Member-only story

The Undivine Comedy: Detheologizing Dante

Henry Hayes

·17k Followers· Follow

Published in Teodolinda Barolini

4 min read

1.1k View Claps

58 Respond

Save

Listen

Dante's Divine Comedy is one of the most famous and influential works of literature in the Western canon. It is a vast and complex poem that has been interpreted in many different ways over the centuries. Traditionally, the Divine Comedy has been read as a Christian allegory, in which Dante's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise represents the soul's journey to God. However, in recent years, there has been a growing interest in reading the Divine Comedy as a secular text. This approach argues that the Divine Comedy is not simply a Christian allegory, but also a work of political philosophy, social criticism, and literary art.

The Undivine Comedy: Detheologizing Dante

by Teodolinda Barolini

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	3364 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Print length	:	373 pages

One of the most important proponents of this secular reading of the Divine Comedy is the Italian philosopher Umberto Eco. In his book The Open Work, Eco argues that the Divine Comedy is a "multivalent" text that can be interpreted in many different ways. Eco writes that the Divine Comedy is "a labyrinth of meanings" that can be endlessly explored and reinterpreted. He argues that the poem's meaning is not fixed, but rather is constantly being created and recreated by its readers.

Eco's secular reading of the Divine Comedy has been influential in a number of recent studies of the poem. For example, in her book Dante's Divine Comedy: A Secular Reading, the American scholar Teodolinda Barolini argues that the Divine Comedy is a work of political philosophy that offers a critique of the corruption and violence of Dante's own time. Barolini writes that the Divine Comedy is "a poem about the dangers of power" and that it offers a warning against the dangers of tyranny and oppression.

Another important secular reading of the Divine Comedy is offered by the British scholar Peter Hainsworth. In his book Dante's Comedy of Empire, Hainsworth argues that the Divine Comedy is a work of social criticism that offers a critique of the social and economic conditions of Dante's own time. Hainsworth writes that the Divine Comedy is "a poem about the poor" and that it offers a powerful indictment of the poverty and inequality that existed in Dante's own society.

The secular reading of the Divine Comedy is a relatively new approach to the poem, but it has already gained a significant following among scholars and readers alike. This approach offers a new way of understanding the Divine Comedy and its relevance to our own time. By reading the Divine Comedy as a secular text, we can see it as a work that speaks to the human condition in all its complexity and diversity.

The Divine Comedy is a vast and complex poem that can be interpreted in many different ways. The secular reading of the Divine Comedy is a relatively new approach to the poem, but it has already gained a significant following among scholars and readers alike. This approach offers a new way of understanding the Divine Comedy and its relevance to our own time. By reading the Divine Comedy as a secular text, we can see it as a work that speaks to the human condition in all its complexity and diversity.

The Undivine Comedy: Detheologizing Dante

by Teodolinda Barolini

4.5 out of 5