Cosponsored by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Chicago
2:00 p.m., Friday, September 12, 2008
**Please note that the lecture starts at 2pm, not 1, as advertised in our brochure
"Images of Nature in Dante’s Commedia"
Piero Boitani, University of Rome
Reading Dante’s poem, one is struck by the natural images constantly being used, from the wood at the beginning to the sun and stars at the end. Does Dante employ a "method" with these images? What do they mean? And does their meaning change from Inferno to Purgatorio and Paradiso? This lecture will address these questions by tackling nature images in the Commedia: forest, sun and stars, sea, leaves, and snow. Ruskin’s "pathetic fallacy" and Calvino’s "lightness" will be recalled to frame the discussion.
A reception will follow the lecture.
While there is no fee to attend this program, participants must register in advance. To register, please e-mail the Center for Renaissance Studies or call 312.255.3514.
Funds may be available for graduate students and faculty of Consortium institutions to travel to this program. Please contact the Consortium faculty representative at your institution for more information.
Newberry Wing Folio ZP 535 .P283
PLEASE NOTE: Future announcements of the Dante Lecture will be made by email only. To ensure that we have your most current information, please send an email to renaissance@newberry.org with "Dante Seminar list" in the subject line.
2007 Dante Lecture
2006 Dante Lecture
2005 Dante Lecture