Dante Studies
A.Y. 2026/2027
Learning objectives
The aim of the teaching is to provide students with a thorough understanding of themes and problems central to Dante's poetics and thought, as well as of later interpretations of the writer, through a direct reading of his works and in the light of the most up-to-date acquisitions in criticism.
Expected learning outcomes
Ability to independently read and understand Dante's works, placing them correctly in the context of the period, the author's biography and his thought; knowledge of the current lines and methodologies for the exegesis of Dante's works and for the analysis of their fortune; ability to read the works according to a multiplicity of approaches (philological, literary, linguistic, historical); knowledge of the main bibliographical tools for the study of Dante's works.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
The course is divided into two parts of 20 hours each. Each part of the course awards 3 ECTS, for 6 ECTS overall.
Part A (20 hours): Similes in Dante's Comedy (Guglielmo Barucci)
Part B (20 hours): Dante and the Geography of the World (Paolo Chiesa)
Part A explores forms, typologies, technique and function of the similes in the poem, within the frame of classic and medieval theory and models. In addition to a systemic analysis, we will proceed with the reading of some case studies in the context of cantos and 'cantiche'.
Part B explores, through an anthology drawn from various works by Dante, the importance and significance of geographical and spatial elements in his literary output. This aspect is closely linked, on the one hand, to the writer's political and philosophical thought and, on the other, to the development of geographical knowledge and cartographic techniques of the time.
Part A (20 hours): Similes in Dante's Comedy (Guglielmo Barucci)
Part B (20 hours): Dante and the Geography of the World (Paolo Chiesa)
Part A explores forms, typologies, technique and function of the similes in the poem, within the frame of classic and medieval theory and models. In addition to a systemic analysis, we will proceed with the reading of some case studies in the context of cantos and 'cantiche'.
Part B explores, through an anthology drawn from various works by Dante, the importance and significance of geographical and spatial elements in his literary output. This aspect is closely linked, on the one hand, to the writer's political and philosophical thought and, on the other, to the development of geographical knowledge and cartographic techniques of the time.
Prerequisites for admission
A basic knowledge of the Dante's authorship is required. A general knowledge of the Commedia - its structure, contents, and literary forms - is also required; a useful aid for basic preparation is G. Ledda, Leggere la Commedia, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016
Teaching methods
The course consists of in-presence lectures (Alpha-type teaching), during which passages from the syllabus works are introduced, read, and commented on.
Face-to-face teaching is supplemented by discussion sessions aimed at enhancing critical thinking skills.
Attendance at lectures is strongly recommended.
The course uses teaching materials that will be uploaded to the MyAriel platform by the start of the course
Face-to-face teaching is supplemented by discussion sessions aimed at enhancing critical thinking skills.
Attendance at lectures is strongly recommended.
The course uses teaching materials that will be uploaded to the MyAriel platform by the start of the course
Teaching Resources
ATTENDING STUDENTS
Part A: Similes in Dante's Comedy (Guglielmo Barucci)
Reference texts:
- Whatever edition of Commedia; advised the edition by Chiavacci Leonardi, Bosco-Reggio, Roberto Mercuri, Marco Veglia.
An anthology will be provided at the beginning of the course; later on, students will be provided with a list of the similes to be studied (paraphrasis required).
Later on, the students will be provided with a list of the cantos where similes play an important role and that are to be thorughly studied.
During the course, additional materials will be uploaded to Ariel, which will likewise be part of the examination.
Critical bibliography:
- Antonino Pagliaro, headword Similitudine, in Enciclopedia dantesca, Roma, Treccani, 1976, vol. V, 253-259 [available online on the Treccani website].
- Nicolò Maldina, Osservazioni sulla struttura delle similitudini e sulle modalità di descrizione nella "Commedia", in "L'Alighieri", XXXIV, 2009, pp. 65-92
- Luca Serianni, Sulle similitudini della Commedia, in "L'Alighieri", XXXV, 2010, pp. 25-43 [available on the Athenaeum digital library].
- Gaia Tomazzoli, Epistemologia: la conoscenza analogica nel "Paradiso", in Gaia Tomazzoli, Metafore e linguaggio figurato nel Medioevo e nell'opera di Dante, Venezia, Edizioni Ca' Foscari, 2023, pp. 213-256 [online: https://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/it/edizioni/libri/978-88-6969-726-5/; http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-725-8]
Part B: Dante and the Geography of the World (Paolo Chiesa)
Reference Text:
An anthology drawn from Dante's works that will be made available to students on the MyAriel website before classes begin.
Critical Bibliography
- A. Mori, La geografia di Dante, in "Archeion. Archivio di storia della scienza", 3 (1921), pp. 57-69 [available on-line: bibdig.museogalileo.it/tecanew/opera?bid=337260_3&seq=75]
- G. Corazza, Per universa mundi climata, o quasi. Geografia dantesca, in "Dante Studies", 140 (2022), pp. 199-219
- F. Bruni, Note sulla geografia di Dante nel De vulgari eloquentia, in Dante, De vulgari eloquentia, ed. E. Fenzi, Roma, Salerno Editrice, 2012 (Nuova edizione commentata delle opere di Dante, vol. 3), pp. 243-253. [pubblicato anche in "Rivista di Studi Danteschi" 2011, pp. 225-239].
. Th. Cachey jr., La Commedia come Mappae mundi, in "Le forme e la storia", 9 (2016), pp. 49-73.
- P. Chiesa, Enea e i continenti. Fondamenti giuridici e dimensione letteraria nell'investitura divina su Roma, in Dante Alighieri e il diritto pubblico, ed. G. F. Ferrari, Torino, Giappichelli, 2022, pp. 71-79.
Part C:
Students who have the 9-CFU exam in an already approved study plan must supplement Parts A and B of the course with an in-depth knowledge of the following cantos of the Commedia, including paraphrasing and detailed commentary.
Reference edition:
An annotated edition of Dante's Commedia (recommended editions include those by Giorgio Inglese, Anna Maria Chiavacci Leonardi, Umberto Bosco - Giovanni Reggio, Roberto Mercuri, Marco Veglia).
Inferno IV; VI; VIII; XXV; Purgatorio IV; X; Paradiso XXVIII
In addition, students must study Paolo Pellegrini, Dante Alighieri. Una vita, Torini, Einaudi, 2021.
Part A: Similes in Dante's Comedy (Guglielmo Barucci)
Reference texts:
- Whatever edition of Commedia; advised the edition by Chiavacci Leonardi, Bosco-Reggio, Roberto Mercuri, Marco Veglia.
An anthology will be provided at the beginning of the course; later on, students will be provided with a list of the similes to be studied (paraphrasis required).
Later on, the students will be provided with a list of the cantos where similes play an important role and that are to be thorughly studied.
During the course, additional materials will be uploaded to Ariel, which will likewise be part of the examination.
Critical bibliography:
- Antonino Pagliaro, headword Similitudine, in Enciclopedia dantesca, Roma, Treccani, 1976, vol. V, 253-259 [available online on the Treccani website].
- Nicolò Maldina, Osservazioni sulla struttura delle similitudini e sulle modalità di descrizione nella "Commedia", in "L'Alighieri", XXXIV, 2009, pp. 65-92
- Luca Serianni, Sulle similitudini della Commedia, in "L'Alighieri", XXXV, 2010, pp. 25-43 [available on the Athenaeum digital library].
- Gaia Tomazzoli, Epistemologia: la conoscenza analogica nel "Paradiso", in Gaia Tomazzoli, Metafore e linguaggio figurato nel Medioevo e nell'opera di Dante, Venezia, Edizioni Ca' Foscari, 2023, pp. 213-256 [online: https://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/it/edizioni/libri/978-88-6969-726-5/; http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-725-8]
Part B: Dante and the Geography of the World (Paolo Chiesa)
Reference Text:
An anthology drawn from Dante's works that will be made available to students on the MyAriel website before classes begin.
Critical Bibliography
- A. Mori, La geografia di Dante, in "Archeion. Archivio di storia della scienza", 3 (1921), pp. 57-69 [available on-line: bibdig.museogalileo.it/tecanew/opera?bid=337260_3&seq=75]
- G. Corazza, Per universa mundi climata, o quasi. Geografia dantesca, in "Dante Studies", 140 (2022), pp. 199-219
- F. Bruni, Note sulla geografia di Dante nel De vulgari eloquentia, in Dante, De vulgari eloquentia, ed. E. Fenzi, Roma, Salerno Editrice, 2012 (Nuova edizione commentata delle opere di Dante, vol. 3), pp. 243-253. [pubblicato anche in "Rivista di Studi Danteschi" 2011, pp. 225-239].
. Th. Cachey jr., La Commedia come Mappae mundi, in "Le forme e la storia", 9 (2016), pp. 49-73.
- P. Chiesa, Enea e i continenti. Fondamenti giuridici e dimensione letteraria nell'investitura divina su Roma, in Dante Alighieri e il diritto pubblico, ed. G. F. Ferrari, Torino, Giappichelli, 2022, pp. 71-79.
Part C:
Students who have the 9-CFU exam in an already approved study plan must supplement Parts A and B of the course with an in-depth knowledge of the following cantos of the Commedia, including paraphrasing and detailed commentary.
Reference edition:
An annotated edition of Dante's Commedia (recommended editions include those by Giorgio Inglese, Anna Maria Chiavacci Leonardi, Umberto Bosco - Giovanni Reggio, Roberto Mercuri, Marco Veglia).
Inferno IV; VI; VIII; XXV; Purgatorio IV; X; Paradiso XXVIII
In addition, students must study Paolo Pellegrini, Dante Alighieri. Una vita, Torini, Einaudi, 2021.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Expected learning outcomes are verified by an individual oral examination. Students will be expected to demonstrate acquired knowledge, ability to organize discourse, and ownership of expression. The possible production of personal critical elaborations (reports or presentations), prepared at the indication of the teachers during the course, enters into the overall grade.
Grade is expressed in thirtieths; the minimum grade of sufficiency is 18/30.
International or incoming Erasmus students are invited to contact the course professors in a timely manner.
Examination procedures for students with disabilities and/or specific learning disorders (SLDs) must be arranged with the professors, in agreement with the competent Office
Grade is expressed in thirtieths; the minimum grade of sufficiency is 18/30.
International or incoming Erasmus students are invited to contact the course professors in a timely manner.
Examination procedures for students with disabilities and/or specific learning disorders (SLDs) must be arranged with the professors, in agreement with the competent Office
ITAL-01/A - Italian Literature - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professors:
Barucci Guglielmo, Chiesa Paolo
Professor(s)
Reception:
Office hours: wednesday 15.00-18.00, by appointment only. Nevertheless, due to multiple administrative tasks, appointments could be given in other days.
Department of Literary Studies, Philology and Linguistics; sector Modern Philology (section B), 1st floor, via Francesco Sforza