The Divine Comedy Criticism
Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy is a cornerstone of Western literature, celebrated for its intricate portrayal of the afterlife and profound exploration of spiritual and moral themes. Each part of the epic—Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso—offers unique perspectives and challenges, both in narrative style and thematic depth, inviting rigorous scholarly engagement throughout the centuries.
Paradiso, the culminating section of the trilogy, is particularly noted for its "imageless" representation of divine realms, as observed by scholars like Marguerite Mills Chiarenza. This departure from the imagery-laden Inferno and Purgatorio emphasizes spiritual ascent and intellectual vision over concrete depictions, culminating in a mystical experience of God. The poem's layered interpretive framework—literal, allegorical, moral, and mystical—is analyzed by critics such as John Saly, who highlight its spiritual depth and societal critiques.
Recognized early on by figures like Giovanni Boccaccio, Paradiso has been interpreted through various philosophical lenses, including Neoplatonism, as explored by Edmund G. Gardner and T. S. Eliot. Modern critics such as Barbara Reynolds and Rachel Jacoff continue to explore its artistic and philosophical dimensions, affirming its relevance and insight into human and divine connections.
Purgatorio, the central canto of The Divine Comedy, presents a nuanced journey through spiritual purification, symbolized by the ascent of a mountain, as analyzed by John S. Carroll. This section is marked by its division into distinct stages of penance and transformation, embodying themes of moderation and divine focus. Scholars like Aldo S. Bernardo and John Scott discuss its blend of spiritual and political commentary.
While often overshadowed by the dynamic Inferno, Purgatorio's introspective qualities are celebrated for their unique dramatism, as Richard Koffler argues. The terza rima structure and rich allegorical content demand detailed interpretation, with ongoing discourse surrounding its textual integrity, as discussed by Colin G. Hardie. Despite these challenges, its significance in literary history and its exploration of human frailty and divine grace remain a testament to Dante's enduring genius.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Purgatorio
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An introduction to Prisoners of Hope: An Exposition of Dante's Purgatorio
(summary)
In the following essay, Carroll explains why Dante's markedly atypical conception of Purgatory, including locating it on a mountain instead of underground, was essential to the symbolism used in the Purgatorio.
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Preliminary Chapter
(summary)
In the following essay, Vernon discusses the three divisions of Purgatory (Ante-Purgatory, Purgatory Proper, and The Terrestrial Paradise), the time occupied in passing through Purgatory, and the date Dante created the work.
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The Metaphor of the Journey
(summary)
In the following essay, Fergusson makes use of Dante's explanations to his benefactor, Can Grande della Scala, in discussing the importance of differentiating between Dante the author and Dante the Pilgrim.
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Purgatorio, Canto V: The Modulations of Solicitude
(summary)
In the following essay, Cambon discusses the function of the humorous elements in Canto V, a canto he describes as “a ceremony enacting the progression of solicitude.”
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A Note on Purgatorio IX, 16-18
(summary)
In the following essay, Hardie discusses the importance of variant wording concerning dreams in Canto IX, thereby illustrating the type of problems which stem from the corruption of Dante's text.
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Three Dreams
(summary)
In the following essay, Stambler analyzes and interprets the three dream sequences in Purgatorio, discussing their function, roots in myth, sexual allusions, and implications.
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Flesh, Spirit, and Rebirth at the Center of Dante's Comedy
(summary)
In the following essay, Bernardo explores the theme of rebirth in Dante's work, positing that it entails purification of both body and soul.
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The Analogy of a Poem: Dante's Dream
(summary)
In the following essay, Baker explores how Dante sought to represent pure beauty through images that function allegorically.
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The Art of Dante's Purgatorio
(summary)
In the following essay, originally published in 1952, Hatzfeld contends that Dante's esthetic choices are easier to understand when his style is viewed as one of magic realism.
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Dante's Notion of a Shade: Purgatorio XXV
(summary)
In the following essay, Gilson explores the nature and origin of the shades—the characters in Hell, Purgatory, and the lower circles of Paradise—and the motivation behind Dante's efforts to scientifically justify them.
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The Last Wound: Purgatorio, XXVI
(summary)
In the following essay, Koffler contends that critics who decry a lack of drama in the Purgatorio are mistaken. Koffler states that the action is simply of a different type than that found in the Inferno, and that Dante thereby demonstrates in his own poem the art of renunciation.
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Pilgrim Text Models for Dante's Purgatorio
(summary)
In the following essay, Demaray demonstrates how, in the Purgatorio, Dante drew from tales of actual Holy Land pilgrimages.
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Dante's Purgatorio as Elegy
(summary)
In the following essay, Blodgett contends that two types of elegy are present in the Purgatorio, a work that mourns the loss of Vergil and the inadequacies he represents.
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Dante's Purgatorio XXXII and XXXIII: A Survey of Christian History
(summary)
In the following essay, Kaske interprets the images found in Cantos XXXII and XXXIII as the “figurative celebration of the beginning of Christianity.”
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The Visual Arts: A Basis for Dante's Imagery in Purgatory and Paradise
(summary)
In the following essay, Fengler and Stephany demonstrate Dante's knowledge of art as evidenced in Canto X of Purgatorio, and furnish examples of the type of art that he may have observed and been inspired by. The observation that the visual arts inspired certain sections of Dante's Divine Comedy has frequently been made. Therefore an understanding of the type of art which Dante would have seen aids the reader in understanding Dante's imagery. When the poet borrows ideas from the visual arts, he utilizes them not as mere decorative additions to the Comedy; rather, the actual style of art invoked contributes to the meaning of Dante's passages. We will examine the reliefs in canto X of Purgatory and the mosaic images recurrent in Paradise as examples of Dante's familiarity with both the visual appearance and the underlying stylistic implications of art.
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Beatrice as a Figure for Mary
(summary)
In the following essay, Wimsatt furnishes evidence found in Purgatorio that demonstrates that Dante depicted Beatrice as an analogue for, or surrogate of, the Virgin Mary.
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Shadows on the Mount of Purgatory
(summary)
In the following essay, Berk explains the significance of the Pilgrim's shadow, and examines Dante's poetic techniques in utilizing the shadow motif.
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The Poem's Center (Purgatorio XII-XVIII)
(summary)
In the following essay, Scott emphasizes the elements of Cantos XII to XVII that show Dante's political hopes and beliefs, particularly the idea that both political and spiritual spheres can harmoniously coexist on earth.
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An introduction to Prisoners of Hope: An Exposition of Dante's Purgatorio
(summary)
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Paradiso
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The Science of Love
(summary)
In the following essay, originally published in 1913, Gardner examines mystical symbolism and concepts in the Paradiso in the context of medieval Catholic theological writings.
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Dante
(summary)
In this excerpt from an essay originally published in 1932, Eliot praises the Paradiso as a masterpiece by the greatest poet in the Western tradition.
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The Ladder of Vision
(summary)
In the following excerpt from an essay originally published in 1960, Brandeis describes the Paradiso as “the supreme test of Dante's poetic power,” since this work presented the formidable challenge of conveying transcendent experience using worldly language and conventional poetic devices.
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Introduction to The Comedy of Dante Alighieri, the Florentine, Cantica III, Paradise (Il Paradiso)
(summary)
In the following essay, Reynolds describes the Paradiso as a work of timeless aesthetic and intellectual validity.
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The Imageless Vision and Dante's Paradiso
(summary)
In the following essay, originally published in 1972, Mills Chiarenza explains how Dante's exquisite poetic imagery mysteriously leads the reader to an imageless vision of spiritual realms.
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Paradiso X: Siger of Brabant
(summary)
In the following essay, Crowe provides intellectual and philosophical context for the Paradiso, suggesting that Siger of Brabant, a controversial thinker whose ideas St. Thomas Aquinas vigorously disputed, is the “philosopher” to whom the poet often refers.
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Introduction to The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Paradiso
(summary)
In the following excerpt, originally published in 1982, Mandelbaum praises Dante's “poem of spectacle,” commenting on the poet's ability to traverse, in his mind, dizzying cosmic expanses and deep recesses of his soul.
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The Eternal Now: Union with Being and Dante, Poet of the Future
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Saly explores the third level of meaning of Paradiso, which Dante calls “anagogical” and which theologians, as Saly explains, define as mystical or spiritual.
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The Otherwordly World of the Paradiso
(summary)
In the following excerpt from an essay originally delivered as a lecture in 1989, Pelikan discusses the theological foundations of the Paradiso, concluding that Dante closely followed St. Augustine's insistence on surrendering to God's will.
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‘Shadowy Prefaces’: An Introduction to Paradiso
(summary)
In the following essay, Jacoff defines the Paradiso as an admirable and powerfully suggestive attempt to stretch poetical imagination beyond the conventional limits of language.
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The Science of Love
(summary)
- Further Reading