Dante's Divine Comedy as a theurgic act, a guide for the blessed reader from a state of misery to a state of bliss.

The enduring fascination of Dante’s Divina Commedia has attracted, for centuries, not only scholars of medieval literature, Italian or Renaissance studies, but also scholars of modern cosmology and mathematics who, seeking explanations for their research results, rediscover and find inspiration in Dante’s poetry. In this widespread scholarly discussion the dissertation proposes an esoteric interpretation of Dante’s cosmological journey, with the hypothesis that the Commedia was designed as a theurgic act. Structurally, this paper will first give a general overview of Dante’s time emphasizing the cultural, political and religious atmosphere in Florence and in Europe. After that, the dissertation will draw an outline of theurgy, emphasizing the theurgic tradition and its Christian adaptation as it relates to Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (5th century CE). The dissertation will then provide the arguments for the main claim in five steps. The first step will discuss the evidence for Dante’s esoteric affiliation. The second step will examine Dante’s understanding of his Commedia as sacred poetry. The third step will compare Dante’s understanding of sacred poetry with the Christian adaptation of the pagan, theurgic tradition as it relates to Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. In the fourth step the dissertation will offer an interpretation of the Commedia as a theurgic act. In the fifth step, the question of whether Dante’s cosmological journey represents some sort of cosmological vehicle for the reader will be discussed, focusing on the reception of Dante’s work by occultists, and poets in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

ma

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Fenu, Mauro

• B Athroniaeth (Cyffredinol)
• PQ Llenyddiaethau Rhamant

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

UWTSD

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:415