LA DIVINA COMMEDIA
INFERNO
Dante’s Divine Comedy:
An allegory of the Soul’s journey towards the Light
Dante’s Divine Comedy is not only considered to be one of the greatest works of world literature but also a timeless description of the ascending path of the Soul.
All men whom the higher Nature has imbued with a love of truth should feel impelled to work for the benefit of future generations, whom they will thereby enrich just as they themselves have been enriched by the labors of their ancestors - Dante in De Monarchia
DIVINA COMMEDIA: INFERNO
NEXT COURSE
WINTER 2022
VIA: Zoom
WHEN: Once every two weeks starting on Sunday, January 9, TIME 1:00pm-2:00pm
SIX CLASSES (to be renewed on request) : CANTO 6-10-19-26-34
LANGUAGE: the course is in Italian with some English translation
PRICE: $ 96 + hst ($ 108) + $ 42 for the Textbook = $ 150 . Payment via e-mail transfer to info@stefaniaborrelli.ca
REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT : by Dec. 20
PARTICIPANTS: Min 3 Max 6 people
DURATION: 6 hour package (to be renewed based on students request) : 1 hour per class (depending on the number of participants). The textbook “La Divina Commedia per stranieri” covers 9 Cantos (the total of Cantos is 34).
Approximately each Canto may cover 2-3 classes, it depends on the number of participants (and the work done at home).
The number of hours to cover the whole Inferno Textbook will therefore be between 18 and 27. Program and duration may vary.
WHO CAN ATTEND: Students of Intermediate (B1/B2) or Advance (B2-C1) level.
(Students who are studying with the Book Arrivederci 3 or Nuovo Progresso Italiano B1 , B2 or C1).
PROGRAM: suggested Reading material and useful links in English will be given during the course to better understand Dante’s masterpiece. Students should be prepared to read the cantos and their accompanying notes at home and in class. Analysis and comment of the cantos will be given during the class by the teacher. Main quotes, symbols and themes will be explained and discussed together. In addition to preparing the readings in advance students will be asked to prepare a comment or question each class based on the readings to facilitate debate during lectures.
Level: Intermediate(B1) -Advanced(C1)
PLEASE, FILL THE REQUEST FORM BELOW
La Divina Commedia per stranieri - Inferno is the first of three volumes dedicated to the most important masterpiece of the great Italian poet, Dante Alighieri. The volume aims to help anyone who loves the Italian language and culture, understand and appreciate the beauty and the poetic-literary value of Dante's Inferno.
The volume includes 9 units which each focus on a specific canto.
The units have a modular structure offering two paths of study:
- The red path provides a summary and a simplified version of the text, along with notes, to aid understanding. It is aimed at intermediate level students, but can also be used as a first reading approach for advanced level students;
- The blue path presents the original text with notes that are useful for an in-depth analysis of the text and cultural references to contemporary Italy. It is aimed at advanced level students.
The volume also includes tests at the end of each unit and a brief, final glossary.
SOME PAGES FROM THE COURSE TEXTBOOK
WHY YOU SHOULD READ DIVINE COMMEDY ?
It’s a story about a journey: Earth, Hell, Purgatory, Heaven.
It covers the whole range of human emotions: frustration, confusion, terror, rage, compassion, and love.
It’s an education in theology, philosophy, literature, art and history: learn about Aquinas, the classical philosophers, artists, and poets
as well as the political, and religious leaders of Dante’s lifetime.
It has a happy ending: after a rough start, Dante ends up in Heaven. This is ultimately a story of hope.
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Dante’s reasons for writing
“To remove those living in this life from their state of misery and lead them to the state of felicity”
(Dante, in a letter to Can Grande, explaining why he wrote the Divine Comedy)
Photo: Piazza Cittadella, Lucca (Tuscany) - December 2020 - The closing line of Dante’s Inferno: