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Georgetownx The Divine Comedy: Dante'S Journey To Freedom Canto 15 Supplemental Commentary

1) The document analyzes a commentary on Canto 15 of Dante's Divine Comedy. 2) It outlines Erich Auerbach's analogy comparing the relationship between Word-Flesh-Word in Christianity to Word-Flesh-Word in Dante's poem. 3) The commentary argues that Dante identified himself with the Gospel through writing his poem, which expresses a faith in the mystery of unconditional responsibility as proclaimed by Jesus, while also transcending specific Christian expressions.

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Manuel De Damas Morales
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76 views2 pages

Georgetownx The Divine Comedy: Dante'S Journey To Freedom Canto 15 Supplemental Commentary

1) The document analyzes a commentary on Canto 15 of Dante's Divine Comedy. 2) It outlines Erich Auerbach's analogy comparing the relationship between Word-Flesh-Word in Christianity to Word-Flesh-Word in Dante's poem. 3) The commentary argues that Dante identified himself with the Gospel through writing his poem, which expresses a faith in the mystery of unconditional responsibility as proclaimed by Jesus, while also transcending specific Christian expressions.

Uploaded by

Manuel De Damas Morales
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GeorgetownXTheDivineComedy:DantesJourneytoFreedom

Canto15SupplementalCommentary

Schematically,theanalogyIbelieveAuerbachisreferringtowouldbestructuredthisway:
Word(Mystery)>Flesh(Jesus)>Word(gospel)
Word(Jesus/Mystery)>Flesh(Beatrice)>Word(poem)
Auerbachhimselfexpressesthisinsightinthefollowingway:
ButthefullnessoflifewhichDanteincorporatesintothat[JudeoChristian]interpretation
issorichandsostrongthatitsmanifestationsforcetheirwayintothereaderssoul
independentlyofanyinterpretationWeexperienceanemotionwhichisconcernedwith
humanbeingsandnotdirectlywiththedivineorderinwhichtheyhavefoundtheir
fulfillment.Theireternalpositioninthedivineorderissomethingofwhichweareonly
consciousasthesettingwhoseirrevocabilitycanbutservetoheightentheeffectoftheir
humanitypreservedforusinallitsforce.Theresultisadirectexperienceoflifewhich
overwhelmseverythingelse,acomprehensionofhumanrealitieswhichspreadsas
widelyandvariouslyasitgoesprofoundlytotheveryrootsofouremotions,an
illuminatingofmansimpulsesandpassionswhichleadsustoshareinthemwithout
restraintandindeedtoadmiretheirvarietyandgreatness.(Mimesis:TheRepresentation
ofRealityinWesternLiterature)

Thedignityofpersonalidentityconferredbyfinaldecisivefaithin,hopeforandloveofthe
absolutemysteryofunconditionalresponsibilityistheGoodNewswhichDantetakesthe
GospelsofJesustobeproclaiming.Heidentifiedhimselfwiththisgospelthroughthewritingof
thepoeminfulfillmentofthepromisemadeattheconclusionoftheVitaNuova.Byvirtueofthat
promise,hehadsolemnizedthevocationwhichhadsingledhimouttobethepoetofBeatrice
andtowriteofherinversewhatneverbeforehadbeenwrittenofwoman:thatshewasand
remainsalwaystheincarnationofthegraceofdivineloveinhislife,bywhichhehasbeenand
willalwaysagainbesaved.TheinscriptionoffaithexpressedbyDantesgospel,Auerbachtells
us,isChristianbecauseitwouldhavenopossibilityofexpressionexceptthroughthecentral
metaphors(resurrection,incarnation,etc.)thatarisehistoricallyfromtherootmetaphorofthat
tradition,thepersonalidentityofJesus,asitisinscribedinthegospelstory.Atthesametime,
however,thatfaithcannotbeconfinedtoitsChristianexpressionorenculturation,becausethe
depthofthatfaithsimmersioninthehumanexperienceofhope,thehopeofresurrection,
whichtranscendsbothlifeanddeathandwhichalsotranscendstheseparationbetweenhuman
anddivinepersons,whichparallelstheseparationoflifeanddeath,ahopewhichdoesnotend
becauseitishopeinthefaceofaMysterywhichprovesitselfoverandoveragaintobewithout
endandthereforebeyondanypossiblelimit.Itisthisidentification,notwithmysteryinsome
vaguelymysticalsenseofanobscurantismwhichrefusestobemarkedorconstrainedbythe
limitsenforcedbythedefiniterealityofanyearthlyparticular,butratherwiththeMysterythatis
revealedinandthrough,andonlyinandthrough,personalexistence,withitsinimitabledramaof
responsibility,themysterythatrevealsitselfwhollybutsolelyinthequestion,WhoamI?This
mysteryinDantespoemisthepower,calledlove,thatmovesthesunofhopeandalltheother

starsfromwhichwewholiveinhistorytakeeverypointofreferenceregardingthemeanings
whichspreadthemselvesacrossthehorizonthatthisquestionfirstbringstolight.

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