Dante's Hermeneutics of Salvation : Passages to freedom in ‹em›the divine comedy‹/em›

Widely considered one of the greatest works produced in Europe during the Middle Ages, Dante's La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy) has influenced countless generations of readers, yet surprisingly few books have attempted to explain the philosophical relevance of this great epic. Dante's Hermeneutics of Salvation takes on this ambitious project. Turning to Heidegger to provide a theoretical framework for her study, Christine O'Connell Baur illustrates how Dante's poem invites its readers to undertake their own existential-hermeneutic journey to freedom. As the pilgrim progresses in his journey, she argues, he moves beyond a merely literal, 'infernal' self-interpretation that is grounded on present attachments to things in the world. If we readers accompany the pilgrim in this hermeneutic conversion, we will see that our own existential commitments can help disclose the meaning of our world and our own finite freedom. A work of considerable importance both for and teachers and students of Dante studies, Dante's Hermeneutics of Salvation will also prove useful to scholars working in medieval studies, philosophy, and literary theory. Contents 7 Acknowledgments 11 Introduction: Situating the Project 15 DIVISION ONE 27 1. Language, Mediation, and Salvation in Dante’s Commedia 27 2. Meaning 45 3. Historicality and Truth 78 4. The Recapitulatory Nature of Finite Understanding 92 5. The Hermeneutics of Conversion 110 DIVISION TWO 147 6. Dialectical Reading and the Dialectic of Salvation 147 7. Paradisal Hermeneutics: Reading the Volume of the Universe 184 Notes 257 Bibliography 313 Index 329 "As well as presenting fresh interpretations of the Divine Comedy based on the philosophical thought of Augustine and Aquinas and the hermeneutics of Heidegger and Gadamer, the work offers unique perspectives on various passages that have troubled scholars through the ages. Dante's Hermeneutics of Salvation breathes new life into Dante's journey, making our own reading of the poem a genuine participation in its profound truth and meaning."--Jacket