Project Title: Lost In A Dark Wood

Essential Question(s): How is Dante’s Inferno a catalyst for our own self-exploration?

Sub-Questions:

• What does Dante’s Inferno reveal about the human condition?
• What is Inferno‘s purpose (Why does Dante take himself through Hell)?
• How have other writers, artists, etc. adapted or taken influence from Inferno?
• What does Dante’s journey mean to me?

Statement of Purpose: For my Senior Project, I will be working on creative pieces inspired by Dante’s Inferno. By the end I want to have 34 pieces (for 34 cantos).

How will you measure your success?: 

• I want to engage with and explore my essential questions (both through the text and my own work).
• I want to learn how to harness my creative impulses and communicate my ideas honestly and thoughtfully through art and writing. As I pursue my Project, I want to be cognizant of my habits and strategies I am making to work though blocks so that I can develop a healthier relationship with my creative work and myself.
• And of course I want to gain insight into other people’s experiences with Dante and Inferno.

Resource List:

Books:

Inferno by Dante Alighieri

Podcasts:

Dante’s History

Dante’s Divine Comedy

Websites:

http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/

People:

Ann Carroll

Michel de Konkoly-Thege

Daily Plan & Schedule: 

Throughout my week I will be:

• Having conversations about Inferno.
• Re-reading the poem alongside guidance from people, papers, podcasts, etc.
• Engaging with other works inspired by Inferno.
• Creating my own adaptation (will most likely consist of writing, but TBD).

Documentation Plan:

I will document what I’m doing through the timesheet and all the things I’m figuring out/exploring through process writing and reflection. In the end, I hope to present a finished adaptation, but I plan to spend my first week of the project gauging whether this will be plausible or if it would be more realistic to create a single piece of work per week.

Material Needs:

Action Item Area: Connections

Reason for Item: Part of my project will be having conversations with people who are knowledgeable in all things Dante, who want to talk with me about what draws them to Inferno and what Dante’s journey means to them. 

Resolution: I spoke with Ann Carroll, my advisor, who has many connections with people who love Dante. I am currently drafting an email that includes a description of my project, how I came to it, and questions I am interested in posing to them during conversation. 

Action Item Area: Books/Various Reading Materials

Reason for Item: I think it is important for me to have reading materials own hand, not only Inferno but other literature that (perceivably) draws from Dante’s work. I want to be realistic and because this is a project that relies a lot on my self-motivation and creativity, I will definitely experience points when I’m stuck or lost and need a little guidance from reading.

Resolution: I made a list of books, poems, etc. that I think might be good to have around during my project, and most of them I already own and some of them I’ve already read but would like to return to. I also have access to a tremendous amount of material online so I think I’m pretty prepared in this area.

Action Item Area: Timeline

Reason for Item: Self-motivation is definitely not a strong point for me, so it really is crucial that I make a timeline for myself (even if it’s a little bit loose).

Resolution: I’m thinking of writing a rough timeline for when I want to have certain portions of my adaptation drafted, but I am not going to hold myself strictly to that schedule because I want to allow myself room for creativity and moments when it might just be hard for me to move through the process of creating and I need to take some time to do something else related to my project. I want to make a list of ideas for when this happens, little rituals and activities I can do to get my mind flowing and re-open myself to the process.

Action Item Area: Space

Reason for Item: I’m anticipating that sitting in my bed working all day/everyday will be a recipe for disaster.

Resolution: I’m trying to brainstorm some places I could go to work that are outside of my bedroom, but it is kind of difficult with COVID. I think that on days when the weather is comfortable for sitting outside, it would be nice for me to go to the pier or a park to work. Also, I want to get into the habit of taking breaks to go outside (maybe take a walk or something) so I’m taking care of myself during my project.

Backup Plan: 

I don’t think I’ll need a backup plan for any reasons COVID-related, but I may for my own indecisiveness. Another idea I could pursue is reading Paradiso or some other creative writing project.