Poetry of Light: Shaping the Divine Other in Dante’s Paradiso
Date of Award
Spring 2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Italian
First Advisor
Tylus, Jane
Abstract
This dissertation examines Dante Alighieri's Paradiso as a bold narrative quest to express the inexpressible — specifically, the otherness of the divine. Dante's narrative exposes the tension between the capabilities of human expression and the ineffability of God, reaching a zenith in the paradoxical depiction of luminosity. Drawing on the influence of Dionysian apophatic theology, the study analyzes Dante's use of light symbolism and poetic language as a vehicle for attempting to encapsulate that which is beyond mortal comprehension.Navigating the paradox between what can and cannot be articulated within the spectrum of divine light, Dante crafts a complex theological poem that reverberates with both Dionysian ineffability and the poet's own need and desire for expression. This study reveals Paradiso as a sublime effort to articulate what lies at the boundary of human cognition, reaching towards the divine while conceding the deep mystery that ultimately eclipses it. Beginning with Canto XXXIII, this study delves into Dante's "alta fantasia" as it faces the transcendent enigma, reflecting the poet's complex challenge in presenting divine truth within narrative and symbolic realms. The focus then shifts to Canto IV, examining Dante's turn to metaphorical language and imagery as a means of acknowledging this representational impasse. This study then examines Cantos I and XIII, engaging with the foundational elements that weave the poem’s intricate interplay of light, shadow, and metaphor. It concludes by revisiting Cantos XXVIII through XXXIII, traversing Dante's profound representations as he approaches and enters the Empyrean —a narrative progression in close pursuit of the divine. In its concluding argument, this dissertation proposes that the Commedia does not culminate in closure but unfolds into a profound hush, leading its audience into the vast and silent contemplation of the divine mystery, a realm where light gives way to darkness and silence becomes the final echo beyond words.
Recommended Citation
Rossi, Teresa, "Poetry of Light: Shaping the Divine Other in Dante’s Paradiso" (2024). Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations. 1443.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/gsas_dissertations/1443
