"A uniquely distinctive critical voice in medieval Italian literary studies: vigorous, sharply intelligent, combative, original, and most of all, honest." -- -Zygmunt Baranski Cambridge University "At every step, Barolini reinforces and expands our comprehension of Dante's genius, of his grasp of the past, and of his innovation. She offers measured, informed, and utterly compelling argument that is not controversial for the sake of controversy, but insightful, bold, and relevant. This volume is indispensable." -Medium Aevum "This is an Italianist at the top of her game, and it's an inspiring game to watch." -ENCOMIA: Bibliographical Bulletin of the International Courtly Literature Society "The essays are informed throughout not only by medievalist erudition but by a lively interest in methodological and theoretical issues, especially in the area of gender. This book's appearance is an important event for Italian and medieval studies. Highly Recommended." -Choice "Barolini collects her essays, which are more about what Dante does with material than where he found it." -Bibliotheque d'Humanisme et Renaissance "...These sixteen essays by one of our leading critics frame the literary culture of thirteenth-and fourteenth-century Italy in fresh, illuminating ways that will prove useful and instructive to students and scholars alike." -Italian Tribune "Traces the development of Italy's literary tradition in terms of its lyric poets and its 'three crowns': Dante, Petrach, and Boccaccio." -The Chronicle of Higher Education "A magisterial work, written by one of the foremost Italianists of North America, and one of the best volumes devoted to the birth and development of Italian literary culture on either side of the Atlantic." -- -Piero Boitani University of Rome "... Its publication is a notable and most welcome event in Italian studies." -Renaissance Quarterly