The poet, Dante, steps out seven times from the story of PURGATORIO to address his reader directly. Over the course of these call-outs, can we trace a developmental pattern? Can we see a changing attitude toward the poet’s own work? Is he expressing his fears or frustrations of the daunting task ahead in PARADISO?
Read MoreOver the course of INFERNO and PURGATORIO, Dante develops, changes, hedges, and clarifies his theories of his own craft: why and how he is writing COMEDY. These nine passages lead us to consider the way the poet modifies his own stance toward his work and help us see how an artist thinks through the complicated processes of creation.
Read More