Dante’s Paradiso is the least studied and the least understood of the three parts of the Commedia. Yet it is arguably the most important for the dynamism and originality of the literary, theological, and philosophical inquiries that take place there. It is also a singularly important interpretive guide for a full understanding of the entire Commedia. It is a poem that asks to be tackled by a community of engaged readers: here it’s your opportunity! This year-long series of webinar workshops led by world-renowned scholars will take you on a deep reading of the Paradiso and an unforgettable journey to the heart of Dante’s universe. This virtual series will reward both first-time and expert readers of the Commedia with an opportunity to delve deep into one of the most complex and daring speculative poems ever written. We’ll be meeting online almost every other week from October to May. See the Project Paradiso page for full schedule.

Elena Lombardi is Professor of Italian Literature at Oxford, and the Paget Toynbee Fellow and Tutor in Medieval Studies at Balliol College. She is the author of five books: The Syntax of Desire. Language and Love in Augustine, the Modistae, Dante (Toronto UP, 2007), The Wings of the Doves. Love and Desire in Dante and Medieval Culture (McGill UP, 2012), Imagining the Woman Reader in the Age of Dante (Oxford UP, 2018), Beatrice e le altre. Dante e l’universo femminile (Roma-LaRepubblica, 2021), and Dante’s Ulisse and Other Stories (Forthcoming: 2023). She has written several articles on medieval and early modern topics and is one of the editors of the Oxford Handbook of Dante (Oxford UP, 2021).