1. Why is this person important?
Dante Alighieri was considered a masterwork of world literature. He wrote La Commedia (Divine Comedy) and is considered the inventor of the terza rima which is a poetic devise which is composed of tercets woven into a linked rhyme scheme, which creates unifying effects within poetry. He also wrote in vernacular Italian which allowed him to reach a much broader audience which contributed to world literacy.
2. Why did you choose this person? How does his/her life relate to you?
I chose him because I had heard of him briefly in the past when discussing literature and poetry. His life doesn't really connect with mine because of the very different time periods in which we live.
3. If she/he had never existed, would the world be different from how we know it now? Why?
If he never existed than poetry might not have the same devises such as the terza rima and would be missing some of the unifying effects of it. Also the world wouldn't have the literature he provided the world which enabled him to be considered a masterwork of the literature he wrote. We wouldn't have his work La Commedia which followed his philosophical journey and path to salvation.
4. If you could meet that person, what would you ask him/her?
I would ask him about the time period in which he lived and want to know what it was like. I would also ask about poetry and how he created the terza rima. I'd be interested to talk to him about his philosophical journey to salvation and what inspired him to write poetry and to become such an important and famous figure within literature.
5. Do you think the fact this person was Italian played a role in his/her achievements?
I think the fact that he was Italian played a minor part in his achievements. I believe that his poetic achievements of the creation of the terza rima and his writing would have been appreciated wherever he shared his work. His writing of La Commedia which was about his life and followed the Guelph-Ghibelline conflict. If he wasn't Italian he wouldn't have been able to write about those experiences and ideas.
Dante is still considered the father of Italian literature, yeah. And his work went beyond the "terza rima", impacting Italian language, history and culture in a very powerful way. Thank you for sharing this, Taylor.
ReplyDeleteI know you like drawing and you like the Disney Company, so I suggest you another Italian, Giorgio Cavazzano. He has been drawing for Disney Italy for many years and his works are considered so good they are a "must have" for collectors
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_Cavazzano
It's very interesting to read a comment about Dante, written by a foreigner.. When I was at the high school, I used to hate the literature lessons about Dante, 'coz I couldn't really connect with. But then, I started to appreciate him so much, and not only for La Divina Commedia, but also for the idea of writing in vernacular. Roberto Benigni, also, reads passages of the Divina Commedia and talks about love,religion,sins,passion,history and much more, explaining the meaning of the verses of the Commedia. Try to have a look, and I'm sure you'll find out it's more related to your life than you expect. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I used to be at high school and I was studying Dante, I used to find him boring. Then, I started to appreciate him as father of the Italian literature and culture (with the Divina Commedia) and of the Italian language itself. Roberto Benigni, amazingly, recites passages of Divina Commedia, and he explains them, paraphrasing the verses. He talks about love, passon, loyalty, friendship, sins and much more.. Try to have a look, and I'm sure you'll find out that it's more you related to your life than you expect! :)
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