Dantes Paradiso delivers an accessible readers guide to the third canticle of The Divine Comedy, while providing critical overviews of the whole poem. This unique collaborative volume, written by a team of international scholars:
engages the richness and cultural depth of the text
enriches our understanding of both the historical context and contemporary standings of its intellectual, political, and ethical challenges in academia today
addresses connections between Dante and a multi-cultural world.
Providing readers with practical insights into the methods and approaches to Dantes Paradiso, this volume serves as an important reference work for students and researchers who wish to explore the vast world of Dante's final masterpiece.
List of Figures
List of Contributors
Editions, Translation, and Abbreviations
A Chronology of Dante's Life and Works
Introduction: A Restless Paradise
Filippo Gianferrari and Ronald Herzman
Part I: Foundations
1. The Structure of Dantes Paradiso: or How to Tell a Story Beyond Time and
Space (Paradiso 14)Alejandro Cuadrado
2. From End to Beginning: Cosmogony and Cosmology
Theodore J. Cachey, Jr.
3. Hierarchy and Diversity
Paola Nasti
4. Beatrice in Paradiso Elena Lombardi
Part II: Readings
5. The Subject of Violence (Paradiso 35)
Brenda Deen Schildgen
6. Heat and Light in the Sun (Paradiso 1014)
Ronald Herzman
7. The Body of Knowledge (Paradiso 14)
Filippo Gianferrari
8. Politics and Prophecy: Past, Present, and Future (Paradiso 1518)
Rev Dr Claire Honess
9. Justice for All (Paradiso 1820)
Akash Kumar
10. Dante among the Stars (Paradiso 2227)
Zygmunt G. Baraski
11. Language (Paradiso 26)
Heather Webb
12. The Edge of the Universe (Paradiso 2730)
Alison Cornish
13. The Virgin Mary in Paradiso: Flower of Humanity
Brian K. Reynolds
14. The End of Imagination (Paradiso 33)
William Franke
Part III: Global Perspectives
15. Early Receptions
Simon A. Gilson
16. Paradiso in World Religions and Spiritualities
Eileen Gardiner
17. Dantes Paradiso: A Text that Can Foster Interreligious Dialogue?
Vittorio Montemaggi
18. The Love that Moves: Dantes Paradiso in Contemporary Culture
Arielle Saiber
Bibliography
Index
Filippo Gianferrari is Associate Professor of Literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He received a PhD in Medieval Studies from the University of Notre Dame, and an MA and BA from the University of Bologna. Before joining UCSC, he taught at Vassar College and Smith College.
Ronald Herzman is Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York, Geneseo. In addition to Geneseo, where he continues to teach Dante, he has taught Dante at Georgetown University, St. Johns College in Santa Fe, New York University, Regis High School, and Attica Correctional Facility.
