CLC 3334G
Dante’s Purgatorio
J. Miller
5/7/13
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES (UC 115)
CLC 3334G: Dante’s Purgatorio
Spring (2nd semester) 2014
Instructor: James Miller ([email protected])
Time / Location: Tuesdays 2:30-5:20, UC 288
Office hours: by appt (Pride Library)
Course Description
“Now I shall sing the second kingdom, there
where the soul of man is cleansed,” Dante
announces at the opening of the Purgatorio,
the second cantica of The Divine Comedy.
Like a middle child, the middle poem must
address the successes and shortcomings of
its forerunner, the Inferno, while
anticipating the glorious fulfillment of
Dante’s poetic ambitions in the Paradiso.
Dante himself realized how challenging it
would be to surpass in imaginative power
and moral interest his extraordinary journey
through Hell. Poetry itself, he remarked,
would have to “rise from the dead” in order
to scale the heights of the Holy Mountain. In
this course we will be concerned with
Dante’s resurrection of poetry – specifically
the erotic myths in Ovid’s Metamorphoses –
in order to distinguish mere “shape-shifting”
or alterations in form from deeper socialsexual-spiritual changes associated with
Christian conversion. On Mount Purgatory
Dante encounters sinners who suffer the
pains of Hell without the despair of eternal
damnation. Despite their suffering, the souls
of the second kingdom are literally “getting
over” their earthly vices and troubles. Mount
Purgatory is thus the archetypal site of what
we would now recognize as “therapy” in
both its physical and psychological sense.
Course Aims
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To read the entire second cantica of Dante’s Divine Comedy (33 cantos of
Purgatorio in Robert Hollander’s translation) in 12 weeks
To study the Sacred Poem in close relation to Ovid’s Metamorphoses (especially
the Ovidian myths of erotic transformation)
To understand the originality of Dante’s allegorical narrative by comparing it with
its sources in classical mythology, late antique mysticism, and medieval scholastic
theology
Learning Outcomes
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The detailed comprehension of the literal level of Dante’s Mountain Ascent as a
preparation for his journey to Paradise
The strengthening of interpretive confidence at the three other levels of Dantean
reading (typological, tropological, and anagogic)
The deepening of insight into the structural coherence of the Comedy as a whole
The acquisition of detailed knowledge of medieval prosody and rhetoric
The appreciation of Dante’s originality as a narrative poet, a political visionary,
and a transgressive theologian of the erotic life
Grade Breakdown
Canto Presentation.......................... 10%
Essay.................................................20%
Midterm............................................20%
Final Examination............................50%
Required Texts
Dante, Purgatorio (text, translation, commentary in one volume), ed and trans. Robert
Hollander
Ovid, Metamorphoses (Penguin classics translation)
Policy on Written Assignments
The Faculty of Arts & Humanities does not permit faculty members to accept written
assignments after the last teaching day of the term.
The Dante Cycle
Western’s Faculty of Arts offers undergraduates the rare experience of studying Dante’s
complete works in translation through an intensive cycle of four consecutive half-courses
linking CLC with Philosophy. Completed in 1320, Dante’s three-part masterwork The Divine
Comedy has fascinated, challenged, and inspired readers for centuries – never more so than
today. Check out Inferno (CLC 3333F) for hot tips on where “market forces” are leading us.
Tune into Purgatorio (CLC 3334G) for insider advice on diet, exercise, and sex in a popular
“talk-show” format. Then click onto Paradiso (CLC 3335F) for divine links to the “World Wide
Web.” Complete the Circle of Life with Dante Philosophus (CLC 4495G) on the poet’s
intellectual background and philosophical writings.
Contact
James Miller
UC 351 (Office) or The Pride Library (Weldon Mainfloor)
ex 85828 (UWO) 519-673-1165 (Home)
[email protected]
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a major academic offense (see Scholastic Offense Policy in the Western Academic
Calendar). Plagiarism is the inclusion of someone else's verbatim or paraphrased text in one's own
written work without immediate reference. Verbatim text must be surrounded by quotation marks or
indented if it is longer than four lines. A reference must follow right after borrowed material (usually
the author's name and page number). Without immediate reference to borrowed material, a list of
sources at the end of a written assignment does not protect a writer against a possible charge of
plagiarism. This also applies to work facilitated or written for students by third parties.
Absenteeism
Students seeking academic accommodation on medical grounds for any missed tests, exams,
participation components and/or assignments must apply to the Academic Counseling office of their
home Faculty and provide documentation. Academic accommodation cannot be granted by the
instructor or department.
N.B. E-mail will be used extensively for communication with the students. Please make sure your
UWO account is in order.
Schedule of Readings
Jan 7 – Canto 1: Seashore, Cato
Jan 14 – Canto 2, 3: Angel Boat, Manfred
Jan 21 – Canto 4, 5, 6: Antepurgatory, Belacqua
Jan 28 – Canto 7, 8, 9: Antepurgatory, Sordello
Feb 4 – Canto 10, 11, 12: Cornice 1: Pride
Feb 11 – Canto 13, 14, 15: Cornice 2 and 3:
Envy, Wrath
Feb 18 – Conference Week [no class]
Feb 25 – Canto 16, 17: Cornice 4: Sloth
Midterm
Mar 4– Canto 18, 19, 20: Cornice 5: Avarice
Mar 11 – Canto 21, 22, 23: Cornice 6: Gluttony
Mar 18 – Canto 24, 25, 26: Cornice 7: Lust
Mar 25 – Canto 27, 28, 29: Eden, Matelda
Apr 1 – Canto 30, 31: Eden, Beatrice
Apr 8 – Canto 32, 33: The Calamities, The Tree
Due Date –> Essay