992) 

Gianfranco Contini, Un’idea di Dante. Saggi danteschi (Turin: Einaudi, 1976)Peter Hawkins, Dante: A Brief History (Oxford: Blackwell, 2006) 

Rachel Jacoff, ed., The Cambridge Companion to Dante (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1993 and 2007) 

 

 