Early Italian Lyric: Dante and His Rivals

Undergraduate / Graduate

An intense reading of Dante's early experiment in autobiography, self-commentary, and self-anthologizing. The "Vita Nova" is an essential text for readers of Dante's Commedia since the poet constantly refers back to it, and we will read it keeping in mind this dialogue. However, our primary focus will be to examine the "Vita Nova" in the context of contemporaneous literary practices. How does Dante engage with the philosophical and aesthetic debates of his time? We will use "Vita Nova" to gain entry into the larger world of early Italian poetry (Guittone, Guinizzelli, Cavalcanti, and others) and we will examine his contribution to the courtly love tradition.