Book Section
Manuele Gragnolati
Heavenly Paradoxes and Their Pleasures
This chapter discusses how The Undivine Comedy unveils an unexpected appreciation of alterity in Paradiso, which mobilizes a paradoxical coexistence of unity and difference by combining narrative and lyrical modes and ending with a ‘jumping textuality’ that conveys the heavenly totum simul. In dialogue with feminist and queer scholars, in particular Julia Kristeva and Leo Bersani, it argues that this textuality replicates the paradoxical pleasure not only of losing but also of finding oneself.
Keywords: desire; body; difference; temporality; aesthetics; nostalgia; reading
| Title |
Heavenly Paradoxes and Their Pleasures
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| Author(s) |
Manuele Gragnolati
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| Identifier | |
| Description |
This chapter discusses how The Undivine Comedy unveils an unexpected appreciation of alterity in Paradiso, which mobilizes a paradoxical coexistence of unity and difference by combining narrative and lyrical modes and ending with a ‘jumping textuality’ that conveys the heavenly totum simul. In dialogue with feminist and queer scholars, in particular Julia Kristeva and Leo Bersani, it argues that this textuality replicates the paradoxical pleasure not only of losing but also of finding oneself.
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| Is Part Of | |
| Place |
Berlin
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| Publisher |
ICI Berlin Press
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| Date |
November 4, 2025
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| Subject |
desire
body
difference
temporality
aesthetics
nostalgia
reading
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| Rights |
© by the author(s)
Except for images or otherwise noted, this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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| Language |
en-GB
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| page start |
299
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| page end |
314
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| Source |
A World of Possibilities: The Legacy of The Undivine Comedy, ed. by Kristina M. Olson, Cultural Inquiry, 37 (Berlin: ICI Berlin Press, 2025), pp. 299–314
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References
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Cite as:
Manuele Gragnolati, ‘Heavenly Paradoxes and Their Pleasures’, in A World of Possibilities: The Legacy of The Undivine Comedy, ed. by Kristina M. Olson, Cultural Inquiry, 37 (Berlin: ICI Berlin Press, 2025), pp. 299-314 <https://doi.org/10.37050/ci-37_15>