Religious Texts that Shape Literature:  An In-Depth Look at Dante and Milton and how Religion Shapes Literature

Emily Benda

Background

Over the past four years I have taken a large variety of literature classes.  And, in almost all of these classes the names of two texts have come up:  Dante’s The Divine Comedy (mostly Inferno) and Milton’s Paradise Lost.  Every time the names of one of these text come up people in class nod their head and comment about how whatever it is we are reading relates to these text.  And I look down at my notebook, pretending to make notes, when in reality I have no idea what they are talking about as I have never sat down and read those two texts.  Lately, however, I have been wondering, if so many texts can be related back to one—or both—of these two books, why they aren’t taught as a course at the university, and a mandatory one at that.  Because, if these two texts are that important, shouldn’t we all have to study them to some extent in our college lives in order to fully understand the texts we are required to read?

Additionally, the thought of religion plays very big into much of the literature we study as English majors.  I can’t help but wonder how important a background in religion is when it comes to truly understanding many of the poems, short stories, plays, and novels we study.  As someone with very little knowledge about religion, I feel it is important of me to take the time to really grasp both Milton and Dante’s ideas and beliefs in order to gain a better understanding of much of the literature I have read.

Current Project

My project currently consists of two parts.  The first part is reading Dante’s The Divine Comedy and when I finish with that I plan on reading Milton’s Paradise Lost.  Along with these I am going to read various articles about them to help me understand both their meaning and messages as well as their significance to the world of literature.  The second part is getting a basic background in religion to help me better understand these two texts, and the importance religion has on literature and vise versa.

My Plan

This semester my first step is to finish these two books.  I also want to study articles about these texts as well as about the importance religion has on literature.  After completing that I want to look back on literature classes I have taken, and talk to the professors who taught these classes, and try to get a grasp on the seemingly severe importance these two texts, and religious ideas in general, have on English Literature.  The final part to my project would be to create a mock essay/letter to the administration revealing to them my findings on these two books and why I believe they should/should not be made mandatory reading for all Literature majors.

Ideas for Presentation

For presenting my findings, I will create a mock essay of 15 or so pages for the administration (to be handed out the class and summarized in a PowerPoint presentation) where I will argue either for or against making these text mandatory reading for Literature majors.  This will include class listings and text that discuss or relate to one of the two books, opinions from professors, and my personal thoughts on the books and their importance or lack thereof.

Current Bibliography

Primary texts:

Dante’s Divine Comedy

Milton’s Paradise Lost