Year of Graduation
2022
Level of Access
Open Access Thesis
Embargo Period
5-19-2025
Department or Program
Romance Languages and Literatures
First Advisor
Arielle Saiber
Second Advisor
Elena Cueto Asín
Abstract
For such a Catholic country with deep political and cultural ties to Italy, the impact of Dante in early Spain turns out to have been, put simply, surprisingly limited. In the fifteenth century, the Commedia’s text was a source of inspiration for a small group of poets and the poem was employed as a political tool. However, this engagement reflected a shallow understanding and appreciation of the text. In the sixteenth century, the coinciding Inquisition and Golden Age in Spain limited interest and acceptance of the actual text, though the popularity of the Commedia’s themes can be seen through visual representations. Though Dante’s poem rippled through visual and textual production in fifteenth and sixteenth century Spain, this influence was superficial and principally confined to royal courts. After the sixteenth century, there is almost no evidence of Dante being read or reacted to in Spain until the late nineteenth century. This sparse reception seems to reflect a lack of interest in the poem on one hand, and an active suppression of Dante’s text on the other.