Did Dante with The Divine Comedy influence modern world?

T. S. Eliot observed that “Dante and Shakespeare divide the modern world between them; there is no third.” It's one of Eliot's better critical judgments, although I might be tempted to add Milton as a third. read more

Now, Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy did influence the modern world, but not in the ways people would probably think. It’s influence was not direct like, say, the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Rather, many of the ideas spouted by The Divine Comedy would influence most societies immensely. read more

Dante Alighieri and the Divine Comedy appear in many ads, as the book Dante & la pubblicità (of Delio De Martino, Levante editori, Bari, 2013) displays. From late 1800 until today many Italian and foreign campaigns have used Dante's figure and his works. read more

T. S. Eliot once said, “Dante and Shakespeare divide the modern world between them. There is no third.” But there was nothing about Dante Alighieri’s (1265–1321) early life or background to suggest greatness, certainly not that he would write one of the world’s most important literary works. read more