Dante Alighieri, Convivio [Banquet]

John Took (University College London)

Ed. by Jo Ann Cavallo, Columbia University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.6.1: Italian Writing and Culture, 453-present.
Vol. editors: Carla Bregman (Independent Scholar - North America), Jo Ann Cavallo (Columbia University)

Domains

Philosophy (any)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1300 - c. 1310

Places

Italy (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Commentary / Criticism (literary)

Resources

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The

Convivio

, belonging to the first phase of his exile in 1302 and probably to the years 1304-1307, is Dante's great middle period work, its greatness lying in the courage with which it squares up to the catastrophe of exile, in the generosity with which it sets out a philosophical banquet for those "many men and women in this language of ours burdened by domestic and civic care" (I.ix.5 and I.i.4), and in the love with which it fashions from the young vernacular a language equal in point both of expressive power and of beauty to the task in hand, to the composition of a spiritual

vade mecum

for those immersed in the active life. Its greatness lies, too, in its transparency both to the passion and to the problematics of Dante's own temperament as a philosophical spirit, in its…

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2448 words

Citation: Took, John. "Convivio". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 February 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16060, accessed 16 October 2024.]