October 19, 2021 at 1 PM PST. Zoom Webinar, in English. REGISTER HERE. Dante’s American fame has grown unabated since his arrival in the 19th century. The poet’s presence has been felt in books, music, and classrooms, on canvases, pedestals, and stages, and, increasingly of late, on movie, television, and gaming screens.

This Dantemania largely owes to how his Divine Comedy - Hell above all - holds a mirror to American life and culture. In it, the nation sees reflected some of its worst failings but also glimmers of beauty and hope. Presented as part of the 21st Annual Week of Italian Language in the World, this webinar by prof. Guy P. Raffa (University of Texas at Austin) looks at how the ethical authority and erotic charge of Dante’s poem have influenced and become part of the American popular imagination.