Customer Reviews

The Monarchia Controversy: An Historical Study With Accompanying Translations of Dante Alighieri's Monarchia, Guido Vernani's Refutation of the "Monarchia" Composed by Dante, an

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Professor Cassell guides us on a fascinating tour of the intellectual and political context in which Dante wrote his Monarchia, thoroughly grounding the work for us. For example, until I read this book I had been inclined to the error of thinking that Dante had in some sense anticipated the United Nations and the modern American concept of separation of church and state. As usual, the truth is far more subtle, complex and interesting than one might imagine. I am in the process of writing my own poetic re-visitation of Dante's Commedia, see To Join the Lost, and I am grateful to Professor Cassell for the added dimensions and increased illumination he provides for my mental image of the great Florentine.

As a layperson, I am unqualified to comment on the quality of Professor Cassell's scholarship, except to say that I found the breadth and depth of his mastery of late medieval sources extremely impressive. But perhaps this is the kind of thing that scholars of the middle ages take for granted! I can say, however, that the book would have profited from a more careful editing, since typographical errors render some of the historical passages rather confusing (e.g., 1340 for 1140, etc.) Also, stylistically, the prose is somewhat pedestrian, and occasionally Professor Cassell assumes a greater knowledge of his subject texts on the part of his readers than may be warranted in a book addressed to a general audience. Finally, although it is unlikely that anybody sufficiently interested in this aspect of Dante's career to consider buying this book will be greatly deterred by the high cover price, readers may feel a bit let down when they discover that for $69.95 Professor Cassell's study, exclusive of notes and appended translations, works out to 65 cents a page. On the whole, those who are willing to make the investment will find it well rewarded.