116-418 To Hell With Dante

Note

Available as 116-318 at 3rd-year level.

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Two sequential second-year Italian subjects (3rd year) or admission to Italian Honours school (4th year).

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

The subject concentrates on selected cantos of Dante's Inferno. Students will learn techniques which will enable them to analyse the poetic language of the Inferno. They will be required to produce close readings of passages from the poem. Guided readings in essential background will allow students to gain an understanding of some of the key medieval concepts of the Inferno. Regular discussion of some of the most important episodes of the poem will be a critical component of the subject. The subject is designed so that students will be in a position to appreciate and analyse one of the most impressive poems in European literature. By the end of the subject students should have acquired some understanding of the basic theological, philosophical and literary concepts of the Inferno and to have developed critical strategies for interpreting its poetry.

Assessment

One 2-hour written test; one essay of not more than 2500 words (3rd year). One 2-hour written test; one essay of not more than 4000 words (4th year).

Prescribed Texts

See Italian Studies Course Handbook for details.