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Peter Critchley

Dante Update


Dore, The souls of the just circling to form letters


Update on my Dante book


‘Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables. Poets and philosophers are alike in being big with wonder.’


~St. Thomas Aquinas: Commentary, I Metaphysics, lect. 3.



Of course, St Thomas went on to write eight million words, then dismissed them as straw compared to the ultimate reality beyond reason. All the great rationalists are mystics. Or have a lot of time on their hands.


Keep calm, don’t panic, keep your head, take your bearings.

Then panic


I have two books of materials on Dante. I’ve just counted them up, having put them in order.

One is 2036 pages and 672,715 in length, the other 968 pages and 294,290 words.

That makes for a total of 3,004 pages and 967, 005.

I was really disappointed not to make the 1,000,000.

I’m sure I could add a bit more … In fact, I do have a folder of unplaced notes.


A nice and simple plan and structure is the only way forward from here.


Dante’s Sweet Symphony of Paradise

1 Thoughts on Dante 15 4767

2 Transcendent Standards 85 33957

100 38724


2 Why Study Dante Today 30 10881


3 Political Intent 12 4407


4 Background

Political Career and Exile 6 1963

Factionalism and Tottering Thrones 9 3312

15 5275


From Poetry to Philosophy 3 745

Influences 2 668

5 1413


Rational Freedom

Transcendent Standards 3 819

Rational Freedom 18 6848

Dante and Rational Freedom 16 6050

37 13717


Numbers 69 23141

Music 143 49952

Harmony and Political Order 46 15734

258 88827


Political Philosophy

The Public Intent of the Convivio 12 3018

6 1744

Politics and Ethics 13 4675

City and Civics 21 6756

The Convivio

The social philosophy of the Political Peace 12 4147

The True Definition of Nobility 19 6000

Dante and the Empire 45 16466

The enduring importance of Dante’s world government 10 3670

The Political Letters 10 3683

148 50159


Rhetoric

Dante and the Italian language 7 2162

Poetics 5 1444

Music and poetry - the ecology of the human heart 28 8791

39 12397


Comedy

The Comedy – the structure and the story 18 6747

The inner music of the Comedy – Dante’s Musical Model 31 9166

The Comedy 15 5457

64 21370


Inferno 105 31245


Purgatory 146 41285


Paradiso

Paradise 281 77300

Heartleap 64 19341

Poetic Invention 35 12246

380 108887


Dream of Rational Freedom

The Danteum 42 13500

The Physical and Moral Universe 50 17639

Creator God or Natural Creativity 55 19697

Forbidden Knowledge, the Secret, and the Sacred 45 14374

Transcendent Reason and Pragmatism 51 19310

Unity and Diversity 16 4501

The Politics of Love and Justice 32 11163

Alienation and Rationalisation 60 21604

From Corporeal Usury to Spiritual Usury 58 21707

Rational Freedom and Right Relations 47 17022

Transcendent Truth, Power, and Representation 28 10645

Climate accord 38 13989

Physics, Facts, and the Greatest Love of All 19 6879

540 192003


Walking and Talking with Dante – Dante Dialogues 158 52125


2036 672,715


Fragments

1 Introduction

Preface 4 1441

Exile and homecoming - Quest for Meaning, Calling back the Soul 14 4880

The Desire for Communion 19 6954

The Way of Love – Trinitarian Communion 11 2906

The Political - Holding justice in the heart 12 4208

Free necessity 13 4986

73 25375


2 From Theoretical to practical reason

The Dialectic of Heaven and Earth 6 1831


3 Why Read Dante Today 6 2105

4 Political intent 2 570


5 Florentine Background

1 Dante and his City 4 1280

2 Civics 10 3152

3 Politics and Exile 5 1572

19 6004


6 From Poetry to Philosophy

1 Dante as Poet Philosopher 6 1784

2 The philosophy of courtly love 4 1134

3 Boethius’ Lady Philosophy 14 4338

4 Vita Nove and Beatrice 9 2872

5 Lady Philosophy 8 2506

41 12636


7 Music and Numbers

The One and the Many 6 1791


8 Political Philosophy

1 Political Letters and Religious Radicalism 4 1167

2 The Civic Politics of Imperial Rule 9 2871

3a The Principles of the State 6 2030

3b Political Philosophy 23 7396

4a Convivio and Monarchia intro 7 2182

4b Il Convivio 22 9931

5a The Monarchia 21 7677

5b The Church and State as covenant and contract 13 4854

95 38108


9 Rhetoric - modes of persuasion

1 Rhetoric, Poetics, and Politics 32 9549

2 De Vulgari Eloquentia 18 5573

3 Tre Donne 5 1281

55 16403


10 The Comedy

Introduction to The Comedy 37 13576

Critique of the Church in the Comedy 14 5400

Commerce and communication money and language 15 5004

66 23980


11 Inferno 127 40452


12 Purgatorio 128 35659


13 Paradiso 308 77243


14 The Happy Ending that is Without End 36 12133


2036 672,715


968 294,290


Total

3004 pages 967,005 words



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