Department of English

In this course we will read the Inferno, the Purgatorio and the Paradiso,
 focusing on a series of interrelated problems raised by the poem: authority,
 fiction, history, politics and language.  Particular attention will be given
 to how the Commedia presents itself as Dante's autobiography, and to how the
 autobiographical narrative serves as a unifying thread for this supremely rich
 literary text.  Supplementary readings will include Virgil's Aeneid and
 selections from Ovid's Metamorphoses.  All readings and written work will be
 in English.  Italian or Italian Studies credit will require reading Italian
 texts in their original language and writing about their themes in Italian.
 This course may be taken for graduate credit, but additional work and meetings
 with the instructor will be required.