SEMINAR: CWR Presents:

John Scott will be talking about Dante, a major Italian poet from the Middle Ages, and his Comedy (Commedia or Divina Commedia), which describes Dante’s journey through Hell (Inferno), the Purgatory (Purgatorio) and Paradise (Paradisio). The Comedy is considered the greatest literary work composed in Italian and a masterpiece of World Literature. The seminar will present some information about Dante’s universe and take the audience through a case study with a text from Inferno: Francesca da Rimini - Inferno 5).

John suggests that two points are to be kept in mind throughout the study of the Comedy: Matthew Arnold’s bold claim that poetry is ‘simply the most beautiful, impressive and widely effective mode of saying things’, as well as the paradox of the poem’s enduring fascination for so many contemporary readers who do not subscribe to the beliefs that inspired Dante’s masterpiece.

About the author John Scott is an Emeritus Professor and Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Italian Studies of the University of Western Australia. He is considered one of the World experts on Dante and his numerous books and articles in English, Italian and French on the subject have earned him a number of international honours and awards, the latest in date being the Fiorino d’Oro by the City of Florence, where Dante was born.