This workshop, held in conjunction with the Dante in Context roundtable on September 7, places two Dante scholars in dialogue concerning the methods employed in the study of Dante. The co-leaders have published substantial works of criticism that can be characterized as philological and philosophical, event as exemplary and as setting a certain standard of methodology in their respective domains. This workshop will highlight the particulars of these two approaches: their methods, prejudices and practices, and the reasons behind them. Special emphasis will be given to instances of crossover, when philosophy makes use of philology and vice versa.

The workshop is open to students from fields beyond Dante studies. The co-leaders hope to hear from such students how the techniques and dialectics that come out of this discussion of Dante scholarship find equivalents or parallels in their own areas of research in the medieval or early modern periods.

Schedule

9:30 – 10 am Coffee and introductions

10 – 10:50 am Workshop Session: Franke Presents

11 – 11:50 am Workshop Session: Steinberg Presents

12 – 1 pm Workshop Session: Participants Present

1 – 2:15 pm Lunch

2:30 – 3:30 pm Rare Books Session

3:30 – 5 pm Final Workshop Session: Last presentations and discussion