Dante and Byzantium.

9781935244028

Dante and Byzantium.

Karampetsos, E. D.

Somerset Hall Press

2009

177 pages

$19.95

Paperback

PQ4423

In the 13th century the Greek East and Latin West were still sibling cultures, and Byzantine icons and aesthetics dominated the art scene of Florence. Karampetsos (comparative literature, College of Southern Nevada), building on Dante's reference to the Pseudo-Dionysius in the Divine Comedy, contends that Dante's work contains evidence of the important role played by Byzantine art, aesthetics, and theology in his use of images. Karampetsos shows how the Pseudo-Dionysius's description of the anagogical reading of images deepens our understanding of Dante's use of the word as a means of better understanding his work.

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