Abstract
Written commentary, images, and layout were the most common instructional forms embodied within manuscripts of the Divine Comedy. This paper focuses upon a less-frequently encountered pedagogical technique: "figured text." In certain manuscripts of the Divine Comedy, interpolated text not originating with Dante unexpectedly appears within Dante's verse and is laid out to create a unique design. This design (figured text) takes the form of verse-relevant puzzles and puns whose decoding demands mental effort, a visceral experience that aids memory retention of veiled teachings and influences a reader's reception and experience of the text. In Beinecke Library MS 428 the morphing of an image with such figured text annotates the poem's insistence upon contrapasso as a reflection of Divine Justice, provides a palliative to Dante's glaring departures from Christian dogma, and fosters a blueprint for meditative reading. In British Library Lansdowne MS 839 and Marciana MS It. IX, 276 (=6902) multifaceted textual puns and analogies illustrate the opening verse to Paradiso, embrace the reader within the structure of the poem and, through layout provide an emotional and intellectual pedagogical experience.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have