Dante

by Thomas G. Bergin

A significant modern biography of the Italian master.

338 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Drew Norwood]

“much the best general introduction to the subject I know—a great help in understanding the layout and construction.” - from Shelby Foote’s letters to Walker Percy.

I have no idea if Shelby Foote’s assessment is correct or not (there are many Dante and Divine Comedy resources available, and even more since Foote made this comment), but I found Bergin’s work to be very broad and helpful. It introduces you to Dante’s life and times, his politics, his reading, and each of his works (with a particular focus on The Comedy). I skipped over the chapters dealing with Dante’s other works (except Vita Nuova and De Monarchia). The last four chapters on The Comedy were really good, especially the chapter on allegory in The Comedy.

Judging by his stated goal, the book is a success: "My aim in writing this book has been threefold: to present the essential facts of the life and times of Dante Alighieri, to summarize the content of his works, and to suggest, by reference and quotation, his significance for our own century. . . I hope it will be useful as an introduction to Dante for those who know little about him and would like to know more."

[Serge]

Excellent overview of Dante and is work. I particularly appreciated Bergin's examination of the literary influences on Dante and his schematized models of Dante's Cosmos, Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. I came to appreciate Monarchia and Convivio more and thought Bergin's examination of Dante's letters also offered insight in to his philos0phical/theological project: an economy of salvation more generous than that of the medieval Catholic Church and its prelates.

[Jeff]

LOved it... and it's Dante, the creator of the formal Italian language!!

what with that ya have to look up...like 'prosopopeia' and 'coruscation' what else could you ask for?

No, really, it's worth effort and a great story.