Description

Dante’s Divine Comedy is arguably the greatest epic poem ever written. Taking its reader on a journey through the rings of Hell, the terraces of the Mountain of Purgatory, and the celestial spheres of Heaven, Dante’s groundbreaking work displays an unparalleled imaginative vision of the Christian afterlife and the human soul. 

It’s also hard to read. To understand Dante, you must also understand what Dante read. This course will unlock those seemingly closed doors to the Comedy by guiding the student through a literary journey to understanding this master work. With Dante as the spine, we will read the entire Comedy, ancient works Dante references and that are pivotal to understanding the poem as a whole, and modern works related to the Comedy to see how everything ties together.

Students will get a full picture of Greek and Roman mythology and of the Christian imagination, discover the dialectic between the pagan world and the Christian one, and get an introduction to the Medieval view of the cosmos.

Students will learn how to read well and will use the skills of discussion, narration, commonplacing, and writing to further their understanding of the works. 

Prerequisites

• Students should be in high school or at least 14 years old.

Materials

We will read and study the following texts. Students will need a copy of each book that they can mark in. Links to specific translations will be provided. 

• Aeneid by Vergil

• Metamorphoses by Ovid

• Psychomachia by Prudentius

• The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius

• The Holy Bible

• Inferno by Dante Alighieri 

• Purgatorio by Dante Alighieri

• Paradiso by Dante Alighieri

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

• “Leaf by Niggle” by J.R.R. Tolkein

• The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis

• Additional readings will be provided

Day and Time

• This is a full-year course

• Online, weekly, 90-minute class

• 11 a.m. Tuesdays (EST), beginning August 27, 2024

• Adult Audit option is asynchronous, video content only

Cost

• Full-year: $645 ($95 due at registration, balance due by July 1)

• Adult Audit Option: $395