THE PROSE WORKS OF DANTE ALIGHIERI IBD

Sinopsi

Collected for the first time in English, the complete prose works of Dante Alighieri.Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) is known the world over for theáDivine Comedy, arguably the greatest poem ever written. But that was not all he wrote. Several other prose texts round out the great poetâÇÖs ouevre. In these two volumes we have the rest of what Dante wrote.áVolume I: The Italian Works (this book):áThe Vita nuovaáandáThe ConvivioVolume II: The Latin Works (sold separately):áDe vulgari eloquentia, De monarchia, Epistolae,áandáQuestio de aqua et terra.About this CollectionThese two volumes bring together for the first time in English the 'other' works of Dante. Most readers of Dante are only acquainted with theáDivine Comedy, and understandably so. WhereasáVita nuovaácombines poetry and prose to praise the loveliness of Beatrice, theáConvivioádoes the same in praise of Philosophy. Had it been completed (it was abandoned just before Dante began theáComedy), theáConvivioáwould have been a major achievement. The first philosophical treatise in the Italian language (and almost in any vernacular outside of Latin!), theáConvivioábrings together DanteâÇÖs intense love of reason and theology, poetry and philosophy, cosmology and ethics. Even in its unfinished state, it remains a fascinating testimony to the mind behind theáComedy. These two works, both originally written in Italian, compriseáVolume I.Volume II: The Latin WorksáincludeáDe vulgari eloquentiaá(On the Eloquence of the Vernacular),áDe monarchiaá(On the Monarchy), DanteâÇÖs thirteen surviving epistles, and the manuscript of a scientific lecture on Aristotelean geography, titledáQuestio de aqua et terra. Book 1 of theáDe vulgari eloquentiaádefends the use of the vernacular languages (mainly French, Spanish, and Italian) to discuss the noble themes of love and war, while Book 2 leaves us with an unfinished lecture on poetry, its forms, styles, and its unique power to communicate.áDe monarchaáis a political treatise in which he argues for world empire as the best (and most Christian!) form of government. Arguing indirectly against the papal bulláUnam Sanctam, Dante clearly articulates and distinguishes the twin authorities of the emperor and the pope. Contrary to prevailing Catholic thought at the time, he argued that the political leader received his authority directly from Christ, not mediated through the pope. Finally, as noted above, theáQuestio de aqua et terradives into medieval cosmological issues. Though his natural science is obsolete, his tight reasoning presents a sharp mind, attuned to the nuances of scientific and philosophical arguments.áCompiled here together for the first time are the excellent translations of Charles Eliot Norton (Vita nuova), Philip H. Wicksteed (Convivio,áDe vulgari eloquentia, andáQuestio), Aurelia Henry Reinhardt (De monarchia), and Paget Toynbee (Epistolae), lightly edited for a modern audience, and organized to conform to modern reference systems. In addition to or