Dante

Anyone else remotely interested in Dante? I caught the very tale end of a documentary on him the other day (and kicked myself for having flicked past it earlier and not recognised what it was). Anyway, the narrator concluded that while he is often believed to be the first Renaissance man, he was actually the last great medievalist. The justification for this seemed to be that he was the last great writer to have a profound comprehension of all his/her era's spheres of knowledge. I'd dispute that conclusion - up until vitually this century, it was possible to have a broad knowledge of most fields. Specialisation is largely a product of this century. Views on the Vita Nuova? Anyone else haunted by the story of Beatrice? My favourite painting at the moment is that poignant work by Rossetti "Dante drawing an angel upon the first anniversary of the death of Beatrice". medieval conference Main Menu