CLC 3333F
Dante’s Inferno
J. Miller
5/6/13
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES (UC 115)
CLC 3333F: Dante’s Inferno
Fall (1st semester) 2013
Instructor: James Miller ([email protected])
Time / Location: Mondays 1:30-4:20, UC 288
Office hours: by appt (Pride Library)
Course Description
“Abandon hope, all ye who enter here”: such is
the grim warning inscribed over the entrance to
Dante’s Hell. Don’t be alarmed: it is not a
warning to all who enter this introductory
course. In fact, my hope is that all students will
abandon whatever fear they may have of
medieval allegorical poetry in order to cross the
threshold of Dante’s great poem and discover
what’s on the Other Side. Whirling adulterers,
incendiary heretics, snake-charming thieves,
retired Roman poets, and flaming sodomitical
professors are but a few of the intriguing souls
you’ll meet Down Under. Though students are
not required to have a reading knowledge of the
medieval Tuscan dialect of Italian, I shall be
teaching the Inferno with the Italian text as well
as a modern English prose translation before
their eyes. The entire first cantica of the Divine
Comedy (34 cantos) will be covered along with
such background topics as medieval scholastic
theology, cosmology, poetics, ecclesiastical
history, and imperial politics. I shall be
particularly interested in the representations of
transgressive eroticism and the fallen body in the
Dantean underworld. CLC 333F is part one of a
continuous cycle of half courses on Dante and
the Divine Comedy. Part two (to be offered the
following term) will focus on Purgatorio, and
part three (two terms hence) on the Paradiso.
Appended to the cycle is Dante Philosophus, a
study of Dante’s early works and philosophical
treatises. Each half-course may be taken
separately or in any combination with the others.
Students wishing to take the whole cycle may
enter it at any point in the sequence.
Course Aims
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To read the entire first cantica of Dante’s Divine Comedy (34 cantos of Inferno in
Robert Hollander’s translation) in 12 weeks
To study the Sacred Poem in close relation to Virgil’s Aeneid (especially the
journey to the Underworld in Book VI)
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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Detailed comprehension of the literal level of Dante’s underworld journey as a
preparation for his journey to Purgatory and Paradise
Strengthening of interpretive confidence at the three other levels of Dantean
reading (typological, tropological, and anagogic)
Deepening of insight into the structural coherence of the Comedy as a whole
Acquisition of detailed knowledge of medieval prosody and rhetoric
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, Paradiso (text, translation, commentary in one volume), ed and trans. Robert
Hollander
Virgil, Aeneid (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 3333 F) for hot tips on where “market forces” are leading us.
Tune into Purgatorio (CLC 3334 G) for insider advice on diet, exercise, and sex in a popular
“talk-show” format. Then click onto Paradiso (CLC 3335 F) 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
Sept 9 – Canto 1: The Dark Wood
Sept 16 – Canto 2, 3, 4: Gate, Acheron, Limbo
Sept 23 – Canto 5, 6, 7: Whirlwind, Rain,
Clashing Rocks
Sept 30 – Canto 8, 9, 10: Stygian Marsh, Gate of
Dis, Heretics
Oct 7 – Canto 11, 12, 13: River of Blood, Thorn
Trees
Oct 14 – Thanksgiving Holiday [no class]
Oct 21 – Canto 14, 15, 16: Burning Desert
Oct 28 – Canto 17, 18: Cascade, Geryon,
Malebolge, rings 1-2
Midterm
Nov 4 – Canto 19, 20, 21: Malebolge, rings 3-5
Nov 11 – Canto 22, 23, 24: Malebolge, rings 5-7
Nov 18 – Canto 25, 26, 27: Malebolge, rings 7-9
Nov 25 – Canto 28, 29, 30: Malebolge, rings 9-10
Dec 2 – Canto 31, 32, 33, 34: Ninth Circle
Due Date  Essay