(Don’t Panic!)
About the Blog:
The UR Dante blog is designed to be an interactive medium where you can post references to Dante or the Divine Comedy in the wider world. Scenes, characters, or ideas from Inferno, Purgatorio, or Paradiso appear throughout modern culture in various forms, such as paintings, sculpture, and film, just to name a few!
Once every two weeks you will be responsible for adding one post on something that you’ve seen that reminds you of Dante, a theme or character from a canto, or that somehow relates to what we’ve been learning in class. Entries should have a title, image or link to follow, and a short description explaining what you’ve discovered, why you chose it, and why it is relevant. This is your chance to comment, so take advantage of it! Example posts will be provided detailing what to (not) do. If you are having trouble finding appropriate information or links, you may use those provided on the right-hand side of the blog to get started. You will be graded using the same three-point scale as for the fact sheets.
Finally, if you ever have trouble with the blogger interface, or are unable to upload your post due to a technical error, email your text and image/link to BOTH your TA’s and to Prof. Stocchi-Perucchio. Nota Bene: “I forgot” (or its various other forms) is not a valid excuse.
Example Posts:
3 Points:
Title: Dante’s Inferno, the Video Game?
Link: Click here for a youtube video about the game. I also used this wikipedia article as a source.
Entry: A friend of mine mentioned the other day that there’s a video game about Dante’s Inferno, and that I should check it out since I was in the class. It turns out that it’s really fun to play! In the game, each circle of hell is assigned to a level, and the names of each level correspond to the overall “sin” discussed in the cantos describing the successive circles (in the game you have Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery). There are a lot of violent scenes, but according to the “Developer Diaries” released by the creators of the game, the disturbing and sometimes pornographic scenes were included for an artistic purpose, as well as for shock value. I’d recommend watching some of those clips (available on youtube) if you’re considering buying the game, since they explain the underlying ideas behind the creation of each level.
What’s really interesting, though, is the way the real story is used as a platform, nothing more. The “back-story” that is created for Dante has nothing to do with his actual life. The video game re-writes Dante’s biography in order to connect him with the Third Crusade, an event which took place nearly a hundred years before Dante’s birth! There are even some speculations that Dante is represented as a Templar, a nod to popular culture and conspiracy theory, not history. Although the game does use characters that appear in the original Inferno, it also draws heavily on other Classical traditions to turn the relationship between Beatrice and Dante into a more titillating love story. Dante’s weapons in the game include a cross, which is used to absolve certain characters. Far from Dante’s role in his own story, this is merely a way for the creators to exploit religious tradition and symbology.
As someone who generally enjoys video games, “Dante’s Inferno, the video game version” presents a conundrum for me. On the one hand, it exposes the public to the story through a new artistic venue--one which deeply appeals to sense and emotion, too. On the other, it indulges in several inaccuracies and manipulates the original version to fit its own needs in an almost cannibalistic fashion, which could lead to several misconceptions about Dante and the Divine Comedy as a whole. I guess the real question is which is more important: exposure or accuracy? I’m not sure I have an answer yet.
Comments: This entry is generally well-written and complete. Moreover, it goes above and beyond the call of duty, providing several examples to prove the author’s point, as well as several links for the reader to follow to get more information. It cites its sources, something which is important for academic honesty and to guard against accusations of plagiarism. The author not only links the video game back to what was being discussed in class, but includes his/her own personal opinions and reactions. The final paragraph leaves room for others to comment. Note: An interesting follow-up that another student could write would be a comparison of how Dante uses violence vs. how the video game creators use it to tell a story, communicate emotion, etc. Feel free to consider this for your own posts, as well.
2 Points:
Title: Dante’s Inferno, the Video Game?
Link: Click here for a youtube video about the game.
Entry: A friend of mine mentioned the other day that there’s a video game about Dante’s Inferno, and that I should check it out since I was in the class. It turns out it’s really fun to play! In the game, each circle of hell is assigned to a level, and the names of each level correspond to the overall “sin” discussed in the cantos describing the successive circles. There are a lot of violent scenes, but according to the game’s creators, these were included for an artistic purpose.
What’s really interesting, though, is the way the real story is used as a platform, nothing more. The “back-story” that is created for Dante has nothing to do with his actual life. Although the game does use characters that appear in the original Inferno, it also draws heavily on other Classical traditions to turn the relationship between Beatrice and Dante into a more titillating love story. Furthermore, Dante’s weapons in the game include a cross, which is used to absolve certain characters. Far from Dante’s role in his own story, this is merely a way for the creators to exploit religious tradition and symbology. It’s interesting to see yet another example of how far popular media is from real life.
Comments: The entry is generally well-written and complete, although it lacks the extra effort of the 3-point post. It fulfills the main requirements that we ask for, but doesn’t add anything extra. It doesn’t cite all the sources used, which could potentially be seen as plagiarism. The author also doesn’t really includes his/her own personal opinions and reactions to the video game. Overall, the post is good, but leaves some room for improvement.
1 Point:
Title: Dante’s Inferno, the Video Game?
Entry: A friend of mine mentioned the other day that there’s a video game about Dante’s Inferno, and that I shuld check it out since I was in the class. It turns out the game is rly fun to play! There’s a lot of violent seens and Dante goes into Hell to save Beatrice. It’s rly cool that Dante’s made it all the way to modern-day video games.
Comments: While this entry shows enthusiasm for the topic, it doesn’t really contain information about why the video game is interesting from an academic perspective. The author also forgot to post a link to media connected to the game. There are some typos, indicating the author didn’t read through the entry and spell-check before posting. The abbreviations used are ok for note-taking, but not for an assignment you’re turning in for a grade. This reads much more like a facebook post than a blog entry for class. Make sure you are professional and follow the guidelines provided when you write your entries in order to get the maximum number of points. Remember too that the blog is public, and is a reflection on your work that can be seen by the wider academic community.
0 Points:
We’ll award 0 points to anyone who does not complete a blog entry by the assigned due date, barring extraneous circumstances.
A Note on Content:
The UR Dante blog is public, and is a reflection on the University, the class, its professor, and its authors. We expect that links and posts will be appropriate to an academic setting, and that our authors will treat this forum in a professional manor. Any post that is deemed inappropriate in content will be removed, and further action will taken if necessary. If you have any questions or concerns about the content of a post, feel free to email your TA’s or Prof. Stocchi-Perucchio, and we will be happy to advise you.
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