{"product_id":"the-prose-works-of-dante-alighieri-volume-1-the-italian-works-9781963505146","title":"The Prose Works of Dante Alighieri: Volume 1 - The Italian Works","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCollected for the first time in English, the complete prose works of Dante Alighieri.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDante Alighieri (1265-1321) is known the world over for the \u003cem\u003eDivine Comedy\u003c\/em\u003e, arguably the greatest poem ever written. But that was not all he wrote. Several other prose texts round out the great poet's ouevre. In these two volumes we have the rest of what Dante wrote. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVolume I: The Italian Works (this book): \u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Vita nuova \u003c\/em\u003eand\u003cem\u003e The Convivio\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVolume II: The Latin Works (sold separately): \u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eDe vulgari eloquentia, De monarchia, Epistolae, \u003c\/em\u003eand\u003cem\u003e Questio de aqua et terra.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout this Collection\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese two volumes bring together for the first time in English the \"other\" works of Dante. Most readers of Dante are only acquainted with the \u003cem\u003eDivine Comedy\u003c\/em\u003e, and understandably so. Whereas \u003cem\u003eVita nuova \u003c\/em\u003ecombines poetry and prose to praise the loveliness of Beatrice, the \u003cem\u003eConvivio \u003c\/em\u003edoes the same in praise of Philosophy. Had it been completed (it was abandoned just before Dante began the \u003cem\u003eComedy\u003c\/em\u003e), the \u003cem\u003eConvivio\u003c\/em\u003e would have been a major achievement. The first philosophical treatise in the Italian language (and almost in any vernacular outside of Latin!), the \u003cem\u003eConvivio\u003c\/em\u003e brings together Dante's intense love of reason and theology, poetry and philosophy, cosmology and ethics. Even in its unfinished state, it remains a fascinating testimony to the mind behind the \u003cem\u003eComedy\u003c\/em\u003e. These two works, both originally written in Italian, comprise\u003cem\u003e Volume I\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eVolume II: The Latin Works\u003c\/em\u003e include \u003cem\u003eDe vulgari eloquentia\u003c\/em\u003e (On the Eloquence of the Vernacular), \u003cem\u003eDe monarchia\u003c\/em\u003e (On the Monarchy), Dante's thirteen surviving epistles, and the manuscript of a scientific lecture on Aristotelean geography, titled \u003cem\u003eQuestio de aqua et terra\u003c\/em\u003e. Book 1 of the \u003cem\u003eDe vulgari eloquentia\u003c\/em\u003e defends the use of the vernacular languages (mainly French, Spanish, and Italian) to discuss the noble themes of love and war, while Book 2 leaves us with an unfinished lecture on poetry, its forms, styles, and its unique power to communicate.\u003cem\u003e De monarcha\u003c\/em\u003e is a political treatise in which he argues for world empire as the best (and most Christian!) form of government. Arguing indirectly against the papal bull \u003cem\u003eUnam Sanctam\u003c\/em\u003e, Dante clearly articulates and distinguishes the twin authorities of the emperor and the pope. Contrary to prevailing Catholic thought at the time, he argued that the political leader received his authority directly from Christ, not mediated through the pope. Finally, as noted above, the \u003cem\u003eQuestio de aqua et terra\u003c\/em\u003edives into medieval cosmological issues. Though his natural science is obsolete, his tight reasoning presents a sharp mind, attuned to the nuances of scientific and philosophical arguments. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCompiled here together for the first time are the excellent translations of Charles Eliot Norton (\u003cem\u003eVita nuova\u003c\/em\u003e), Philip H. Wicksteed (\u003cem\u003eConvivio\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eDe vulgari eloquentia\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eQuestio\u003c\/em\u003e), Aurelia Henry Reinhardt (\u003cem\u003eDe monarchia\u003c\/em\u003e), and Paget Toynbee (\u003cem\u003eEpistolae\u003c\/em\u003e), lightly edited for a modern audience, and organized to conform to modern reference systems. In addition to original introductions to each of the works, these volumes include a bevy of new notes and explanations from Dante scholar and translator, Joe Carlson, in which he identifies the numerous intertextual allusions to the \u003cem\u003eComedy\u003c\/em\u003e contained within these works.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCarlson, Joe:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Joe Carlson (PhD Literature) lives in Moscow, Idaho with his wife and son. He graduated from New Saint Andrews College with a BA in Liberal Arts in Culture, and from the University of Dallas with an MA in Humanities and a PhD in Literature. He has managed a chain of coffee shops, published (micro) epic poetry, co-pastored a church, co-founded a university campus ministry, and taught many different kinds of classes over the years. Currently, he is an adjunct lecturer at New Saint Andrews College, a humanities teacher with Logos Online School, and a curriculum developer at Roman Roads Press. He is the author of, among other things, the Dante Curriculum, which includes an original blank verse translation of the Divine Comedy, published by Roman Roads.","brand":"Roman Roads Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51834673168658,"sku":"9781963505146","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d0ebff4b-f68e-4846-8772-567c90a2e3ff.jpg?v=1767099194","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-prose-works-of-dante-alighieri-volume-1-the-italian-works-9781963505146","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}