Connects the poem's mo
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“In this thought-provoking book Belliotti draws Dante’s Commedia into conversation with existentialist philosophy. . . Despite these questions, Belliotti’s book is essential reading for anyone interested in Dante. In it the reader will find a refreshingly different take on the moral vision underscored by Dante’s Commedia.” (The Heythrop Journal, 24 July 2015)
Table of Contents
About the Author x Preface xii
The Rationale xii
The Origin xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction 1
The Historical Context 1
The Life of Dante 3
Later Writings 8
The Commedia 12
Dante's Death 14
Aims of this Book 15
Dante as Moral Philosopher 17
1 Inferno 19
Dante's Mission 19
The Journey Begins 20
Vestibule (Ante-Hell): The Indecisive Neutrals 21
Upper Hell: Sins of Unrestrained Desire (the Wolf) 23
River Styx, Walls of the City of Dis 28
Lower Hell: Sins of Malice Leading to Violence (the Lion) 30
Lower Hell: Sins of Malice Leading to Fraud (the Leopard) 34
Dante's Existential Lessons in Hell 46
2 Purgatorio 48
Purgatory in a Nutshell 48
The Journey Continues 50
Ante-Purgatory: Late Repentants 50
Gate of Purgatory 56
The First Three Terraces: Misdirected Love 57
The Fourth Terrace: Deficient Love of the Good 62
The Final Three Terraces: Excessive Love of Secondary Goods 64
Dante's Existential Lessons in Purgatory 71
3 The Notion of Desert and the Law of Contrapasso 73
The Notion of Desert 73
The Contrapasso 81
The Problem of Proportionality 87
First Case Study: Francesca 90
Second Case Study: Brutus and Cassius 92
Third Case Study: Epicurus 99
Dante's Moral Conception 102
4 Paradoxes and Puzzles: Virgil and Cato 104
The Paradox of Virgil 105
Summary of the Paradox of Virgil 111
The Strange Case of Cato 116
"The Perfect Stoic" 117
Dante's Decision 120
Dante and Conflict 123
5 The Seven Deadly Sins 124
Historical Background 124
Superbia (Pride) 127
Invidia (Envy) 129
Ira (Wrath) 133
Acedia (Sloth) 137
Avaritia (Avarice) 138
Gula (Gluttony) 139
Luxuria (Lust) 140
The Antidote: Righteous Love 142
The Bridge to Salvation 148
6 Dante's Existential Moral Lessons 149
Dante and Existentialism 149
Jean-Paul Sartre and Hell 150
Dante's Ten Existential Lessons 157
Individualism and Community 176
Personal Strategies 179
Bibliography 185
Index 193
