Our honors poet, Dante Alighieri (1265--1321), is painted in black above. Interestingly, this was painted by another Dante, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828--1882). Rossetti was a master artist himself (both a painter and a poet) and had actually been named after Dante Alighieri. Rossetti translated La Vita Nuova and painted this fine piece by inspiration: "Dante's Dream at the Time of Beatrice's Death."

The introduction cuts off, but that is fine; it covers what we need with what is provided.

Notes

They met when he was nine years old and she eight.
She "salutes" him (talks briefly, perhaps) when he is eighteen.
They do not marry (the families directed these affairs). Dante's family promised him in marriage to Gemma Donati when he was twelve years old.
Beatrice dies in 1290, when Dante is twenty-five. He is heartbroken.
The years just before, during, and after Beatrice's death mark the season of writing for La Vita Nuova (1293).
It's possible that Beatrice was even a pseudonym for another person (such as Gemma).

Dante lived in turbulent times, where your political and religious affiliation greatly affected your fortune. At first, his political group (who resented too much power coming from Rome) did well, but by 1301, was out of favor, and Dante was forced into perpetual exile from his native city (Florence).
It was about this time (1300ish) that he probably began his greatest work The Divine Comedy.
Form: There are twenty-five sonnets, one ballata, and four canzone (learn more on forms here). An unfinished fifth canzone was abandoned at the news of Beatrice's death.

Reading Journal: Dante

Copy The First Line of the Poem (as a title)
Note the Page #
Provide three sentences of response to the poem. Here are things you could note:

Assignment

Humanities III, Freshman English