Next Meeting, 20 November: Patricia Erskine-Hill

Dante’s Divine Comedy in English; Influence and Resonance

I am very grateful to our speaker for providing this brief synopsis of her forthcoming talk

"We start with a brief look at Dante the man, followed by an outline of the Comedy:  the basic story, the extremely intricate construction of the poem and its reception through the seven hundred years since it first appeared. This last is illustrated with some marvellous paintings, frescoes and sketches of the three canticles, starting from the early fifteenth century.

This is followed by a look at Dante’s sources and at how he manipulates texts and ideas to suit his purpose.  Finally, and most importantly, we look at how deeply the Comedy has penetrated Anglophone consciousness.  From the late eighteenth century, our language and our imaginations have been full of Dantean imagery, and this goes right down through the population, from the academic specialist to many who are not even aware of the poem’s origin. 

I hope to convey some of the fun, the beauty and the range of the Comedy for those who have not got around to reading it, and to shed a little light on one particular corner for those who know it well."          

 

Here is a useful link to direct you to lots of information about Dante and his poetry:

Dante website

Thanks to our speaker for providing this.