Dante Alighieri is one of the greatest poets in world history. His brilliant epic, ''The Divine Comedy'', an imagined journey through Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, continues to captivate readers. ''Critical Companion to Dante'' provides a reliable, up-to-date, and encyclopedic source of information on Dante's life and work for high school and college-level students, teachers, libraries, and the general public. This new title covers Dante's entire canon, including his beautiful love poems in ''La Vita Nuova'', his philosophical works, and much more. With a strong emphasis on ''The Divine Comedy'' - one of the finest literary works ever produced - this comprehensive resource also includes detailed entries on important references, influences, historical events, places, and much more, all providing essential background for the study of this master poet.Coverage of this title includes: a concise but thorough biography of Dante; synopses and critical assessments of Dante's work, including extensive coverage of the three parts of ''The Divine Comedy''; descriptions of Dante's characters, such as Paolo and Francesca, Virgil, and more; related people, places, and topics, including friends and literary influences, historical events that shaped Dante's work, themes and symbols, and more; and, appendixes, including a chronology, a bibliography of Dante's works, and a secondary source bibliography.