Firmly grounded in the latest advances of Dante scholarship,
Understanding Dante offers an original and uniquely detailed, global
analysis of Dante as poet of the Comedy that will be welcomed by those
who read the poem in translation as well as by those who study the
original Italian text. At the same time, Scott's book will be welcome
for its rich and insightful analysis of the whole corpus of Dante's
writings, as well as Scott's mastery of the vast sea of critical
literature in various languages. Scott bridges the gap that often exists
between Dante studies in English-speaking countries and the great
tradition of Dante scholarship in the poet's homeland. No work in
English about the great Italian poet can rival Understanding Dante's
scope in both depth and breadth of close reading and critical vision.