The Torments of Purgatory (fresco detail) by Joseph Anton Koch, 1824-29 (Photo: Sailko/Wikimedia/CC BY 3.0)
Even though it was written seven centuries ago, Dante’s Divine Comedy is essential reading today. Joseph Luzzi, a professor of literature at Bard College, explains why as he leads three all-day seminars focusing on each of the Divine Comedy’s three canticles: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. He highlights the originality and brilliance of Dante’s poetic vision, explaining how this great poem became one of the most influential works in literary history.
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Purgatorio, the second canticle of Dante’s Divine Comedy, has enchanted readers for centuries. Joseph Luzzi, a professor of literature at Bard College, details its beautiful language, meditations on human time and forgiveness, and extraordinary development of characters including Dante himself and his guides, Virgil and Beatrice.
10–11 a.m. Introduction to Purgatorio
Luzzi relates the canticle of Purgatorio to the Divine Comedy’s first one, Inferno.
11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Purgatorio, cantos 1–10
Key concepts such as the depiction of Mount Purgatory, a political discussion of Italy, and theories of the relationship between art and salvation are explored.
12:15–12:45 p.m. Break
12:45–1:45 p.m. Purgatorio, cantos 11–22
Luzzi discusses major topics like Dante’s notion of free will and his reverence for his guide, the Latin poet Virgil.
2–3 p.m. Purgatorio, cantos 23–33
Important episodes like Dante’s encounter with Beatrice and his confession of his early sins are the focus.
Additional Sessions of the Reading Dante's Divine Comedy Series
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