We Are Pilgrims Here: Reading Dante’s Divine Comedy

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Poised between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Dante Alighieri set upon an impressive task – to write an epic poem that would lead readers on a virtual pilgrimage through the afterlife. In language that is at once gruesome, fantastical and exquisitely beautiful, Dante’s Divine Comedy depicts the three realms of hell, purgatory, and heaven in vivid detail.  Meanwhile, the poet grapples with questions of faith, morality, personal and civic responsibility, and social justice: What is the nature of good and evil?  Is there a human tendency towards sin or virtue?  Are those in power immune from justice and punishment?  What is the redemptive potential of love?  This course will examine these questions from both a literary and a contemporary perspective, as students and teacher journey together through the entire Comedy.  We will also examine and compare artistic interpretations and modern adaptations of Dante’s work from across cultures.