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" Aspects of Orientalism in Dante "
Leila Anna Ouji
Pietropaolo, Domenico
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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803826
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| Doc. No
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TL48630
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| Call number
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1764222666; 3744117
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| Main Entry
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Bourhis, Celine V.
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| Title & Author
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Aspects of Orientalism in Dante\ Leila Anna OujiPietropaolo, Domenico
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| College
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University of Toronto (Canada)
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| Date
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2015
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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| field of study
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Italian Studies
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| student score
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2015
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| Page No
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197
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| Note
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Place of publication: United States, Ann Arbor; ISBN=978-1-339-36865-8
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| Abstract
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Dante Alighieri’s references to the Islamic world are analyzed in order to determine how he perceived the Muslim Other through his medieval Christian lens, and how this shaped both his religious conception of salvation, as well as his political dream for a universal monarchy. Edward Said’s Orientalism acts as a foundational theory guiding this study, in conjunction with Hans-Robert Jauss’ Reception Theory, serving to determine how Dante’s perception of the Islamic world was shaped through the subjective study of the Orient which preceded him, as well as his own politically and religiously divided milieu. While Dante’s depictions of the Islamic prophets, Mohammad and Ali, give the initial impression that the poet was vehemently anti-Islam, the analysis of his other references to the Muslims and later, to other non-Christians, reveal that his views on the Other are far more complex and not necessarily negative. Although Dante does denigrate those individuals whose actions initiated schism, the poet’s condemnation is not limited by religious or political ascriptions, nor does he condemn those who followed the teachings of schismatic leaders, marking him as a unique figure amongst many of his contemporaries. Dante’s views on the Crusades and the conflict between Church and State are also highlighted for the significant impact that these aspects had on Dante’s desire for a universal monarchy. Through his inclusion of many references—both subtle and overt—primarily to the Islamic world, while also to the Jews and other non-Christians, Dante raises complex questions about the possibility of salvation beyond Christianity and religious supersessionism, applying these questions to his political vision of a stable and united universal monarchy and the threat that otherness poses to this ideal.
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| Subject
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Medieval literature; Romance literature; Questions; Jews; Vision; Politics; Otherness
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| Descriptor
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Language, literature and linguistics;Dante Alighieri;Islam;Italy;Orientalism;Other
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| Added Entry
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Pietropaolo, Domenico
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Italian StudiesUniversity of Toronto (Canada)
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