Readings on the Paradiso of Dante

What it is

This two-volume work by William Warren Vernon, published in 1900, offers guided readings on the Paradiso, the final part of Dante's Divine Comedy. It is chiefly based on the commentary of the medieval scholar Benvenuto da Imola and includes an introduction by the Bishop of Ripon.

Why it matters

This book shows how later readers, centuries after Dante wrote, relied on earlier medieval commentary to interpret his complex poetry, and how English scholars worked to bring Dante's ideas to new audiences.

Look closer

• Why might a reader need a guide to help them understand Dante's Paradiso rather than reading it alone?
• What does it suggest about Dante's writing that scholars still needed a medieval commentary centuries later?
• Who do you think this book was written for?