First Advisor
Corinne Wieben
Second Advisor
Kristin Bovaird-Abbo
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Thesis
Date Created
5-4-2024
Abstract
Prior to The Divine Comedy (1308-1321), ideas about Purgatory were in the early stages of development. Purgatory had loose rituals surrounding its existence and it lacked depiction in written works. Yet in the following centuries, the fear of Purgatory and the practices of penance and indulgences reached a fever pitch, ultimately leading to the Protestant Reformation. Purgatory as a celestial location, and not just the “purgatorial fires” of the Bible, only began to develop in the twelfth century, but its fearful description and imagery in The Divine Comedy not only solidified previously nebulous understandings of Purgatory, but also increased anxiety about the afterlife among medieval Christians. Because of this level of influence, this thesis argues that The Divine Comedy transcends its typical literary classification as an epic poem and is, instead, a work of medieval Christian mythology. Shifts in Christian ideology and rituals in the centuries following its publication suggest that the Comedy established new ideas about Purgatory that were accepted by the Church, illustrating the Comedy’s reflection of its culture’s values and its reinforcement of those values through the prescription of ritual–two important markers of a mythological work. This thesis examines ecclesiastical documents from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries to place The Divine Comedy within its historical context and assess the degree to which it reflects the medieval Christian culture in which it developed, contributes original images and ideology to its mythological canon, reinforces cultural values through the prescription of ritual, and transcends popular culture.
Abstract Format
html
Disciplines
Catholic Studies | Christianity | Cultural History | European History | History of Christianity | History of Religion | Intellectual History | Italian Literature | Medieval History | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
Keywords
Dante; Purgatory; Medieval; Divine; Comedy; Mythology; Christianity; Italy; Rome; Church; Catholic; Intellectual
Language
English
Extent
76 pages
Rights Statement
Copyright is held by the author
Recommended Citation
Alexander, Jamie, "The Divine Comedy: A Work of Medieval Mythology" (2024). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 103.
https://digscholarship.unco.edu/honors/103
Included in
Catholic Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, Cultural History Commons, European History Commons, History of Christianity Commons, History of Religion Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Italian Literature Commons, Medieval History Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons