Dante's Christian Astrology. Middle Ages Series -

Sehr guter Zustand / very good condition - Preface -- In this study I seek to establish that Dante filled the planetary heavens of his Paradiso with allusions to astrology. As far as I know, this is the first systematic attempt to identify astrological allusions in the Commedih. A novel proposal such as this is only likely to find general acceptance if it is based on a mass of evidence that can be readily followed by a nonspecialist. Consequently I have concentrated on only one isolated type of astrological evidence, namely the properties of planets, because above all I wish to convince the reader that Dante did make use of astrology. By linking Dante and astrology, then, the title of this book - Dante�s Christian Astrology - conveys the main thrust of the study; moreover, by adding the qualification �Christian,� it emphasizes Dante�s departures from traditional astrology, which will gradually become apparent in the course of the book. An alternate tide, which describes this monograph with cumbersome precision, would be �Dante�s use of the astrological properties of planets in Paradiso 1 - 22.� -- In terms of literary theory, this is an old-fashioned book that relies on comparison of texts, which is a conventional method of traditional philological and historical criticism. I have assumed that my reader is already familiar with Dante and his work but not with astrology. I have not, however, attempted to sketch either the history or the technique of medieval astrology, since excellent accounts of each are now available: S. J. Tester, A History of Western Astrology ( Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press, 1987 ) and J. D. North, Chaucer�s Universe ( New York: Oxford University Press, 1988 ) . Since both my sources and their authors are not well known, I have described them at length in a biobibliographical appendix. Because this smdy relies on astrological sources that are difficult of access, I have quoted the texts extensively in the notes. In the text itself I have tried to ease the reader�s way by providing an English translation or paraphrase of passages in Latin or Italian. For the Commedia, I have used Charles Singleton�s prose translation, The Divine Comedy ( Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1970 - 1975 ) but have occasionally altered it when greater precision was desirable. ISBN 9780812232332