The International Academy of Italian Culture is pleased to present the online course on Dante Alighieri's Inferno from the Divine Comedy held by Professor Tommaso Todesca.
This online course by ten lessons offers a critical reading of selected cantos from Dante's Inferno, the first part of the three-part epic poem “The Divine Comedy”. In discussing Dante's poem in relation to its biblical and classical archetypes, we will also seek to view the protagonist's journey as a life-affirming experience from which we can all benefit today.
Together with the songs, we will explore Dante's previous works, sources of biographical information and of the Poet's revolutionary poetic technique; the influences of Dante; and what we, as modern readers, can gain from a thorough understanding and appreciation of this work of indisputable genius.
Details on the online course
Course start: 23 April 2022
Duration: 10 weeks (1 lesson per week)
Day of the lesson: Saturday from 19pm to 00pm (Western European time zone).
3:00 PM: Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Lima
1:00 PM New York
10:00 AM Los Angeles
Readings:
- Dante and the Divine Comedy: introduction
- Canto I: in the middle of the journey of our life
- Canto II: the three celestial ladies
- Canto III: The Ante-Inferno
- Canto V: Paolo and Francesca
- Canto VIII: anger and righteous anger
- Canto IX: access to the city of Dis
- Canto XII: the river of blood
- Canto XIV: violence against God
- Canto XV: Brunetto Latini
The online course will be held by prof. Tommaso Todesca
Thomas Todesca so they say: “After graduating in law, I left Italy in 2000 to go to work in London. I have since entered the financial sector, working for an international bank that took me to Los Angeles in 2010, where I still live and work.
In recent years I have been working on a graphic novel entitled "Science and Faith", published in Italy by NPE in April 2022, a project that combines my love for the visual arts and the Divine Comedy. My passion for classical literature, and above all for Dante, has only increased over time, and also serves as an anchor that keeps me tied to my cultural roots. "
How beautiful! 😍