Dante Without Footnotes

Why Dante is for Everyone
A lecture by
Ron Herzman, SUNY Geneseo
Why does Dante still speak to us with great urgency and power, and how is it that he remains accessible despite the seemingly-vast distance in time and culture between his world and ours?
Ron Herzman is Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus at SUNY Geneseo and serves as the Director of Education and Outreach for the Dante Society of America. He has taught Dante at Geneseo, at Georgetown, and at Attica Correctional Facility, as well as directing fifteen Summer Seminars for School Teachers on Dante for the National Endowment for the Humanities. He has written extensively on Dante, and is currently working on a book on Dante's relationship to the visual arts. He was the co-recipient of the first CARA Award for Excellence in Teaching Medieval Studies from the Medieval Academy of America.
Organized by Prof. Alison Cornish, "Dante and..." is a series of lectures that focus on Dante's relevance in today's world. These lectures feature scholars and experts from many different fields of interest, invited to present their unique readings of the poet's works.
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
New York University
February 27, 2019

[@gabriellebaalke6704]

I'm only just entering the World of Dante, late in life (I'm 48....beyond halfway if we're looking at biblical numbers) but this is just fantastic! Ron is enthusiastic, unpretentious, and so inviting of those of us who feel daunted by Dante. Hearing this is like being a part of a wonderful community. Thanks!

[@michaeldolmer4908]

Late in life...I'm 60...You are one lucky kid 🙂

[@jimc2676]

Over 12 minutes in and the speaker has not yet started

[@gregnaimo8123]

It's a long time since you gave this Ron but I very much enjoyed it. From an Italian family background and as a pure amateur (or rookie as you would say) It's easy to become obsessed with Dante. The one thing you did not dwell on tho was the amazing beauty of the language used. The tradesmanship /craftsmanship never ceases to amaze and pleasure me. You touched on so many things that one should/could say to a newcomer to the work.

[@rickloan8251]

I'm good with Professor Herzman. He's a sincere Dante lover willing to share Dante with anyone and everyone. Did I miss something with Professor Cornish? I'm a 64 year old man who dared to read The Divine Comedy. It was quite intimidating to even attempt it. I'm not an idiot. I was a Chemistry Major at Texas A&M making the Dean's List. Chemistry and Math is how my brain works. I struggle reading poetry. Should I just not even try it because I need footnotes and OH MY GOD endnotes? I'm just beginning Paradise translated by Anthony Esolen. I'm also taking the free Hillsdale College On-Line class. There's no way I would have ever gotten this far without footnotes, endnotes, google, and Professor Smith at Hillsdale College. I would have walked out of Professor Cornish's class the very first day. She is exactly why I did not even try literature for many years. I'm very appreciative of the Professor Herzman's and Professor Smith's of the world.

[@shelbyhosey8675]

Only this way tells

[@morganmayfair4755]

I had an interesting insight but I won’t share it here as I find the political jabs offensive.