Late Medieval Love Lyric

Reading: Dante, Vita Nova (Dante.pdf) Ch 1,2,5,7 (pp 3-8, 11-15, 16-18) .

Writing: Respond to ONE of the following prompts. Keep your response short, posting as a reply under the appropriate heading in the comments section:

1. Dante often speaks of love in high-flown terms. Cite a phrase where he references philosophy or astronomy or divinity and note whether this happens in a verse or prose passage.
2. Conversely, Dante occasionally speaks of love in a low or jocular tone. Cite a phrase where he does this and note whether this happens in a verse or prose passage.
3. Dante embeds his love poems in a kind of autobiography. Cite a biographical phrase and note its focus: deeds, mistakes, personal growth, or something else.
4. There are a host of lovely phrases in this reading. Cite a short passage and comment on what makes it beautiful.