Overview

As Virgil leads Dante through Limbo, the uppermost portion of Hell, they are joined by four classical poets, and Virgil describes one of them as “Horace the satirist” (“Orazio satiro,” 4:89). This collection of essays applies the expression to Dante himself in order to emphasize the satirical elements of his works. Although Dante is not typically described as a satirist, anyone familiar with his works will recognize the strong satirical element in his many writings. By exploring the satiric elements in Dante’s literature, these essays explore the primary literary tool at his disposal for his prophetic objectives: the castigation of vice. This collection of essay is the first comprehensive study on Dante and satire within his entire corpus that has ever been published.

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9781793621719

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A well-rounded study that fleshes out one of the most contemporary aspects of Dante's work: its use of satire as a means to reprehend vice and establish ethical values. Alfie and Applauso have put together an excellent volume with international reach, probing the classical, medieval, and ever-current aspects of the great poet's satirical art. From the rotten pit of Hell to the celestial heights of Paradise, Dante spares no one and pulls no punches, targeting popes and emperors in both the Divine Comedy and his other works. Dante Satiro collects captivating readings by top Dante scholars, each of whom offers a compelling analysis of satire from the Middle Ages to its resonances with today's media satirists: seven hundred years after his death, Dante is alive and well. Indeed, as one contributor to this volume reminds us, we should keep in mind Osip Mandelstam's words: It is unthinkable to read the cantos of Dante without aiming them in the direction of the present day ... They are missiles for capturing the future. --Francesco Ciabattoni, Georgetown University

We all know a lot about Dante comico and his style. But on the other hand no one has ever tried to read his works as belonging to satirical genre, as if he used the poetic code as a way to struggle with the vices of his time. This is what Dante Satiro: Satire in Dante Alighieri's Comedy and Other Works is made up of for the first time, not only relating to his masterpiece (the Commedia), but also looking for a satirical tone where it's not expected, like in the linguistic treaty De vulgari eloquentia, or pointing out his influence on contemporary satire.--Marco Berisso, University of Genova A well-rounded study that fleshes out one of the most contemporary aspects of Dante's work: its use of satire as a means to reprehend vice and establish ethical values. Alfie and Applauso have put together an excellent volume with international reach, probing the classical, medieval, and ever-current aspects of the great poet's satirical art. From the rotten pit of Hell to the celestial heights of Paradise, Dante spares no one and pulls no punches, targeting popes and emperors in both the Divine Comedy and his other works. Dante Satiro collects captivating readings by top Dante scholars, each of whom offers a compelling analysis of satire from the Middle Ages to its resonances with today's media satirists: seven hundred years after his death, Dante is alive and well. Indeed, as one contributor to this volume reminds us, we should keep in mind Osip Mandelstam's words: It is unthinkable to read the cantos of Dante without aiming them in the direction of the present day ... They are missiles for capturing the future. --Francesco Ciabattoni, Georgetown University

Author Information

Fabian Alfie is professor of Italian at the University of Arizona. Nicolino Applauso is visiting assistant professor of Italian at Loyola University Maryland.

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