In Reading as the Angels Read, Ardizzone reconstructs the cultural and socio-political background that provided the motivation for the Banquet and offers a bold new reading of this ambitious work. Drawing on a deep knowledge of Dante’s engagement with biblical, Augustinian, Neoplatonic, and Aristotelian philosophy, she suggests that the Banquet is not an encyclopedia of learning as many have claimed, but Dante’s attempt to articulate a theory of human happiness in which perfect knowledge is the natural basis for a well-organized political community.
In Reading as the Angels Read, Ardizzone reconstructs the cultural and socio-political background that provided the motivation for the Banquet and offers a bold new reading of this ambitious work. Drawing on a deep knowledge of Dante’s engagement with biblical, Augustinian, Neoplatonic, and Aristotelian philosophy, she suggests that the Banquet is not an encyclopedia of learning as many have claimed, but Dante’s attempt to articulate a theory of human happiness in which perfect knowledge is the natural basis for a well-organized political community.
Reading as the Angels Read: Speculation and Politics in Dante's 'Banquet'
472Reading as the Angels Read: Speculation and Politics in Dante's 'Banquet'
472Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781442637061 |
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Publisher: | University of Toronto Press |
Publication date: | 03/18/2016 |
Series: | Toronto Italian Studies |
Pages: | 472 |
Product dimensions: | 6.53(w) x 9.29(h) x 1.37(d) |
Age Range: | 18 Years |