Reading as the Angels Read: Speculation and Politics in Dante's 'Banquet' (Toronto Italian Studies)

An Uncompleted Manuscript That Combines Lyric Poetry And Prose Commentary, The Banquet (or Convivio) Is One Of Dante Alighieri's Most Important And Least Understood Philosophical Texts. As Maria Luisa Ardizzone Shows, Its Language And Logic Are Deeply Connected To Medieval Culture And The Philosophical Debates Of The Thirteenth And Early Fourteenth Centuries. In Reading As The Angels Read, Ardizzone Reconstructs The Cultural And Socio-political Background That Provided The Motivation For The Banquet And Offers A Bold New Reading Of This Ambitious Work. Drawing On A Deep Knowledge Of Dante's Engagement With Biblical, Augustinian, Neoplatonic, And Aristotelian Philosophy, She Suggests That The Banquet Is Not An Encyclopedia Of Learning As Many Have Claimed, But Dante's Attempt To Articulate A Theory Of Human Happiness In Which Perfect Knowledge Is The Natural Basis For A Well-organized Political Community.-- Introducing A Cosmic Intellectual Dimension: The Dialectical Nature Of Human Essence -- Loving A Divine Idea: A Cognitive And Educational Process -- Reading With Suspicio: Mind And Philosophy: A Philosophical Discussion About Mind -- Community And Intellectual Happiness: The Invention Of A Shifting Logical Subject -- Syllogism And Censura: The Moralization Of Nobility And The Decline Of Intellectual And Political Aristocracy. Maria Luisa Ardizzone. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 431-448) And Index.

An uncompleted manuscript that combines lyric poetry and prose commentary, the Banquet (or Convivio) is one of Dante Alighieri’s most important and least understood philosophical texts.  As Maria Luisa Ardizzone shows, its language and logic are deeply connected to medieval culture and the philosophical debates of the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries.

In Reading as the Angels Read, Ardizzone reconstructs the cultural and socio-political background that provided the motivation for the Banquet and offers a bold new reading of this ambitious work. Drawing on a deep knowledge of Dante’s engagement with biblical, Augustinian, Neoplatonic, and Aristotelian philosophy, she suggests that the Banquet is not an encyclopedia of learning as many have claimed, but Dante’s attempt to articulate a theory of human happiness in which perfect knowledge is the natural basis for a well-organized political community. 

"An uncompleted manuscript that combines lyric poetry and prose commentary, the Banquet (or Convivio) is one of Dante Alighieri's most important and least understood philosophical texts. As Maria Luisa Ardizzone shows, its language and logic are deeply connected to medieval culture and the philosophical debates of the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. In Reading as the Angels Read, Ardizzone reconstructs the cultural and socio-political background that provided the motivation for the Banquet and offers a bold new reading of this ambitious work. Drawing on a deep knowledge of Dante's engagement with biblical, Augustinian, Neoplatonic, and Aristotelian philosophy, she suggests that the Banquet is not an encyclopedia of learning as many have claimed, but Dante's attempt to articulate a theory of human happiness in which perfect knowledge is the natural basis for a well-organized political community."-- Publ. note, provided by the publ "An uncompleted manuscript that combines lyric poetry and prose commentary, the Banquet (or Convivio) is one of Dante Alighieri's most important and least understood philosophical texts. As Maria Luisa Ardizzone shows, its language and logic are deeply connected to medieval culture and the philosophical debates of the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. In Reading as the Angels Read, Ardizzone reconstructs the cultural and socio-political background that provided the motivation for the Banquet and offers a bold new reading of this ambitious work. Drawing on a deep knowledge of Dante's engagement with biblical, Augustinian, Neoplatonic, and Aristotelian philosophy, she suggests that the Banquet is not an encyclopedia of learning as many have claimed, but Dante's attempt to articulate a theory of human happiness in which perfect knowledge is the natural basis for a well-organized political community."-- Provided by publisher "An uncompleted manuscript that combines lyric poetry and prose commentary, the Banquet (or Convivio) is one of Dante Alighieri's most important and least understood philosophical texts. As Maria Luisa Ardizzone shows, its language and logic are deeply connected to medieval culture and the philosophical debates of the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. In Reading as the Angels Read, Ardizzone reconstructs the cultural and socio-political background that provided the motivation for the Banquet and offers a bold new reading of this ambitious work. Drawing on a deep knowledge of Dante's engagement with biblical, Augustinian, Neoplatonic, and Aristotelian philosophy, she suggests that the Banquet is not an encyclopedia of learning as many have claimed, but Dante's attempt to articulate a theory of human happiness in which perfect knowledge is the natural basis for a well-organized political community."-- Résumé de l'éditeur Contents Preface READING AS THE ANGELS READ. Speculation and Politics in Dante’s Banquet Introduction 1. Introducing a Cosmic Intellectual Dimension: The Dialectical Nature of Human Being 2. Loving a Divine Idea: A Cognitive and Educational Process 3. Reading with Suspicio: Mind and Philosophy. A Philosophical Discussion about Mind 4. Community and Intellectual Happiness: The Invention of a Shifting Logical Subject 5. Syllogism and Censura: The Moralization of Nobility and the Decline of Intellectual and Political Aristocracy Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index