Perception and Passion in Dante's Comedy

A reading of the Comedy in the context of thirteenth-century psychology and philosophy.

Preface; Part I. Coming to Terms with Aristotle: 1. The prestige and unity of the Aristotelian corpus; 2. Movement and change in lifeless bodies; 3. Self-change: growth and reproduction in plant life; 4. Self-movement: sensation and locomotion in animal life; Part II. The Operations of the Sensitive Soul in Man: 5. Perception of light and colour; 6. Perception of shape, size, number movement and stillness; 7. Imagining and dreaming; 8. Body-language and the physiology of passion; Part III. The Operations of the Rational Soul; 9. Self-direction: the powers of the mind; 10. Aspects of human freedom; Part IV. Combined Operations: 11. Fear; 12. Anger; 13. Desire; Notes; Select bibliography; Indexes.