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Dante's World: The Italian Renaissance

A painting of a man in a pink robe standing between the mountain of purgatory and the city of Florence
Domenico di Michelino, Dante and the Three Kingdoms, 1465, oil on canvas, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence

This course studies fourteenth-century Italy through the works of Dante Alighieri, Boccaccio, and Petrarch. Known as the three crowns of Florence these authors wrote literary masterpieces deeply rooted in the society, politics, religion, and culture of their times. Using historical analysis, recent scholarship, and a variety of different sources, students will contextualize and unravel Dante鈥檚 vision of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, Boccaccio鈥檚 picture of Italian society with all its comedy and tragedy of love, lust, trickery, stupidity, and cruelty, and Petrarch鈥檚 grappling with pagan Antiquity, pride, and fame at the foundation of the Renaissance. Prominent themes for discussion include gender, sexuality, religion, sin, Hell, Purgatory, Heaven, political and church corruption and reform, Plague, popular culture and humor, magic, and the reception of Classical antiquity. Many of these same themes will also be explored in the life of Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380).聽

Tentative Evaluations:

Attendance and Participation: 25%聽

2 Short Papers: 20%聽聽

5 Multiple Choice Quizzes (OnQ): 25%聽

Research Paper (8-10 pages): 30%

Department of History, 成人大片 University

49 Bader Lane, Watson Hall 212
Kingston ON K7L 3N6
Canada

Phone

Please note that the Department of History phone line is not monitored at all times. Please leave a voicemail or email hist.undergrad@queensu.ca and we will contact you as soon as we can.

Undergraduate

Graduate

成人大片 is situated on traditional Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe territory.