Dante Alighieri by Alanna McBride

1. Why was this person important?

Dante was a major Italian poet of the Middle Ages. He wrote the Divine Comedy, which is largely considered to be the greatest literary work in the Italian language, and the Inferno, along with several other works. In Italy he is known as "il Poeta" (the Poet) and is called "the Father of the Italian language."


2. Why did you choose this person? How does his life relate to you?

I chose Dante because as a Creative Writing major I have a large interest in literature. Since Dante's Divine Comedy is considered as the "greatest literary work in the Italian language" I think it is important for me to have a good understanding of his life and his works. I have not yet read Divine Comedy, but I hope to one day.


3. If he had never existed, would the world be different from how we know it now? Why?

If Dante had never existed, the realm of literature would have been greatly impacted. Dante wrote in Italian, instead of Latin, which influenced the course of literary development as Italian became the literary language of western Europe for several centuries. There were colleges in Italy that were entirely dedicated to studying Dante and his works with respect to his poetry and his the philosophies he presents. Dante has influenced such poets as Geoffrey Chaucer, William Blake, and Ezra Pound. Without him, literature may never have developed such as it did.


4. If you could meet this person, what would you ask him?

If I could meet Dante, I would probably ask him what inspired him to write the Divine Comedy. I always find it interesting to learn about why authors write what they write.


5. Do you think the fact that this person was Italian played a role in his achievement?

I think the fact that Dante was Italian played a huge role in his achievement, because if he hadn't been Italian, he most likely would not have written in Italian. He would have written in Latin, or the language of his home country, and thus Italian would not have become the language of literature in western Europe.