An uncompleted manuscript that combines lyric poetry and prose commentary the banquet or convivio is one of dante alighieris most important and least understood philosophical texts as maria luisa ardizzone shows its language and logic are deeply connected to medieval culture and the philosophical debates of the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuriesin reading as the angels read ardizzone reconstructs the cultural and socio political background that provided the motivation for . In reading as the angels read ardizzone reconstructs the cultural and socio political background that provided the motivation for thebanquet and offers a bold new reading of this ambitious work eisbn 978 1 4426 2454 2. Reading as the angels read speculation and politics in dantes banquet maria luisa ardizzone book author alessandro carrera review author pdf published 2017 06 09 issue . Reading as the angels readspeculation and politics in dantes banquet2016 university of toronto pressby maria luisa ardizzone nyuthe author in conversat. In reading as the angels read ardizzone reconstructs drawing on a deep knowledge of dantes engagement with biblical augustinian neoplatonic and aristotelian philosophy she suggests that the banquet is not an encyclopedia of learning as many have claimed but dantes attempt to articulate a theory of human happiness in which perfect knowledge is the natural basis for a well organized political community