Dante Alighieri, Vita Nuova [The New Life]

Dino Cervigni (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

History and Nature of Work

Completed around 1293-94, the Vita nuova (New Life) is the fruit of Dante’s poetic activity dating as far back as his eighteenth year of age (VN 3.9). The work, in fact, seeks to foreground the youthful author’s position on poetics and conception of life vis-à-vis his predecessors and contemporaries. Called libello — a book or, rather, a little book — the Vita nuova is one of the first books in the Italian vernacular to be assembled by the author, even though no original has come down to us in manuscript form.

Completed around 1293-94, the

Vita nuova

(

New Life

) is the fruit of Dante’s poetic activity dating as far back as his eighteenth year of age (

VN

3.9). The work, in fact, seeks to foreground the youthful author’s position on poetics and…

4073 words

Citation: Cervigni, Dino. "Vita Nuova". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 November 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8640, accessed 29 March 2024.]

8640 Vita Nuova 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.