Review of Simone Marchesi, Roberto Abbiati, A proposito di Dante. Cento passi nella Commedia con disegni. Rovereto (Tn): Keller editori, 2020. (original) (raw)

2022, Annali d'Italianistica

The focus of this inquiry is on "the years of the hermeneutical turn" (3), that is from the middle of the nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries. During this time, Dante's works were interpreted, studied, and edited by specific British readers, in an increasingly detailed and often positivist manner. The first chapter, "Reading Gladstone reading Dante" (14-58), begins with a useful if hasty discussion of Dantean editions and commentaries and of earlier British readers of Dante. William Gladstone represents a liminal case in Coluzzi's delineation of a change over time from the older habit of elitist book collecting to newer, more accessible modes of engagement enabled by transformations in the book and publishing industry. As we learn, Gladstone had an extensive and expensive library, but he did in fact read the books he owned. It would be helpful to hear more about the selection of materials here; while Gladstone's Dante collection is noted to comprise eighty-two books, the analysis of marginalia in his personal copies mainly concerns three specific editions of Dante's works. A convincing case is made for Gladstone's methodical, reflective reading of Dante, from 1834 until his death. That said, one wonders about the tangible fruits of this reading, given that his culminating contribution to the burgeoning field of British Dante Studies was the essay/lecture "Did Dante study at Oxford?," published in Nineteenth Century Review (June 1892): 1032-42. Coluzzi writes that "The piece was the public sublimation of Gladstone's lungo studio of Dante" (53), but it is difficult not to feel that this choice of topic represents a bathetic conclusion to a diligent, decades-long Dantean reading programme. The second chapter, "Ephemeral Dante" (59-90), focuses on evidence of Matthew Arnold's engagement with Dante, from his private notebooks and diaries to public lectures, articles, and essays. Arnold's interest in Dante follows a similar trajectory to that of Gladstone, from private study of primary texts in Italian and in translation to broader consultation of secondary criticism. The poet's professorial lectures on Dante to university students are situated, on the one hand, as building on an earlier tradition of public lectures on Dante given by German and British Romantics and by Italians in exile and, on the other hand, as anticipating the institutionalization of Dante teaching in the UK and Ireland. An outline is also provided of the history of the first translations of the Vita nuova Italian Bookshelf 415 into English, since Arnold's lecture on "Dante and Beatrice," published in Fraser's Magazine (May 1863): 665-69, consists of a critique of Theodore Martin's allegedly romanticized translation of Dante's prosimetrum. The third chapter, "The critic and the scholar" (91-122), turns to Christina and Maria Francesca Rossetti. It begins by reviewing the contribution of specific historical women to Dante studies and regretting the way in which the contribution of these individuals has often been overlooked or underappreciated. Against this backdrop, Coluzzi argues for the recognition of the scholarly worth and popularity of Maria Francesca Rossetti's study A Shadow of Dante (London: Rivington's, 1871), highlighting its multiple editions, circulation through lending libraries, and positive reviews from contemporary Dante scholars. In this way, the author defends the value and interest of "popular dantismo" (99). Side-stepping Christina Rossetti's Dantean-inspired poetry, the focus is on the poet's articles on Dante, supported by discussion of her intimate reading of Dante, her engagement with the question of how best to translate Dante, and her attendance at lectures on Dante at University College London. Coluzzi presents both sisters as casting off the shadow of their familial Dantean inheritance and achieving "intellectual independence and public accomplishment" (93) as writers on Dante, thereby paving the way for "the generation of Anglo-American women dantiste that would follow" (111). The fourth chapter, "'Everyman's Dante'" (123-55), presents Philip H. Wicksteed, whose life and work is argued to comprise four sequential but connected "hermeneutic roles" (151): Unitarian preacher, Extension lecturer, translator, and scholar. Dante is central throughout, from earlier sermons and lectures to later translations, editions, monographs, book reviews, and articles. Coluzzi particularly emphasizes Wicksteed's contribution to the public dissemination of Dante through his involvement in the University Extension Movement, which took lecturers around the country to mixed gender, middle-and working-class adult audiences. Fascinating evidence is brought forward of his work as Dante lecturer in this context, including reading lists, syllabi, and essay questions. The final chapter on "Academic networks" (156-99) discusses the institutionalization and "increasing specialisation" (156) of British Dante studies through the work of key individuals engaged in scholarly and editorial projects, in particular Henry Clark Barlow (benefactor of the Barlow lecture series on Dante and the Dante Collection at University College London) and Edward Moore (holder of the Barlow lectureship and founding president of the Oxford Dante Society). Coluzzi stresses that such individuals were part of transnational networks which included inspiration derived from the German Dante scholar Karl Witte, participation in the 1865 centenary festivities in Italy, and correspondence with counterparts in America. The origins of British Dante societies are charted in Oxford (1876), London (1898), and Manchester (1906), with a review of the foundations, aims, membership, and outputs of each society. Although most of the writing is assured and accurate, quite a few typographical and syntactical issues and Italianisms remain. More explicit and detailed discussion of the titular terms of debate, namely "influence" and the proposed "rethinking" of "reception," would also be desirable. Notwithstanding, this book is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the history of anglophone Dante studies. It is also convincing in its call for an expanded investigation into the commentary tradition on Dante, and impressive in the wide range of archival materials it unearths. Finally, it is inspiring in the increasingly inclusive vision of Dante studies which it puts forward, since at its heart lies "the overcoming of the ideological opposition between academic specialisation and popularisation of knowledge" (98-99). As the Conclusion explains, "amateur dantofilia" and "scholarly dantismo" ought to be viewed as complementary rather than opposed (201-02). In sum, then, this substantial and meticulously researched book sheds new light on the material evidence of the engagement of Victorian readers with Dante, while also offering us an inspiring model for Dante studies today and in the future.