Dante’s 'la bella figlia' as Circe: a Boethian echo in Buti’s unpublished gloss on 'Paradiso' XXVII, 137

Tardelli Terry, C. (2018) Dante’s 'la bella figlia' as Circe: a Boethian echo in Buti’s unpublished gloss on 'Paradiso' XXVII, 137. Italian Studies, 73 (1). pp. 22-34. ISSN 1748-6181 doi: 10.1080/00751634.2018.1402541

Abstract/Summary

This article has four main aims. First, it confirms that Francesco da Buti’s commentary, the most extensive as well as one of the more important vernacular exegetical works on Dante’s poem, circulated in two authorial redactions, released in 1394 and 1396 respectively. Second, it focuses on the interpretation of Paradiso XXVII, 136–38, one of the most debated passages in the entire poem, as it appears in Buti’s 1396 revised gloss, so far only accessible in manuscript form. Third, it provides a case study of the relationship between Dante’s early readers and Boethian material on Circe. In addressing these topics, the paper pinpoints the complexity of uncovering sources within the tradition of Dante commentary, given the extent of compilation, and the dangers of viewing similarity in expository technique as evidence of borrowing. Finally, it shows the importance of studies of the manuscript tradition and of work on critical editions of Dante commentaries.