Dante's Comedy: Introductory Readings of Selected Cantos

The ten readings in this 1985 volume were originally delivered as Lecturae Dantis at the University of Cambridge. Their purpose is twofold: to offer a well-informed commentary on individual Cantos of The Divine Comedy, and to prove to those who wish to read Dante's poem but do not have a close familiarity with the language - or indeed have little or no knowledge of it - that it can be done with the help of a prose translation. Professor Limentani offers a scrupulous exposition of each of the ten Cantos, ironing out linguistic difficulties. His principal aim is to provide an overall idea of Dante's purpose in writing the poem, of his artistry, of his conception of the universe, and of his views on contemporary politics. The volume is genuinely introductory and could be profitably read by all non-specialists approaching Dante's poem for the first time.