The Narrative
Three chapters through women’s Dante scholarshipRetrace the fundamental steps of a pioneering journey — from the diffusion of women’s writing in Dante journals to the feminine ideal at the heart of the Commedia, and beyond, to Ravenna, pilgrimage city and living archive of Dante’s afterlife.
From Diffusion to Affirmation: How Women Conquered a Prominent Place in Dante Studies and Journals
Retrace the fundamental steps of a pioneering journey where authors managed to make their mark, revealing new horizons in the interpretation of Dante’s work. From the first tentative appearances in literary periodicals to the confident voice of scholarly commentary, this chapter maps the gradual but irreversible presence of women in the Dantean public sphere.
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Beatrice and the Feminine Ideal
Explore the ideal of womanhood presented in the Divine Comedy, with particular attention to the figure of Beatrice and her impact on Italian culture, as evidenced by the Esposizione Beatrice of 1890. Women scholars did not simply receive this ideal — they interrogated it, claimed it, and transformed it into a site of critical and creative authority.
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Beyond the Commedia: between Monumentalisation and Appropriation
(Re)discover the connection between Dante and Ravenna, the city that welcomed the poet in the last years of his life, and that continues to be a pilgrimage site for Dante scholars and enthusiasts. Leaf through the pages of creative responses to Dante’s works in theatre, visual arts, and children’s stories — genres through which women claimed Dante not as institution, but as living imaginative resource.
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