Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine ComedyAs the unsurpassed Christian epic poem, Dante's Divine Comedy provides not only far more personality and emotional depth than the pagan epics, it opens up all the issues on which Western history turns-truth, beauty, goodness, sin, sanctification, and triumph. In this guide, Peter J. Leithart brings his rich biblical-typological insight to bear in opening up the Comedy for students, high school and up, mainly the sort of kids who keep looking for the jokes in the "comedy." After examining the meaning and place of the courtly love tradition leading up to Dante, the heart of the guide walks us carefully through the craft and symbolisms of each progressive stage-Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Each section contains helpful study questions. Peter J. Leithart (Ph.D. Cambridge) is a Senior Fellow of Theology and Literature at St. Andrews College, as well as senior pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Moscow, Idaho. In his spare time, Leithart sleeps. |
Contents
Acknowledgments | 11 |
Politics Prophecy | 43 |
Not Yet Aeneas Not Yet Paul | 71 |
Redeemed from Fire by Fire | 105 |
Join the Dance | 141 |
| 181 | |
Common terms and phrases
Aeneas Aeneid allegory ancient Aquinas Aristotle ascent Beatrice Beatrice’s become begins biblical bolgia C.S. Lewis Cacciaguida Cambridge canticle canto chariot Christ Christian church circle courtly love courtly love poetry courtly love tradition dance Dante and Virgil Dante’s dark wood death degree of glory desire Divine Comedy dream eagle earth emperor eternal Euhemerism evil explains eyes faith Florence Francesca fraud garden Ghibellines glory God’s Guelfs Heaven Hell Holy hope human Inferno Isolde Jesus journey justice Justinian lady light lover lust Malebolgia medieval literature Mount Purgatory moves nine pagan Paradiso Piccarda pieta poem poet political pope Primum Mobile punishment Purgatorio Renaissance represents Review Questions Roman romantic love Rome Satan says Scripture shines sing sinners sins souls speaks sphere stars story structure takes tell themes theology things Thought Questions tion tree Tristan troubadours truth Ugolino Ulysses University Press Virgil virtue vision Vita Nuova words writing