The Library Annex

I am moved by the fear of infamy, and I am moved by the desire to give instruction which in very truth no other can give.

Like La Vita Nuova, Dante lectures on truths and illustrates arguments in their proof based on poems he composed.

Unlike La Vita Nuova, he focuses heavily on love of Philosophy rather than Beatrice.

I will not herein regurgitate the treatises’ points. If one desires to know Dante’s insights and lessons, I encourage them to read his work. However, I will describe the method by which he presents his discourse and my thoughts to that effect.

In the Convivio, Dante opens with a section outlining the necessity of his work, an apology for the methods by which he constructs his arguments and, perhaps most notably, his choice to compose his dissertation in the Italian vernacular rather than the “high” Latin. His conclusions in these points serve his analogy of a banquet to which he invites all to feast on the nourishment of knowledge. By beginning his work this way, he seats the student in a comfortable chair, turns their eyes and ears toward the subject of the lecture and blocks any distractions from their notice. He prepares the student for easy digestion and removes the possibility of skeptical glares at his food.

Dante follows this pattern throughout the treatises. He categorically splits his Odes and analyses into sections and subsections with diligent attention to each point building to his conclusions. Modern readers will surely find flawed premises based on medieval world understanding, but they will likewise find arguments and truths applicable to the modern day.

The reader may not find many new concepts but will appreciate the philosophical process and poetic mechanics which serve his conclusions. Dante leans heavily on ancient philosophers and theologians to defend his arguments but, as opposed to those philosophers, his craftsmanship as a poet helps to translate these concepts through literary analyses. By analyzing a literary work – an Ode – Dante can illustrate philosophical concepts and arguments via something concrete and constant to each student. Without the Odes, each student may apply these concepts to their various experiences and therefore fail to gain a more objective understanding of them.

Again, one could right there own dissertation on the arguments and ideas presented within the Convivio and many have. I do not choose to do so here. But having read The Divine Comedy before reading La Vita Nuova and the Convivio, I now wonder if I would have been better served reading these latter titles first. They can provide invaluable context to the ideas guiding Dante through his journey – and perhaps our own journeys as well.