Dante's Griffin and the History of the World: A Study of the Earthly Paradise (Purgatorio, Cantos XXIX-XXXIII)

By Peter Armour

The griffin from Dante's mountain of Purgatory, able to make a tree bear leaves and flowers, has long been seen to represent Christ. Through an examination of medieval griffin-lore and of Dante's own poem, this provocative study shows that this explanation is untenable. Peter Armour explores both intellectual and political concerns, and the imaginative world of early 14th-century Italy--including such themes as theology, philosophy, jurisprudence, folklore and romance, and prophecy and millenarianism--to provide a new interpretation of Dante's griffin as a powerful symbol central to the poet's presentation of the earthly Paradise and to humankind's lost ideal of collective happiness on earth.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198158165
• ISBN13: 9780198158165
• Release Date: September 1989
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.8"