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ITAL 310: Dante in Translation

Lecture 03 - Inferno I, II, III, IV. Professor Mazzotta introduces students to the Divine Comedy, focusing on the first four cantos of Inferno. Stylistic, thematic and formal features of the poem are discussed in the context of its original title, Comedy. The first canto is read to establish the double voice of the poet-pilgrim and to contrast the immanent journey with those described by Dante's literary precursors. Among these is the pilgrim's guide, Virgil. The following cantos are read with special attention to the ways in which Dante positions his poem vis-a-vis the classical tradition. The novelty of Dante's otherworldly journey is here addressed in terms of the relationship, introduced in the previous lecture in the context of the Vita nuova, between love and knowledge or, more precisely, between their respective faculties, will and intellect. (from oyc.yale.edu)

Lecture 03 - Inferno I, II, III, IV

Time Lecture Chapters
[00:00:00] 1. Explanation of Title; Three Levels of Style; Formal Structure
[00:07:13] 2. Canto I and Its Double Narrative Focus
[00:19:02] 3. Shifting the Language from Mind to Body
[00:25:31] 4. Meeting Virgil the Poet and Neo-Platonic Philosopher
[00:37:01] 5. Canto II: Identity and Purpose of Journey
[00:42:21] 6. Canto III: Entering the Gate of Hell; An Idea of a Linear Novel
[00:51:31] 7. Canto IV: Into the Garden and Limbo's Fantastic Figures
[01:04:13] 8. Question and Answer

References
Lecture 3 - Inferno I, II, III, IV
Instructor: Professor Giuseppe Mazzotta. Visual Resources - Lecture 3 [HTML]. Transcript [html]. Audio [mp3]. Download Video [mov].

Go to the Course Home or watch other lectures:

Lecture 01 - Introduction
Lecture 02 - Vita Nuova
Lecture 03 - Inferno I, II, III, IV
Lecture 04 - Inferno V, VI, VII
Lecture 05 - Inferno IX, X, XI
Lecture 06 - Inferno XII, XIII, XV, XVI
Lecture 07 - Inferno XIX, XXI, XXV, XXVI
Lecture 08 - Inferno XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII
Lecture 09 - Inferno XXX, XXXI, XXXII, XXXIII, XXXIV
Lecture 10 - Purgatory I, II
Lecture 11 - Purgatory V, VI, IX, X
Lecture 12 - Purgatory X, XI, XII, XVI, XVII
Lecture 13 - Purgatory XIX, XXI, XXII
Lecture 14 - Purgatory XXIV, XXV, XXVI
Lecture 15 - Purgatory XXX, XXXI, XXXIII
Lecture 16 - Paradise I, II
Lecture 17 - Paradise IV, VI, X
Lecture 18 - Paradise XI, XII
Lecture 19 - Paradise XV, XVI, XVII
Lecture 20 - Paradise XVIII, XIX, XXI, XXII
Lecture 21 - Paradise XXIV, XXV, XXVI
Lecture 22 - Paradise XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX
Lecture 23 - Paradise XXX, XXXI, XXXII, XXXIII
Lecture 24 - General Review