Abstract

In the centuries since its initial publication, Dante Alighieri’s poetic epic, the Divine Comedy, has undergone repeated cycles of adaptation by authors from around the world. As each writer takes up the mantle of adaptation, changes are imparted upon the original work, these being a product of the place, time, and cultural contexts in which the author finds themself. While the adaptive efforts of many Western authors (most hailing from Europe and North America) have been examined in countless iterations, subaltern works that reference Dante have not received equal critical treatment. Recent publications have begun to partially rectify this epistemological gap, focusing on the contributions of authors writing from traditionally marginalized regions of the world, including Latin America. This project focuses on two Chilean authors and their poetic adaptions of the semi-historical, semi-fictive character of Francesca da Rimini, a sinner punished alongside her extramarital lover within Dante’s circle of lust. Both “La Francesa” by Roberto Bolaño and “Ivresse” by Pablo Neruda reimagine Francesca and her narrative, processing the unique psychological and emotive aspects of her sin and situation to create distinct-yet-overlapping adaptations of the infernal episode. Through in-depth analysis of these texts and their contexts, insight may be provided into not only these authors’ understanding of Francesca but also the broader themes which underscore Latin American interpretations of Dante’s Inferno as a text of foreign and colonial origin, which has managed to become deeply rooted in that region’s cultural background.

Presentation Materials