Dante Flashcards
(17 cards)
De Vulgari Eloquentia
(Eloquence in Vernacular)
- unfinished, written in Latin on vernacular speech. Analysed the kind of language a poet should use when wanting to write with distinction in Italy.
- pioneering study of dialects, the first ever survey
- conclusion was that no form of spoken Italian was fitting for serious poetry. An aspiring poet should aim at a linguistic form that transcends regional variation but in nothelesss intelligible
Latin in the Middle Ages
- was a second language for most
- language of higher education, science, philosophy, theology and public record
Most people had two languages the vernacular being the nobler of the two
Dantes use of language in the Commedia
Plurilinguistic- inclusive, no aspect of human language that has expressive potential is ruled impossible. Low words are necessary to depict hell
Encyclopaedic- poem is an encyclopaedia of styles
Neologisms
Inventive use of language- willingness to exploit the expressive possibilies of human speech
Commedia is in the Tuscan- florentine dialect, he had a greater command
Why did he write in vernacular?
- to reach a wider audience
- aware that his command of the vernacular was more complete and closer to the source of his creative energies
- he ‘invents’ Italian by being the first to express the full capabilities of it
Reasons for writing the Divine Comedy
- didactic purposes
- allegorical nature
- need to address the contemporary world
- to honour and preserve the Italian language
- poetic justices and divine order
Virgil in the Inferno
- guide and symbol
- as a poet he is highly respected
- represents the power of human intellect and virtue but also shows the limitations of these qualities
Free will and divine judgement
- Dante portrays divine justice as a system that reflects the moral orders of the universe.
The punishments in hell are intricately designed to reflect both the nature of the sin and the sinners own choices
The Contrappasso
- latin term meaning to suffer the opposite
Often the punishment is ironic or fitting
Used to represent gods justice
Lustful (Canto V)- souls are blown about by and endless storm to reflect how they were driven my desires when they were alive
The Gluttonous ( Canto VI)- forced to live in a filthy slush in icy rain. The environment reflects their indulgence in excess
Universal human experience
Not just an individual exploration of the afterlife but also a symbolic representation of the soul’s journey towards redemption
Themes of sin, suffering, repentance, spiritual growth and divine love resonate deeply with the human condition
Dantes exile
1302- exiled from Florence after the black Guelphs seized power, he was a white Guelph who opposed the Papacy’s influence over Florence and his exile was because of his political beliefs
Stripped of wealth, family’s status and his position as a public official
The exile deeply influenced the writing of the divine comedy
Current themes in the Divine Comedy
He engages with political figures past and present, by means of critiquing the current corruption in Florence
Places many political figures, like corrupt popes, tyrants and traitors in hell. His position in exile allowed his to observe the corruption from a different point of view
Dante and Florence
Lived until his exile, was a patchwork of small city states that covered northern and central Italy. Was one of the richest and most populous cities in Europe
Built originally on wool production and trade
Factions
Ghibellines- party of the HRE, the nominal ruler of many of the communes
Guelfs- the party of the pope, who ruled the regions immediately south of Tuscany
Guelfs split
- black- led by the Donation family
- white- led by the Cerchi
Florence was one of the more divided cities.
- called the ‘divided city’
- governed by pride, envy and avitrivc
- new arrivals and sudden wealth
- the circle of thieves is notable for florentine citizi
Medieval v. Humanist world
Medieval in Dantes work
- theological framework
- feudal and aristocratic ideals
- allegory and moral teaching
Humanist elements
- classical revival
- the importance of individual experience
- critique of the church and politics
- Dante and the rise of the vernacular
Dantes lasting impact
Stood at the crossroads
He embraced classical antiquity, individual experience and the vernacular
Not only shaped the Italian literature but influenced philosophical, political and artistic development into the modern era
Dantes influence on renaissance humanism
- impact on language and literature
- political and philosophical legacy
- republican ideals and civic humanism
- renaissance shift toward the individual
Like:
- Geoffrey Chaucer-The Canterbury Tales
John Miltons- Paradise lost
William Blake
