PREFACE Dante-scholars are agreed that, as an introduction to the Divina Commedia, the study of the Vita Nuova is of supreme importance; but their interpretations show wide divergence. In the present edition,-believed to be the first published in America in the original text with annotations,-questions concerning the purpose of the book, its possible hidden meaning, and its relation to Dante's other works, are touched upon; but the editor has not attempted to present all the arguments on disputed points. In giving his own conclusions, sometimes dogmatically, sometimes tentatively, he emphasizes the autobiographical character of the Vita Nuova,—that is to say, its literal meaning. Whether or not there is symbolism and allegory in addition to the obvious idealization, to proceed to the hidden meaning without first comprehending the literal meaning would be, as Dante declares in the Convivio, irrational. The Notes are necessarily voluminous, since the text needs considerable elucidation for modern readers; but the Vocabulary, in the preparation of which valuable assistance was given by Aimée L. McKenzie, usually obviates the necessity for translation in the Notes. Sincere thanks are due to Dr. Alexander Green for the great care with which he has seen the book through the press. By the generous permission of the Società Dantesca Italiana, the text here used is that of Barbi, as contained in Le Opere di Dante, testo critico della Società Dantesca Italiana, Firenze, Bemporad, 1921. This text, since its first publication in 1907, has been generally accepted as the standard; hence it would be superfluous to give variants from other editions, unless to illustrate some problem of interpretation. Passages from Dante's other works are quoted from the same edition. In a few cases the punctuation has been modified, and each verse of poetry is begun with a capital letter; otherwise the orthography, even when inconsistent, is scrupulously respected. The editor takes pleasure in acknowledging his indebtedness to the works mentioned in the Bibliography, and hopes that this general statement will seem sufficient where no specific reference is made. Constant use has been made of the editions of D'Ancona, Melodia, Flamini and Scherillo; of the annotated translations by Norton and Cochin; and of Sheldon's Concordanza. The purpose has been to present to English-speaking students the important results of previous study, with indications to enable those who so desire to investigate further the problems of the Vita Nuova. Florence, 14 September 1921 The 600th Anniversary of Dante's Death K. McK. |