Dante’s epic journey through hell, purgatory and paradise takes him through regions where good and evil, the vices and virtues, and ultimately happiness and flourishing, are vividly and memorably invoked, represented and described. We examine the central questions, ideas and concerns; Dante's extensive literary, philosophical and religious debts and his enduring message to his contemporaries and, indeed, to the modern world. This is a stand alone course but there are two companion courses should students wish to continue the journey from the Inferno into Purgatory and then into Paradise.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

SUGGESTED READING

• Penguin Classics edition of the Divine Comedy (other essential readings will be given out in class)

COURSE OUTLINE

• Historical contexts: Dante and Florence; Dante and the epic tradition
• Key Themes (eg, hope, love, faith and reason, forgiveness, love, atonement and redemption)
• Style (terza rima)
• Reading the Paradiso
• Dante and modern culture (modern representations of purgatory, eg, in film)

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Understand the structure of the Paradiso and its style, central themes
2. Understand Dante’s literary and philosophical influences