To celebrate the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri, the BYU-Idaho Special Collections and Archives, in collaboration with the BYU-Idaho Religion, Humanities, and English departments, are holding presentations on Dante’s influence on humanity. Featuring three speakers, the topics will feature Dante’s impact on the arts, religion, and literature.
The event will take place on October 28th at 4 pm in the Manwaring Center Little Theater (372A).
Overflow seating will be available via Zoom: 913 5150 9527.
Fernando Castro
Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” tells of his fictional journey through the afterlife within the context of Medieval Christianity. In many ways, Dante’s epic poem also suggests allegorical correspondence with every person’s own spiritual struggles and inherent desire to rise from a fallen to a more exalted state. This presentation intends to highlight some insightful themes and patterns found in Dante’s work that are harmonious with Latter-day Saint teachings.
Darin Merrill
“Dante in Englisshe:” Dante’s Ubiquity in Western Literature after the Renaissance.
A presentation exploring a variety of ways that Dante has influenced Western Literature since the Italian Renaissance based on both his descriptions of important locations from early Christian doctrines and his use of important early 13th and 14th-century ideas relative to Christianity, self-determination, and literary art. Also included, an overview of Dante’s works that have been used as sources and analogs among the great works of Western Literature.
Rebecca Dorny
Highlighting Dante’s impact on the arts, Rebecca will focus on prominent artists and their adaptations of Dante’s pinnacle work, The Divine Comedy. From Botticelli to Gustav Dore to Salvador Dali, the Commedia has been portrayed by artists who seek to traverse the path through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise alongside Dante, exploring the heights and depths of the human experience.
