Dante's Medieval Cosmology

  1. A Cosmological Confrontation
    1. Dante's Commedia (1321)
    2. William Shakespeare, King Lear (1605)
  2. The Cosmology of the Commedia: Canto I, The Pilgrim's Journey
    1. Weak Feat on the Mountain of Enlightenment
      1. The Will versus Reason
    2. Beasts of Temptation: The Journey Blocked
    3. What Path Enlightenment?
      1. Boethius and the Consolatian of Pagan Philosophy?
      2. Augustine and the Christian Path to Salvation?
    4. Virgil and the Pilgrim's Journey
  3. The Commedia in Context
    1. Medieval Augustinianism
      1. The Sinful Self
        1. Fallen Man
        2. Corrupt Body/Divine Soul Dualism
        3. Christ's Redeeming Sacrifice
        4. Salvation through Divine Grace
      2. Church as Shepherd and Intercessor
        1. Human Links: Christ, Mary, the Saints
        2. Redemption through Works
          1. Sacraments, Prayer, Pilgrimmage
        3. Clergy as Authority
          1. Hierarchy, Celibacy, Paternalism
      3. The "City of God" v. the "City of Man"
        1. Legacy of Constantine (310 AD) and Charlemagne (800 AD)
        2. Canon Law v. Roman Law
        3. Popes, Kings, and investiture
      4. Church of St. Lazare, Autun, France (c, 1135)
    2. The "Twelfth-Century Renaissance"
      1. Rediscovery of Classical Learning
        1. From Arab Translations of Greek Originals to Latin
        2. Recovery of Latin Originals: Virgil, Cicero, Ovid
      2. The Philosophy of Aristotle
        1. Unruly Body/Divine Soul Dualism
        2. Redemption through Reason and Practice
        3. Centrality of Community
      3. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), Summa Theologica (c. 1270), and the "Scholastic Synthesis"
        1. Pagan natural philosophy harmonized with Christian theology
      4. Chartres Cathedral, France (1180-1260)
        5. Dante's Medieval Synthesis in the Commedia
          1. Lay learning and culture
            1. Civic politics, exile, and the Commedia
            2. Virgil as hero
            3. A vernacular epic
            4. The struggle between lay, pagan philosophy and Christian truth
          2. A defense of Christian truth
            1. Verse: "terza rima"
            2. Trinitarian Architecture
            3. The journey of the Christian soul to salvation
            4. Inferno: down to go up
            5. From Virgil to Beatrice
              1. Dante La Vita Nuova
          3. Highlights (Chart of Inferno)
            1. Virtuous Pagans
            2. Sins of Flesh and Pride
              1. Paolo, Francesca and the Sinful Body, Canto V
            3. Sins of Reason
              1. The evil alchemists, Canto XXIX
              2. Traitors and the Aristotelian community
            4. Redemption passes through the anus of Satan
        Conclusion: Europe 1400-1600: A Renegotiation of Dante's Synthesis