Introduction / Zygmunt G. Barański and Lino Pertile -- Part I. Politics and Society: 1. Empire, Italy, and Florence / William Caferro; 2. Economy / William R. Day, Jr; 3. Law / Sara Menzinger; 4. Justice / Giuliano Milani; 5. Men and women / Holly Hurlburt; 6. The official Church and orthodoxy / George Dameron; 7. Hersey and dissidence / David Burr; 8. Daily life / Edward D. English -- Part II. Intellectual Traditions: 9. Philosophy and theology / Andrea A. Robiglio; 10. Moral philosophy / Luca Bianchi; 11. Natural philosophy / Edward Grant; 12. Medicine / Michael R. McVaugh; 13. Islamic and Jewish influences / Luis M. Girón Negrón; 14. Cosmology, geography, and cartography / Theodore J. Cachey, Jr -- Part III. Linguistic and Literary Cultures: 15. Linguistic Italy / Mirko Tavoni; 16. Education / Robert Black; 17. Rhetoric, literary theory, and practical criticism / Ronald L. Martinez; 18. Classical antiquity / Robert Black; 19. Religious culture / Peter S. Hawkins; 20. Visions and journeys / Eileen Gardiner; 21. Historical and political writing / John C. Barnes; 22. Vernacular literatures / Paolo Cherchi; 23. Popular culture / Jan M. Ziolkowski -- Part IV. Visual and Performative Culture: 24. Illumination, painting and sculpture / Louise Bourdua; 25. Architecture and urban space / Areli Marina; 26. Music / Michael Scott Cuthbert -- Part V. Dante: Life, Works, and Reception: 27. Life / Lino Pertile; 28. Works / Lino Pertile; 29. Textual transmission / Zygmunt Barański; 30. Early reception (1290s-1481) / Zygmunt Barański -- Further reading.
Summary:
"In the past seven centuries Dante has become world renowned, with his works translated into multiple languages and read by people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. This volume brings together interdisciplinary essays by leading, international scholars to provide a comprehensive account of the historical, cultural and intellectual context in which Dante lived and worked: from the economic, social and political scene to the feel of daily life; from education and religion to the administration of justice; from medicine to philosophy and science; from classical antiquity to popular culture; and from the dramatic transformation of urban spaces to the explosion of visual arts and music. This book, while locating Dante in relation to each of these topics, offers readers a clear and reliable idea of what life was like for Dante as an outstanding poet and intellectual in the Italy of the late Middle Ages"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.