Almost every thought, almost every sentence in what follows was born in conversation with my wife, my teachers, my friends, or my students. I read each one of the chapters below to little groups of students or friends in my home, over wine and cheese and bread, and the remarks made in the conversations that followed found their way into this book. For this reason I am deeply grateful to my present and past students (who are now my friends), especially Cody Lee, Trevor Lontine, Claire D’Agostino, Hannah Gleason, Jacob Terneus, Joe and Rachel Turner, Scott Sargeant, Isaac Owen, and my fellow dantista Carolyn De Salvo. I am grateful to my South Bend friends (Kirk, Maggie, Steve, and Sue) who were my very first audience, anesthetized by Rioja. Heartfelt gratitude goes out to my advisors and professors at Notre Dame, especially Ted Cachey, Christian Moeves, Zyg Baranski, Stephen Gersh, Ann Astell, and especially Vittorio Montemaggi, who more than anyone else taught me what it means to study Dante. My friend Colum Dever invited me to Duke, where I gave two lectures that serve as the basis for two of the chapters below. Another friend from Notre Dame, Tommy Clemmons, was the inspiration to ask Baker Academic if they would publish this book. Over a beautiful summer in Ischia and in the Pincio of the Villa Borghese, my friends James and Judiann listened to revision after revision and provided me with poignant suggestions for improvement. I would like to thank my parents, Bob and Pauletta, and my brother, Josh, for their support, which goes deeper than I can identify. And, finally, to my best friend, my most challenging interlocutor, most fastidious editor, and source of encouragement and inspiration, Jodi. We made it. This book is dedicated to you.