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Abstract
Traditional interpretation of "Virgil as Reason" continues to influence understandings of Virgil's role in Dante's Commedia. This interpretation, grounded in personification allegory, is inadequate to describe Virgil's complex role in the poem and the theological investigation of salvation Dante undertakes through him. Although contemporary approaches have largely dismantled this allegorical view, an alternative interpretation has not yet emerged. I propose to show that Virgil-guide must be conceived within Christian typology and his character understood as prefiguring Dante's own identity as exile.
Chapter One provides an overview of recent approaches to Virgil in Dante scholarship, with an emphasis on typology as the most fruitful interpretive mode. I also examine the degree to which Dante rewrites the Aeneid and the intertextual relation between the two texts.
Chapter Two focuses on the allegorical medieval Virgil rejected by Dante in favor of a typological model. I consider Augustine's negative assessment, together with the moral-allegorical readings of Fulgentius and Bernard Silvestris.
Chapter Three details the historical circumstances of Dante's expulsion from Florence. Exile as political punishment was common in thirteenth century Italy, but I argue that Dante's response to his exile had a defining impact on his work.
Chapter Four explores specific passages in the Commedia that relate Virgil-guide to the theme of exile. In Inferno, Virgil is introduced as an exile from the Heavenly City; in canto 4 the focus turns to Dante's treatment of pagans forever banished from Christian salvation. In Purgatorio, the tension around Virgil's exclusion heightens as he leads the pilgrim closer to his spiritual home. Cantos 21-22 examine Statius' role as model reader and inspired "misreader" of Virgil. In Paradiso, after Virgil's departure from the narrative, he remains as a structural element and a textual presence. The cantos that prophesy Dante's exile from Florence (15-18) recall the tragedy of the Aeneid and its author. This recollection of Virgilian exile persists until the poem's ending.
The conclusion discusses a unique triple rhyme scheme in each canticle of the Commedia---Virgilio, essilio, concilio ---that reveals a preoccupation with Virgil and exile standing at the heart of Dante's poem.
