The Dante Encyclopedia

Dante's World, Work, and Influence
The Dante Encyclopedia is a comprehensive reference work that presents a systematic introduction to Dante's life and works and the cultural context in which his moral and intellectual imagination took shape. It is the only such work currently available in the English language.

The first major source of its kind in the English language.
Until now, much Dante scholarship has been scattered in various sources and not available in English. This book brings together all the most recent theories about Dante and his works and summarizes them in clear and vivid prose for readers who seek basic but detailed information on all major aspects of Dante scholarship.

Includes entries on all the major characters in, and aspects of, the Divine Comedy.
The entry on the Divine Comedy covers far more than the surface details of this masterpiece. In-depth discussions treat its title and form, its moral structure, and its allegory and realism. Additional entries offer comprehensive discussions of the Divine Comedy manuscript tradition; of the various editions of the work over the centuries; and of the early and Renaissance commentaries on the work.

Includes numerous entries on Dante's other works.
The encyclopedia contains numerous entries on Dante's other important writings and on the major subjects covered within these works. Topical essays correlate the intellectual foundations of Dante's thought and works with the heritage of the Middle Ages and its various related disciplines.

Cross disciplinary in its approach.
The encyclopedia addresses connections between Dante and philosophy, theology, poetics, art, psychology, science, and music as well as critical perspective across the ages, from Dante's first critics (Boccaccio and Dante's son Pietro) to the present.

Reflects the present state of scholarship.
Where disagreement exists among scholars, the major points of contention are summarized and the underlying critical disagreements are presented in a clear style and neutral tone.

Abundantly illustrated.
More than 200 illustrations show the reader historic renderings of Dante's otherworld moral structure, the medieval world view of the globe, and representations of Dante's otherworld by various artists through the ages. The book also includes contemporary photographs of specific locations significant in Dante's history.