
The Poetics of Dante's Paradiso
Massimo Verdicchio(Author)
University of Toronto Press
Published on 7. August 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
192 pages
978-1-4875-2630-6 (ISBN)
Description
Paradiso, the conclusion to Dante Alighieri's masterpiece, the Divine Comedy, is an exploration of the nine celestial spheres of Heaven. A highly original and comprehensive reading, The Poetics of Dante's Paradiso challenges established scholarly interpretations to demonstrate that the intricacies of Dante's text reveal a subtle irony, employed to deliver a sharp critique of the corrupt church and empire of his own time.
Massimo Verdicchio's canto-by-canto analysis focuses on the subversive undercurrents created by poetic allegory and irony and relates Dante's ordering of the heavens to the Arts and Sciences of the Trivium and Quadrivium (the major subjects taught at medieval universities). This new reading highlights Dante's use of language to expose the earthly flaws of the saints and denounce the illicit and destructive alliance between the House of Anjou and the church. The Poetics of Dante's Paradiso is thought-provoking, tenacious, and sure to stimulate discussion amongst all students of the Commedia.
Massimo Verdicchio's canto-by-canto analysis focuses on the subversive undercurrents created by poetic allegory and irony and relates Dante's ordering of the heavens to the Arts and Sciences of the Trivium and Quadrivium (the major subjects taught at medieval universities). This new reading highlights Dante's use of language to expose the earthly flaws of the saints and denounce the illicit and destructive alliance between the House of Anjou and the church. The Poetics of Dante's Paradiso is thought-provoking, tenacious, and sure to stimulate discussion amongst all students of the Commedia.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
286 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4875-2630-6 (9781487526306)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Massimo Verdicchio is a professor of Italian and Comparative Literature in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of Alberta.
Content
Introduction
Prologue I: DXV and Paradiso
Prologue II: The Poetics of Paradiso
1. Heaven of the Moon: Grammar (II?IV)
2. Heaven of Mercury: Dialectics (V?VII)
3. Heaven of Venus: Rhetoric (VIII, IX)
4. Heaven of the Sun: Arithmetic (X?XIV)
5. Heaven of Mars: Music (XV?XVII)
6. Heaven of Jupiter: Geometry (XVIII, XIX, XX)
7. Heaven of Saturn: Astronomy (XXI?XXII)
8. Fixed Stars: Physics and Metaphysics (XXIV?XXVII)
9. Primum Mobile: Moral Philosophy (XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX)
10. Empyrean: Theology (XXX?XXXIII)
Conclusions
Prologue I: DXV and Paradiso
Prologue II: The Poetics of Paradiso
1. Heaven of the Moon: Grammar (II?IV)
2. Heaven of Mercury: Dialectics (V?VII)
3. Heaven of Venus: Rhetoric (VIII, IX)
4. Heaven of the Sun: Arithmetic (X?XIV)
5. Heaven of Mars: Music (XV?XVII)
6. Heaven of Jupiter: Geometry (XVIII, XIX, XX)
7. Heaven of Saturn: Astronomy (XXI?XXII)
8. Fixed Stars: Physics and Metaphysics (XXIV?XXVII)
9. Primum Mobile: Moral Philosophy (XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX)
10. Empyrean: Theology (XXX?XXXIII)
Conclusions