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ONLINE LITERATURE COURSE
“The Hill We Climb”: Dante’s Purgatory for the 21st Century Reader
Course Description:
Discover why Dante’s Divine Comedy has inspired writers and readers for nearly 700 years in this engaging, interdisciplinary discussion of some select canti (sections of poems) from the Purgatorio (Purgatory). We will delve deep into the fantastical world of Dante’s second realm of the imagined afterlife and discuss his writing not only in its medieval context but also with an eye to its enduring relevance to modern-day readers. Close readings of select canti will explore the literary, political, theological, and philosophical concerns of the Purgatorio to understand Dante’s thematic concerns within the wider intellectual and poetic goals of the whole Comedy.
Instructor:
Kristin Stasiowski, Ph.D is the Assistant Dean of International Programs and Education Abroad for the College of Arts and Sciences and is also an Assistant Professor of Italian Language and Literature in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at Kent State University. She received her Ph.D from Yale University in Italian Language and Literature and has taught Italian language, literature, cinema, history and culture in both Florence, Italy and at Kent State. She recently published a chapter entitled A Divine Comedy for All Time: Dante’s Enduring Relevance for the Contemporary Reader in Italian Pop Culture: Media, Product, Imageries. Rome, Italy: Viella Editrice s.r.. Her current research is focused on Dante, Boccaccio, and the modern poet Clemente Rebora.
Course Objectives:
Virtual Classroom: Full access to an online educational platform with discussion forum, videos of recordings, syllabus, and reading list.
Location: LIVE INTERACTIVE ON-LINE LITERATURE LECTURES
Optional Readings:
Readings to be provided to students in PDF format prior to the beginning of course.
Complete syllabus will be provided upon registration.
LECTURE 1 – THE MOUNTAIN OF PURGATORY AND THE SALVATION OF CATO
– Tuesday, September 7
This lecture will cover the first few canti of the Purgatorio and offers an introduction to the major themes and issues of the historical and theological idea of Purgatory.
LECTURE 2 – THE POETRY OF PURGATION AND THE ART OF LOVE
– Tuesday, September 14
This lecture will offer an in-depth discussion on the way Dante imagines the Divine Art of God and the role of the imagination in Love.
LECTURE 3 – A RING OF FIRE, VIRGIL’S LONG GOODBYE, AND BEATRICE
– Tuesday, September 21
This lecture will discuss the final canti of the Purgatorio including Virgil’s farewell to Dante and Dante’s fateful meeting with Beatrice. In addition, we will meet many poets of Dante’s Purgatory and discover the ways that art and literature inform, and free, the soul.
Kristin Stasiowski, Ph.D is the Assistant Dean of International Programs and Education Abroad for the College of Arts and Sciences and is also an Assistant Professor of Italian Language and Literature in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at Kent State University. She received her Ph.D from Yale University in Italian Language and Literature and has taught Italian language, literature, cinema, history and culture in both Florence, Italy and at Kent State. She recently published a chapter entitled A Divine Comedy for All Time: Dante’s Enduring Relevance for the Contemporary Reader in Italian Pop Culture: Media, Product, Imageries. Rome, Italy: Viella Editrice s.r.. Her current research is focused on Dante, Boccaccio, and the modern poet Clemente Rebora.
