Entering Dante's dark wood: an introduction to the Inferno

This course explores Dante’s writing, focusing on the Divine Comedy. The texts will be discussed in translation and particular attention will be paid to medieval culture and Dante's influence on English literature, including Chaucer. The final session will examine the impact of Dante’s writing upon modern authors, including Samuel Beckett.

Learning outcomes:

1. Introduce students to Dante’s writing with particular focus on the Divine Comedy;
2. Enhance critical appreciation of the texts discussed by close reading and practical criticism;
3. Encourage awareness of the diversity and complexity of texts from the period, including attention to theological and philosophical perspectives, literary innovations and the wider European context within which the texts were written.

Session titles:

1. Dante Amongst the Poets 
2. Love, Loss & Reading Dangerously 
3. Suffering in Hell 
4. Pity or Piety Down Below? 
5. Dante's Ugolino and Chaucer's Hugelyn

All course content will be delivered online via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded talks (which may be audio and/or video), designed to help you address different aspects of the main topic. You will normally have access to a range of useful resources and suggested activities.

There will also be an element of interactive work, and the opportunity for you to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director via the Course Forum. The Course Director will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis.

Some courses may also have elements of optional live discussions via Zoom.

There are no pre-requisites for courses, unless specified, and all are open to adult learners over 18 years old. Courses are taught at approximately first-year undergraduate level.

Content will be made available on each day of the course, Monday to Friday, from 8.00am BST. Course content will normally amount to c 1.5hrs per day across the 5 days, comprising of material delivered by the Course Director and activities/reading set, which would include discussions via the course forum. You may also need to complete reading or other preparation suggested in advance of the course.

We therefore suggest that you set aside approximately 1.5 hours of study per day to complete each day’s content and activities. However, this does not need to be done in one sitting, and you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish. Each course runs for one week and content will remain available to access on the VLE for 2 weeks after the course has finished.

A Certificate of Participation for the course(s) will be sent electronically, upon request via email, after the end of the Summer Festival. Details will be provided on the VLE.