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Vita Nuova (1901)

by Dante Alighieri(Favorite Author)

3.85 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0199540659 (ISBN13: 9780199540655)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

review 1: This is a weird book of poetry that I read as part of my online class on the Inferno. The conceit here is that Dante presents the poems while simultaneously providing a "meta" narrative that explains when and why he wrote each poem, as well as descriptions about what each one means. This is supposedly a fairly break through brook, since it presents courtly love poems in the vernacular. I found everything in it sort of just odd, and Dante's descriptions formulaic and bit weird. However, I am glad that I now understand the history between him and Beatrice so that I can understand the Divine Comedy better!
review 2: The three-star rating is not because of the work itself but because of the translation. I don't speak any Italian but it seems as though, being a comp... moreosition of both prose and poetry, the Vita Nuova relied on its language to hold the initial interest of the reader. Nothing against Mark Musa, I'm sure he did the best one can with it. The genius of the Vita Nuova is much like the genius of the Divine Comedy in micro. It is a true "encyclopedia" (circle of knowledge) that joins all the medieval liberal arts in symmetry to form a human work of art. it can be read as an autobiography, a love story, a theological allegory, an ethical debate, a guide to provinçal poetic forms, and even more. Although it seems to me that to read it from any single stationary perspective would be to miss out on its encompassing and inclusive theme. My favorite thing about it was how the narrative works to make the reader experience the same retrospection that Dante does while writing it. To write about ones life one must look back to find its meanings and its structure. As the work progresses the reader is invited to look back on what we have already read to find new meanings and clarity. My final word on the Oxford World Classics Vita Nuova is this: translation has taken its toll on this work. It wasn't particularly enjoyable to read, but I'm glad I did. Like the Divine Comedy, it's genius either works for you out it doesn't. definitely not for everyone. less

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