Guest
This lecture deals with Dante’s encounter with the Roman poet Statius and his encounter, on the last terrace, that of the lustful, with his own poetic predecessors in the vernacular. The encounter with Statius is a dramatic and unexpected turn of events, because Statius, a Roman poet, was, in the story that Dante the poet invents, converted to Christianity. In telling the story of his conversion, Statius reveals that he became a Christian because of the influence of Virgil’s poetry. Because Statius does not know that he is in Virgil’s company when he tells his story, the moment when Virgil’s identity is revealed becomes especially poignant. Once again, the importance of poetry is made apparent. This homage to Virgil is also poignant because Virgil is about to be superceded by Beatrice as Dante’s guide. In the pilgrim’s encounter with his own poetic predecessors, we see that his debt to them is not unlike the debt of Statius to Virgil.
