Metaphor in Dante

In the 16th century, when Dante's critical fortunes were at their lowest ebb, his use of metaphor was still considered remarkable enough to describe him as a "poeta metaforcissimo". David Gibbon's book, which takes its title from this epithet, seeks to account for the specifically Dantean nature of that genius which Aristotle said was the mark of those who used the metaphor well. Probing first the relationship between theory and practice, Gibbons offers a working definition of metaphor based on those available to the poet himself, and looks at Dante's earliest metaphorical efforts in his lyric poetry. The heart of this book is an analysis of the metaphor in the "Paradiso", by common consent the most metaphorical poetry Dante ever wrote.