Reading Dante in 2021

Please join us in a commemorative reading of Dante in 2021 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the legacy he bequeathed us with his death in 1321.

The plan is to read or listen to Dante Alighieri's La Vita Nuova and his magnum opus, the great epic poem Comedìa. You can proceed at any pace you like using any translation you like including the original Italian. Our reading and event schedule will go through La Vita Nuova (The New Life) and the Comedìa (Comedy) between January and November 2021 (in 44 weeks or 11 months) with a monthly event to discuss the reading (we have planned 13 events).

To receive announcements and join a mailing list for participants, Contact Me.

Why Read Dante?

• The Comedìa is intricate, dramatic, thrilling, mind-blowing, cosmic, shocking, ineffable, sometimes oppressive, and altogether extraordinary!
• To celebrate the legacy of a great figure in world literature
• To read one of the greatest works in world and Italian literature
• To learn the details of a epic story that is widely referenced
• To learn about the poetics of one of the world's greatest poets
• To learn about an important work of history which reminds us of the vibrancy of medieval culture and the history of romantic love
• To learn about the science, philosophy, politics, religion, and culture of the middle ages
• To engage an expansive journey through the liberal arts as Dante guides us through his encyclopedia of learning
• To learn how Dante imagines the interconnectedness and unity of knowledge integrating the liberal arts as well as faith and reason in his tour de force
• To learn of a powerful work surveying the breadth of human knowledge and activity in a cosmic context
• To learn of an early example of perspectivism which was to become a major theme of the medieval Renaissance and a key insight for Copernican heliocentrism and Kepler's two foci model of the solar system
• To learn of Dante's vision of a universe of desire and love
• To learn how a great poet envisions a pilgrimage to meet God face-to-face and return to tell us about it
• To learn about a grand vision of humans in the cosmos seen by a poet 700 years ago

Recommended Text

Participants are welcome to read their favorite translation or an Italian edition or listen to it via LibriVox or other audiobooks source. We recommend The Portable Dante as translated by Mark Musa because it includes both La Vita Nuova and Comedìa in one volume. There are free on-line translations (see the Resources below), but because of present-day draconian copyright laws they are old and their archaic language can be challenging for today's ear.

Overview: Reading Dante in 2021

Resources

• Read my 2012 essay Dante’s Great “Commedia” or Poetry as a way of Knowing
• Popular Free Translations
  • Princeton Dante Project (La Vita Nuova and Comedìa in English and Italian)
  • La Vita Nuova (Andrew Frisardi Translation, 2012)
  • The New Life (La Vita Nuova) by Dante Alighieri 1899 translation by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (scanned copy) (LibriVox recording)
  • The New Life (La Vita Nuova) by Dante Alighieri 1867 translation by Charles Elliot Norton (1895 printing)
  • Comedìa 1867 translation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (very faithful to Dante's original, but it is written using a form of English that has gone out of style) (LibriVox audio reading)
  • Comedìa 1892 Translation by H.F. Cary with the Gustave Doré illustrations: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.
  • Comedìa 1920 translation in prose by Charles Eliot Norton
  • Comedìa 1918 translation in blank verse by Courtney Langdon (LibriVox audio reading)
• William Blake painted 102 illustrations for Dante's Inferno: Compilation of 82 William Blake paintings from WikiMedia Commons and Compilation of 42 of William Blake paintings from the National Gallery of Victoria
• Gustave Doré illustrations (Complete set of Gustave Doré illustrations for Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, 1.4GB download)
• Giuseppe Mazzotta's 2008 introductory college course with 24 lectures on Dante (videos on YouTube)
• Digital Dante at Columbia University (includes commentary, video lectures, three translations including the Petrocchi Edition in Italian, the Mandelbaum, and Longfellow translations in side-by-side comparisons, and more on Dante's Comedìa)
• Dartmouth Dante Project: Search more than 70 commentaries on the Comedìa
• The World of Dante organized by Deborah Parker and colleagues at the University of Virginia includes historical, biographical, musical, and image (maps and other graphic art) references indexed to the Allen Mandelbaum translation and juxtaposed with the Petrocchi Edition in Italian (and more)

Reading Schedule

We plan to read La Vita Nuova in one month and the Comedìa at a rate of one-third of a cantica per month or about eleven Cantos per month which is no more than three Cantos per week. The links to additional resources included in the schedule are optional, but may prove useful supplements for some participants.

1. Introduction: Jan 1 – Jan 10

   • 19m Giuseppe Mazzotta video Mazzotta Lecture 1 course page My Mazzotta course notes: Announcement My Mazzotta course notes: Introduction

2. La Vita Nuova 1-14: Jan 11 – Jan 17
3. La Vita Nuova 15-28: Jan 18 – Jan 24
4. La Vita Nuova 29-42: Jan 25 – Jan 31
   • 1h 9m Giuseppe Mazzotta video on La Vita Nuova (ITAL 310: Lecture 2) (CJ's notes)
5. Catch up week: Feb 1 – Feb 7
6. Discussion Event on La Vita Nuova: Feb 7th 5PM (New York Time):
   RSVP @ThinkingSociety or RSVP @52LivingIdeas
7. Inferno 1-3: Feb 8 – Feb 14
   • Teo Barolini Videos: Inferno Canto 1 (925MB), Inferno Canto 1–2 (1.11GB), Inferno Canto 3–4 (1.02GB)
   • Digital Dante Commentary: Inferno Canto 1, Inferno Canto 2, Inferno Canto 3
   • 1h 15m Giuseppe Mazzotta video on Inferno 1–4 (Ital 310: Lecture 3) (CJ's notes)
8. Inferno 4-6: Feb 15 – Feb 21
   • Teo Barolini Videos: Inferno Canto 5–6 (1.3GB), Inferno Canto 6–8 (1.14GB)
   • Digital Dante Commentary: Inferno Canto 4, Inferno Canto 5, Inferno Canto 6
   • 1h 11m Giuseppe Mazzotta video on Inferno 5–7 (Ital 310: Lecture 4) (CJ's notes)
9. Inferno 7-9: Feb 22 – Feb 28
   • Teo Barolini Video: Inferno Canto 9–10 (1.43GB)
   • Digital Dante Commentary: Inferno Canto 7, Inferno Canto 8, Inferno Canto 9
   • 1h 18m Giuseppe Mazzotta video on Inferno 9–11 (ITAL 310: Lecture 5) (CJ's notes)
10. Inferno 10-11: Mar 1 – Mar 7
    • Teo Barolini Video: Inferno Canto 10–12 (1.38GB)
    • Digital Dante Commentary: Inferno Canto 10, Inferno Canto 11
11. Discussion Event on Inferno 1-11: Mar 7, 5PM (New York Time)
12. Inferno 12-14: Mar 8 – Mar 14
    • Teo Barolini Videos: Inferno Canto 13–14 (1.68GB)
    • Digital Dante Commentary: Inferno Canto 12, Inferno Canto 13, Inferno Canto 14
    • 1h 15m Giuseppe Mazzotta video on Inferno 12,13,15,16 (ITAL 310: Lecture 6) (CJ's notes)
13. Inferno 15-17: Mar 15 – Mar 21
    • Teo Barolini Videos: Inferno Canto 15–16 (955MB), Inferno Canto 16–18 (1.05GB)
    • Digital Dante Commentary: Inferno Canto 15 Inferno Canto 16, Inferno Canto 17
14. Inferno 18-20: Mar 22 – Mar 28
    • Teo Barolini Video: Inferno Canto 18–20 (1.2GB)
    • Digital Dante Commentary: Inferno Canto 18 Inferno Canto 19, Inferno Canto 20
    • 1h 11m Giuseppe Mazzotta video on Inferno 19,21,25,26 (ITAL 310: Lecture 7) (CJ's notes)
15. Inferno 21-22: Mar 29 – Apr 4
    • Teo Barolini Video: Inferno Canto 21–22 (918MB)
    • Digital Dante Commentary: Inferno Canto 21, Inferno Canto 22
16. Discussion Event on Inferno 12-22: Apr 4, 5PM (New York Time)
17. Inferno 23-25: Apr 5 – Apr 11
    • Teo Barolini Videos: Inferno Canto 23–24 (923MB), Inferno Canto 25–26 (921MB)
    • Digital Dante Commentary: Inferno Canto 23, Inferno Canto 24, Inferno Canto 25
18. Inferno 26-28: Apr 12 – Apr 18
    • Teo Barolini Video: Inferno Canto 26–28 (1.02GB), Inferno Canto 28–30 (1.16GB)
    • Digital Dante Commentary: Inferno Canto 26, Inferno Canto 27, Inferno Canto 28
    • 1h 8m Giuseppe Mazzotta video on Inferno 26–28 (ITAL 310: Lecture 8) (CJ's notes)
19. Inferno 29-31: Apr 19 – Apr 25
    • Teo Barolini Video: Inferno Canto 30–32 (1.16GB)
    • Digital Dante Commentary: Inferno Canto 29, Inferno Canto 30, Inferno Canto 31
    • 1h 17m Giuseppe Mazzotta video on Inferno 30–34 (ITAL 310: Lecture 9) (CJ's notes)
20. Inferno 32-34: Apr 26 – May 2
    • Teo Barolini Videos: Inferno Canto 33–34 (988MB), Inferno Canto 34, Purgatorio 1–2 (930MB)
    • Digital Dante Commentary: Inferno Canto 32, Inferno Canto 33 Inferno Canto 34
21. Discussion Event on Inferno 23-34: May 2, 5PM (New York Time)
22. Purgatorio 1-3: May 3 – May 9
    • Teo Barolini Video: Purgatorio 2–4 (1.04GB)
    • Digital Dante Commentary: Purgatorio Canto 1, Purgatorio Canto 2, Purgatorio Canto 3
    • 1h 11m Giuseppe Mazzotta video on Purgatorio 1–2 (ITAL 310: Lecture 10) (CJ's notes)
23. Purgatorio 4-6: May 10 – May 16
24. Purgatorio 7-9: May 17 – May 23
25. Purgatorio 10-11: May 24 – May 30
26. Catch up week: May 31 – Jun 6
27. Discussion Event on Purgatorio 1-11: Jun 6, 5PM (New York Time)
28. Purgatorio 12-14: Jun 7 – Jun 13
29. Purgatorio 15-17: Jun 14 – Jun 20
30. Purgatorio 18-20: Jun 21 – Jun 27
31. Purgatorio 21-22: Jun 28 – Jul 4
32. Catch up week: Jul 5 – Jul 11
33. Discussion Event on Purgatorio 12-22: Jul 11, 5PM (New York Time)
34. Purgatorio 23-25: Jul 12 – Jul 18
35. Purgatorio 26-28: Jul 19 – Jul 25
36. Purgatorio 29-31: Jul 26 – Aug 1
37. Purgatorio 32-33: Aug 2 – Aug 8
38. Discussion Event on Purgatorio 23-33: Aug 8, 5PM (New York Time)
39. Paradiso 1-3: Aug 9 – Aug 15
40. Paradiso 4-6: Aug 16 – Aug 22
41. Paradiso 7-9: Aug 23 – Aug 29
42. Paradiso 10-11: Aug 30 – Sep 5
43. Catch up week: Sep 6 – Sep 11
44. Discussion Event on Paradiso 1-11: Sep 12, 5PM (New York Time)
45. Paradiso 12-14: Sep 13 – Sep 19
46. Paradiso 15-17: Sep 20 – Sep 26
47. Paradiso 18-20: Sep 27 – Oct 3
48. Paradiso 21-22: Oct 4 – Oct 10
49. Discussion Event on Paradiso 12-22: Oct 10, 5PM (New York Time)
50. Paradiso 23-25: Oct 11 – Oct 17
51. Paradiso 26-28: Oct 18 – Oct 24
52. Paradiso 29-31: Oct 25 – Oct 31
53. Paradiso 32-33: Nov 1 – Nov 7
54. Discussion Event on Paradiso 23-33: Nov 7, 5PM (New York Time)
55. Discussion Event on "Dante's Commedia and Comprehensivism": Nov 17, 9PM (New York Time)
56. Grand Finale Discussion Event on Dante's Legacy with a focus on La Vita Nuova and Comedìa Dec 5, 5PM (New York Time)

Events

These participatory events will provide a forum for exploring Dante's La Vita Nuova and the Comedìa in 2021 centered around our commemorative reading schedule. The events are organized with the 52 Living Ideas and the Greater Philadelphia Thinking Society meetup groups.

Contact Me to join the Dante 2021 mailing list to receive announcements about these events.

Forthcoming Events

To participate, you must RSVP to get the Zoom conference link. To RSVP, you must join either the 52 Living Ideas meetup or the Greater Philadelphia Thinking Society meetup group. Joining either group will require joining Meetup.com which is a free on-line service with strong privacy controls. Once you are a member, you can RSVP to join the event from the link to its Event Page.

7 February 2021 at 9PM (New York time): Discussion event on Dante’s La Vita Nuova

RSVP @ThinkingSociety or RSVP @52LivingIdeas

7 March 2021 at 9PM (New York time)

Exploration of Dante's Inferno Cantos I–XI: Details TBD

17 November 2021 at 9PM New York time

Dante's "Comedìa" and Our Comprehensivity (52 Living Ideas event) (crossposted Event Page at the Thinking Society).

Past Events

6 January 2021 at 9PM New York time

Come Celebrate 700 Years of Dante (crossposted at the Greater Philadelphia Thinking Society).

Credits

This initiative was conceived by CJ Fearnley, Explorer in Universe (CV), in support of his efforts to build a new tradition of inquiry and action to understand it all and each other. Since Dante's Comedìa is, among many other things, an encyclopedia of learning it represents an early attempt to prototype some of what is now forming the new tradition of comprehensivism, the practice of understanding our worlds ever more extensively or broadly and ever more intensively or deeply, that is, "wanting to understand all and put everything together" as Buckminster Fuller put it in "Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth". When playwright, director, actor, teacher and producer, D W Jacobs agreed to also read Dante in 2021 with a small group of friends, CJ started organizing this web page to coordinate the project and to invite others to join the fun.

I'd like to extend a big thank you to Phil K of the The NYC Greek Mythology & Classical Literature Book Club and Shrikant of 52 Living Ideas for agreeing to organize 11 events to explore and discuss Dante's work.

Overview: Reading Dante in 2021