Abstract
Today, after the recent and undisputable philological findings, it is
more difficult to question the authorship of the “Epistle to Cangrande”.
Indeed, it could be not too far-fetched to liken the predicament of our
epistle to that of the Purloined Letter in Edgar Allan Poe’s detective story,
and thus come to realise, as Mr. Dupin did, that the authentic letter has
always been there in front of us, in full view. Conceivably, it is too optimistic
to hope the long querelle could be put to rest once and for all. This
contribution, while offering an overview of the critical debate, suggests
that it is high time to move on from the issue of authorship, and come to
terms with the audacious claims of an author who believed his text not
unworthy of conveying an anagogical message. Recalling the authorial
figure of the Biblical Solomon may help us to better understand the bold
project of a Christian poet who dared to use the “allegory of the poets”
for his prophetic “scriptures”, and to see a profound analogy between the
“comedy” of the Canticle of Solomon and the Comedy of Dante.
more difficult to question the authorship of the “Epistle to Cangrande”.
Indeed, it could be not too far-fetched to liken the predicament of our
epistle to that of the Purloined Letter in Edgar Allan Poe’s detective story,
and thus come to realise, as Mr. Dupin did, that the authentic letter has
always been there in front of us, in full view. Conceivably, it is too optimistic
to hope the long querelle could be put to rest once and for all. This
contribution, while offering an overview of the critical debate, suggests
that it is high time to move on from the issue of authorship, and come to
terms with the audacious claims of an author who believed his text not
unworthy of conveying an anagogical message. Recalling the authorial
figure of the Biblical Solomon may help us to better understand the bold
project of a Christian poet who dared to use the “allegory of the poets”
for his prophetic “scriptures”, and to see a profound analogy between the
“comedy” of the Canticle of Solomon and the Comedy of Dante.
| Translated title of the contribution | Dante and Cangrande, Dupin and Solomon |
|---|---|
| Original language | Italian |
| Title of host publication | Atti degli incontri sulle opere di Dante |
| Editors | M. Gragnolati, LC Rossi, P. Allegretti |
| Publisher | Sismel Edizioni del Galluzzo |
| Pages | 311-333 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-88-8450-856-0 |
| Publication status | Published - 31 Dec 2018 |
| Event | Atti del Workshop Internazionale sull'Epistola a Cangrande - Florence, Italy Duration: 5 Dec 2013 → … |
Conference
| Conference | Atti del Workshop Internazionale sull'Epistola a Cangrande |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Italy |
| City | Florence |
| Period | 5/12/13 → … |
Keywords
- cangrande