BMS351H1

The Illustrated Dante

This course will explore the multifaceted relationship between text, image, and culture from late medieval illuminated manuscripts up to the present day through an examination of illustrated versions of Dante’s Divine Comedy. As early as the fourteenth century and into the present day, the reading and reception of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy has been tied to its presentation in illustration. Students will also study how engagements with Dante’s poem have given life to visual responses and creative re-elaborations.