Fall 2009                                             Dante I

 

ITL 390K (37390), crosslisted with MDV 392M (66250): TTH 2-3:30 in MEZ 1.104

Guy P. Raffa, Dept. of French and Italian, HRH 3.104A; 471-6390

guyr@uts.cc.utexas.edu ; Home page: http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~guyr

 

Course Conducted in English; Reading Knowledge of Italian Required

 

This course is the first half of a two-semester sequence focused on Dante's Commedia and his other works. This semester we will read the Inferno, the Vita nuova, two books of the Convivio (1 and 3), the Monarchia, and the first half of Purgatorio. Placing our close reading of these texts within a series of literary, intellectual, and historical contexts, we will attend to Dante's engagement with works by classical authors (Virgil, Ovid, Lucan, Statius, Cicero) and other medieval poets, philosophers, and theologians. The Danteworlds commentary and the complementary Web site ( http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/) will provide much of this background material and help guide your reading of the Commedia.

 

Since a goal of the course is to become familiar with major voices in Dante Studies, our discussion of Dante's works will be informed by selected works of criticism (all of which are available on reserve in the PCL). I recommend that you photocopy the assigned pages of these works. Twice during the semester you are required to write a brief response—both descriptive and analytical—to one of these critical works. Other graded assignments include a take-home exam and a substantial research project consisting of a paper and a formal presentation to the class. For the paper, you are required to write a significant draft (12-15 pages, with full documentation) that you will likely expand and revise in the spring semester. You are expected to attend class regularly, to be well prepared, and to participate actively in class discussion.

 

Required Texts: Inferno (Garzanti, 2008); Purgatorio (Garzanti, 2008); Vita nuova (Garzanti, 2009); Convivio (Garzanti, 2005); Monarchy (Cambridge, 1996)

 

Optional: The Complete Danteworlds: A Reader's Guide to the Divine Comedy (Chicago, 2009)

 

Assignments and Computation of Grade

 

Two 500-1000 word critical responses (10% each): 20%

Take-Home Exam: 20%

Research project (paper and presentation): 30%

Class preparation and participation: 30%

 

Critical Works on Reserve (with indication of assigned pages)

 

Singleton, An Essay on the "Vita Nuova" (3-24, 117-27), Harrison, The Body of Beatrice (1-30, 144-57, 171-76, 198-99), Freccero, Dante: The Poetics of Conversion (1-28, 119-35, 152-66, 275-78, 303-5), Freccero, Dante: A Collection of Critical Essays (61-77, 78-101), Musa, Advent at the Gates (65-84, 85-109, 145-58), Auerbach, Mimesis (174-202), Vance, Mervelous Signals (230-55), Musa, Dante's Inferno (325-52), Mazzotta, Dante, Poet of the Desert (66-106), Menocal, The Arabic Role in Medieval Literary History (115-35), Singleton, Dante Studies I (84-98), Barolini, The Undivine Comedy (74-98, 122-42, 291-98, 306-13), Barolini, Dante's Poets (153-73)

Dante I: Fall 2009

 

8/27: Introduction to the course

 

9/1: Vita nuova, chapters 1-19 (pages 1-34); Harrison, The Body of Beatrice (1-30)

 

9/3: Vita nuova, chapters 20-42 (pages 34-74); Singleton, An Essay on the "Vita Nuova" (1-24); Harrison (144-57)

 

9/8: Inferno 1-2 (Prologue); Freccero, "The Prologue Scene," in Dante: The Poetics of Conversion (1-28)

 

9/10: Inferno 3-4 (Cowards, Virtuous pre- and non-Christians)

 

9/15: Inferno 5-7 (Lustful, Gluttons, Avaricious & Prodigal, Wrathful & Sullen); Poggioli, "Paolo and Francesca," in Freccero, Dante: A Collection of Critical Essays (61-77)

 

9/17: Inferno 8-9 (Wrathful & Sullen); Freccero, "Medusa: The Letter and the Spirit," in Poetics of Conversion (119-35); Musa, "At the Gates of Dis," in Advent at the Gates (65-84)

 

9/22: Inferno 10-11 (Heretics); Auerbach, "Farinata and Cavalcante," in Mimesis (174-202); Convivio, Book 1, chapters 1-4 (pages 5-20)

 

9/24: Convivio, Book 1, chapters 5-13 (pages 20-48)

 

9/29: Inferno 12-14 (Murderers, Suicides, Blasphemers); Spitzer, "Speech and Language in Inferno XIII," in Freccero, A Collection of Essays (78-101)

 

10/1: Inferno 15-17 (Sodomites, Usurers); Vance, "The Differing Seed: Dante's Brunetto Latini," in Mervelous Signals (230-55)

 

10/6: Inferno 18-20 (Panderers & Seducers, Flatterers, Simonists, Soothsayers)

 

10/8: Inferno 21-23 (Barrators, Hypocrites); Kleinhenz, "Iconographic Parody in Inferno XXI," in Musa, Dante's "Inferno": The Indiana Critical Edition (325-39); Hollander, "Virgil and Dante as Mind-Readers (Inferno XXI-XXIII)," in Musa, Dante's "Inferno" (340-52)

 

10/13: Inferno 24-25 (Thieves); Take-Home Exam Due

 

10/15: Inferno 26-27 (Fraudulent Counselors); Mazzotta, "Rhetoric and History," in Dante, Poet of the Desert (66-106)

 

10/20: Inferno 28-30 (Sowers of Discord, Falsifiers); Menocal, "Italy, Dante, and the Anxieties of Influence," in The Arabic Role in Medieval Literary History (115-35)

 

10/22: Inferno 31-33 (Giants, Traitors); Freccero, "Bestial Sign and Bread of Angels: Inferno XXXII and XXXIII," in Poetics of Conversion (152-66)

 

10/27: Inferno 34 (Traitors); Barolini, "Narrative and Style in Lower Hell," in The Undivine Comedy (74-98); Purgatorio 1 (Cato)

 

10/29: Purgatorio 2-4 (Casella, Manfred, Belacqua); Convivio 2.1.2-15 (pages 65-69); Singleton, "Two Kinds of Allegory," in Dante Studies I: "Commedia": Elements of Structure (84-98)

 

11/3: Purgatorio 5 (Jacopo del Cassero, Buonconte da Montefeltro, La Pia); Convivio, Book 3

 

11/5: Purgatorio 6-7 (Sordello); Barolini, "The Poetry of Politics: Bertran and Sordello," in Dante's Poets: Textuality and Truth in the "Comedy" (153-73)

 

11/10: Purgatorio 8-9 (Nino Visconti, Currado Malaspina); Musa, "In the Valley of the Princes," in Advent at the Gates (85-109)

 

11/12: Purgatorio 10-12 (Omberto Aldobrandeschi, Oderisi da Gubbio, Provenzan Salvani); Barolini, "Re-presenting What God Presented: The Arachnean Art of the Terrace of Pride," in Undivine Comedy (122-42)

 

11/17: Purgatorio 13-14 (Sapia, Guido del Duca, Rinieri da Calboli): Draft of Research Paper

 

11/19: Purgatorio 15-17 (Marco Lombardo); Monarchy, Book 1

 

11/24: Monarchy, Books 2-3

 

THANKSGIVING

 

12/1: Research Presentations

 

12/3: Research Presentations; Paper Due