Design in the Wax, The: The Structure of the Divine Comedy and Its Meaning (William and Katherine Devers Series in Dante and Medieval Italian ... in Dante and Medieval Italian Literature, 3)

The Design in the Wax recovers the specifically medieval interpretation of the structure which underlies each part of the poem and the poem as a whole, and shows readers how to discover the single consistent principle which organizes each part and the overall narrative. The incidents of the poem would remain hopelessly ambiguous were it not for the philosophical and theological distinctions embodied in the structure of the narrative, in whose light it is possible to reduce the ambiguity of concrete incidents to their intended allegorical content. Through medieval interpretations of Dante's sources, Marc Cogan discovers a single consistent moral and theological principle organizing each of the sections of the poem and its overall narrative. He argues that, using one common principle, Dante brings the separate allegories of the Inferno , Purgatorio , and Paradiso together into one great allegory, making the transformation of the principle into an ordered set of variations on the theme of love and its representation in human beings as the image of God. This allegory, he points out, provides a meditation on the nature of God and the capacities of human beings. The Design in the Wax is a thought-provoking tool for all students of the Divine Comedy interested in studying Dante's calculated use of poetry to overcome the limits of human understanding. The Design in the Wax CONTENTS PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABBREVIATIONS INTRODUCTION Another Book on the Structure of the Commedia? Dante and Aquinas 1— INFERNO Part I— The Principle of the Structure of Hell Virgil's Description of Hell and Its Anomalies Dante's Divergence from Aristotle Dante's Reinterpretation of Aristotle Action, Passion, and Appetite in Medieval Psychology Part II— The Poetic Application of the Structure of Hell The Contrapasso and the Relation between Poetic Details and Structure Upper Hell: The Region of Concupiscence Lower Hell 1— The Region of Irascibility Lower Hell 2— The Region of the Will The Poetic Value of Dante's Innovations 2— PURGATORIO Part I— Purgatory in the Light of Sin The Apparently Defective Symmetry of Hell and Purgatory Sin and Vice Habit and the Purpose of Purgatory Therapy and the Contrapasso in Purgatory Habits and Powers The Seven Capital Vices and the Three Appetites: The Underlying Symmetry of Hell and Purgatory Part II— Purgatory in the Light of Heaven Virtues and the Afterlife The Origin of the Soul and the Endurance of the Soul's Powers after Death Revising Our Understanding of Human Action and of the Purpose of Purgatory 3— PARADISO Part I— The Order of the Paradiso The Order of Blessedness Merit and Character The Quality, Not Quantity, of Holiness Part II— The Source of the Order of the Paradiso The Spheres and the Angelic Hierarchy Human Properties, Angelic Properties, Divine Properties The Angelic Hierarchy and the Persons of the Trinity Part III— The Meaning of the Order of the Paradiso Angelic Qualities and Human Character The Middle Triad of Angels and the Middle Three Spheres of Souls The Lowest Triad of Angels and the Lowest Three Spheres of Souls The Highest Triad of Angels and the Highest Two Spheres of Souls Order and Knowledge Predestination, Merit, Reward Part IV— The Order of the Paradiso in the Context of the Commedia The Appetites and the Angels Angelic "Appetites" and Human Character "L'atto Che Vede" Love, Blessedness, and the Common Structure of the Three Cantiche CONCLUSION: UNDERSTANDING, DESIRE, POETRY "Virgil, to Whom You Gave Me for My Salvation" Part I— Poetry As It Addresses the Intellect The Order of Human Understanding Power, Habit, Act Part II— Poetry As It Addresses the Will Poetry, Truth, and Action Beatrice and the End of Poetry APPENDIX 1— TWO MATTERS FROM THE INFERNO La Matta Bestialitade Gli Ignavi APPENDIX 2— THE ANTEPURGATORY APPENDIX 3— ASSOCIATING PERSONS OF THE TRINITY WITH THE ANGELIC ORDERS NOTES 1— Inferno 2— Purgatorio 3— Paradiso Conclusion Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 GENERAL INDEX A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Z INDEX OF AUTHORS OF WORKS ON THE COMMEDIA A B C D F G H K L M N O P R S T V W "The Design in the Wax recovers the specifically medieval interpretation of the structure which underlies each part of the poem and the poem as a whole, and shows readers how to discover the single consistent principle which organizes each part and the poem overall."--BOOK JACKET. "The Design in the Wax is a thought-provoking tool for all students of the Divine Comedy interested in studying Dante's calculated use of poetry to overcome the limits of human understanding."--BOOK JACKET.