Lecture Notes: The Canon, The Classics, Homer, and Dante (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from The Canon, Homeric epic literature, and Dante’s Divine Comedy as discussed in the lecture notes.

A measure meaning an extent, amount, or intensity considerably above the normal or average.

Great

Literary Canon

A body of literature accepted as authentic, assumed to be good, and worth preserving and passing on to future generations.

Classic

A term for a whole canon (as in 'the Classics') or a work of high praise; top of the canonical hierarchy with value for culture.

Masterpiece

A work of outstanding artistry or skill; exceptionally well done.

Bestseller

A book that sells in large numbers.

Homer

Ancient Greek poet credited with authoring The Iliad and The Odyssey; a pivotal early figure of Greek literature.

Iliad

Epic poem by Homer about part of the Trojan War.

Odyssey

Homer’s epic of Odysseus’s ten-year journey home after the Trojan War.

Smyrna

Coastal city in the Ionian region of Asia Minor; one proposed birthplace of Homer.

Ionian region

Coastal area in Asia Minor (modern western Turkey).

Asia Minor

Historical region that largely corresponds to modern-day Turkey.

Chios

An Aegean island, one possible birthplace of Homer.

Ios

Cycladic island where Homer is said to have died.

Ionic Greek

Ancient Greek dialect used in epic poetry; basis for Epic Greek.

Aeolic Greek

Another ancient Greek dialect contributing to Homer's language.

Homeros

'Hostage' or 'he who is forced to follow' (also interpreted as 'blind').

Sirens

Mythical temptress figures whose songs lure sailors; in The Odyssey, Odysseus must resist them.

Scylla

Sea monster in the Straits of Messina that Odysseus must pass.

Charybdis

Whirlpool sea monster opposite Scylla in the straits.

Polyphemos

Cyclops; son of Poseidon encountered by Odysseus.

Odysseus

Hero of The Odyssey; famed for cleverness and strategic thinking.

Kalypso

Calypso, the nymph who detains Odysseus on Ogygia.

Helios

Sun god; linked to the episode of cattle punishment in Odyssey.

Ulysses

Roman name for Odysseus.

Ilion

Ancient name for Troy.

Stockholm syndrome

Captive’s developing positive bond with their captor; referenced with Kalypso.

Sirens (temptation)

Tempting beings representing danger of yielding to temptation; best avoided.

Virgil

Roman poet who guides Dante through Hell in The Divine Comedy.

Pilgrim

Dante’s alter ego in The Divine Comedy; the traveling protagonist.

Inferno

First cantica of The Divine Comedy; Hell, with 34 cantos.

Purgatorio

Second cantica; Purgatory, with 33 cantos.

Paradiso

Third cantica; Paradise, with 33 cantos.

Cantos

Chapters or sections within each cantica of The Divine Comedy.

Canticas

The three major divisions of The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso.

Terza rima

Italian verse form using interlocking tercets (ABA, BCB, CDC, etc.) with 11-syllable lines.

Three canticas

The three sections of The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso.

Nine circles / Seven terraces / Nine spheres

Structural organization: Hell has 9 circles, Purgatory 7 terraces, Paradise 9 spheres.

Aeneid

Virgil’s epic referenced in Dante’s work; used to provide literary subtext.

Gustave Doré

Artist who produced illustration for The Divine Comedy.

La Divina Commedia / Divine Comedy

Dante’s long narrative poem detailing Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.

Dante Alighieri

Florentine poet and politician, father of the Italian language; author of The Divine Comedy.

La Commedia

Original Italian title for The Divine Comedy.

Beatrice Portinari

Dante’s muse and symbol of divine love in The Divine Comedy.

Vita Nuova

Dante’s early work (The New Life) preceding The Divine Comedy.

Virgilio / Virgilian subtext

Reference to Virgil’s Aeneid used as literary subtext in Dante’s journey.

Terza rima (summary)

Rhyme scheme linking tercets in a chain throughout The Divine Comedy.

Avenue to Heaven (Beatific Vision)

In Dante, the final direct vision of God after purification.

Allegory

A representation of abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete forms; extended metaphor with a double meaning.