While Dante Alighieri's Inferno is the most famous portion of his narrative poem The Divine Comedy, it is by no means the end of that tale. In this class, we will delve into the second part of that 14th-century work: Purgatorio, an insightful document about human life and character and the reality of aging. Along the way, we will explore the music, architecture, politics, and trade of Dante's time to discern how that period's relevance has endured into our own. Even if you've never read Dante's Inferno or taken prior classes on the subject, you can still benefit from Purgatorio without that background, so worry not - all are welcome!
This class is a follow-up to the Winter 2026 quarter’s class Dante in His Time and Ours: The Lower Circles, but students who have not taken that class are still welcome to attend this one.
This is a HyFlex class, meaning that each class meeting you may choose to attend either in person or online via Zoom. The Zoom Meeting ID and link will be included in your registration confirmation email.
Required Texts (choose only one):
- Alighieri, Dante. Purgatorio. Trans. Robert and Jean Hollander. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2004. ISBN: 9780385497008.
- Alighieri, Dante. The Purgatorio. Trans. John Ciardi. Penguin Publishing Group, 2009. ISBN: 9780451531421.
- Alighieri, Dante. Purgatorio. Trans. D.M. Black. New York Review of Books, 2021. ISBN: 9781681376059.
No class held 10/13 or 10/20.