Description and Objectives

By a close reading of Dante’s concluding canticle of his Divine Comedy in a context of contemplative realism, this class will consider the ends not only of poetry, but of human existence. Contemplation’s tethering to a Christian anthropology as found in medieval tradition, alongside an examination of what and how Dante wants us to learn from reading his masterpiece, will form the core of our study.

Textbooks

Dante’s Paradiso. (Ciardi trans.)

Course Requirements

Blue book examinations every 10 class days and class participation will form the core of the semester’s work in addition to reading Dante.

Successful Students

Successful students will learn to read Dante’s poetry and the world through the polysemous, many-fold meanings embedded in reality.