Review (PDF) Reading Dante (The Open Yale Courses Series)
A towering figure in world literature, Dante wrote his great epic poem Commedia in the early fourteenth century. The work gained universal acclaim and came to be known as La Divina Commedia, or The Divine Comedy. Giuseppe Mazzotta brings Dante and his masterpiece to life in this exploration of the man, his cultural milieu, and his endlessly fascinating works. Based on Mazzotta’s highly popular Yale course, this book offers a critical reading of The Divine Comedy and selected other works by Dante. Through an analysis of Dante’s autobiographical Vita nuova, Mazzotta establishes the poetic and political circumstances of The Divine Comedy. He situates the three sections of the poem—Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise—within the intellectual and social context of the late Middle Ages, and he explores the political, philosophical, and theological topics with which Dante was particularly concerned.
Series: The Open Yale Courses Series
Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Yale University Press (January 14, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0300191359
ISBN-13: 978-0300191356
Product Dimensions: 1 x 6 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #729,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #75 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Regional & Cultural > European > Italian #91 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Regional & Cultural > European > Italian #297 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Movements & Periods > Renaissance
When approaching Dante’s Divine Comedy, or the Commedia, there is no shortage of secondary literature to appeal to. From CliffsNotes to the academically impenetrable. Giuseppe Mazzotta’s Reading Dante exists somewhere well within the academic, it was published by Yale UP after all, but manages to remain accessible and pleasurable at the same time.Based on a semester of lectures on Dante’s classic that were videotaped and later transcribed as a serious of lectures on the entire Commedia there is an immediacy and erudition to these that is very engaging.What the reader gets, besides a very well written book, is a thorough grounding in the poetry, history, intellectual environment, and genius of Dante Alighieri. There is some biographical material here as well, but if you are looking for a biography this ain’t it.Highly Recommended for those interesting in a better understanding of the Commedia and those interested in the period in which Dante wrote.Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This book is essentially a transcript of Prof.Mazzotta's Dante in Translation Yale course.The book,'like the course ,represents the summation of a lifetime of study by one of the foremost living Dante scholars .The book is brilliant,full of passion and insight.I taught 44 years and I wish I had been half the teacher this man is.Every page shines through with the author's ,as well as Dante's ,humanity.A must have introduction .
The most thoughtful writing on a subject that has been well-covered. I not only saw new things in the text, I really looked at the world in a different way. I wish my book club would read this, but it will never happen.
Couldn't ask for a better intermediate level Dante course. Enjoyable, informative, and enlightening. If you love literature or love Italy or love art, or, well, deeply love our shared human life, you will be enriched and delighted to learn from Mazzotta.
I watched the classes are n YouTube and welcomed the chance to see the hard copy. Prof Mazzotta has the most startling insights to make one see the poem in new ways
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