"begun c. 1308 and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death."
This includes notable Romance authors and their significant works such as Chrétien de Troyes, Marie de France, and Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.
History of Romance Literature: Studies the development of the Romance literature genre, tracing its roots back to ancient myths, medieval tales, and classical literature.
Classic Works of Romance Literature: Examines some of the most notable works of Romance literature, from the classics like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, to modern-day bestsellers like Twilight.
Literary Elements of Romance: Focuses on the characteristic elements of Romance literature such as love, passion, adventure, and conflict.
Romantic Poetry: Studies the Romantic era poets, such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and John Keats along with their works.
Gothic Romance: Examines the sub-genre of Romance that emphasizes horror, suspense, and mystery elements, and looks at some famous Gothic Romance authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Charlotte Bronte, and Emily Bronte.
The Romance Hero: Explores the idea of a romantic hero, examining the characteristics of the figure, and examples such as Heathcliff and Mr. Darcy.
Feminist Romance: Looks at Romance novels from a feminist perspective, and emphasizes the female characters, and authors such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Kate Chopin.
Historical Romance: Explores the sub-genre of Romance that takes place in a historical context, examining famous historical Romance authors such as Georgette Heyer and Madeline Hunter.
Contemporary Romance: Studies the sub-genre of Romance that takes place in a current-day setting and examines some famous modern Romance authors such as Nicholas Sparks and Jane Green.
LGBTQ+ Romance: Examines the sub-genre of Romance that features LGBTQ+ characters and relationships, and examines famous LGBTQ+ Romance authors such as James Baldwin and Emma Donoghue.
Romance Adaptations: Studies Romance adaptations to thebig screen and TV and the challenges involved in portraying these works visually.
The Business of Romance: Examines the business aspect of Romance, including the publishing industry, marketing, and promoting Romance novels.
The Role of Romance Literature Today: Explores the role of Romance literature today and some of the criticisms that are leveled at the genre.
The Future of Romance Literature: Explores the trends and potential future developments of Romance literature.
Jane Austen: A prominent English novelist known for her insightful portrayal of the lives of women in the Georgian and Regency eras in her novels, including "Pride and Prejudice", "Sense and Sensibility", and "Emma".
Nicholas Sparks: An American writer who specializes in romance novels often featuring themes of tragedy, love, and fate such as "The Notebook", "A Walk to Remember", and "Dear John".
Danielle Steel: A prolific American author known for writing over 179 romance novels that often feature social themes and explore family dynamics, such as "Safe Harbour" and "The Gift".
Emily Bronte: An English novelist and poet whose only novel, "Wuthering Heights", is considered a masterpiece of romantic fiction, famous for its dark, gothic romance.
Nora Roberts: An American author who has written more than 200 romance novels across various sub-genres, including contemporary, paranormal, and romantic suspense, such as the "In the Garden" series and "The Wedding Quartet".
Charlotte Bronte: One of the renowned English novelists, known for her novel "Jane Eyre", which broke away from traditional romantic conventions and explored themes of class, gender and religion.
Stephanie Meyer: An American author known for her "Twilight" series, featuring vampires, werewolves, and a complex love triangle between a teenage girl and supernatural beings.
Jodi Picoult: An American author who combines romance with social and ethical issues in her novels, such as "My Sister’s Keeper" and "Handle With Care".
Johanna Lindsey: An American romance novelist known for her historical romance novels, which include "Man of My Dreams" and "Tender Rebel".
Sylvia Day: A bestselling American author of contemporary and historical romance novels, including the "Crossfire" series and "Seven Years to Sin".
"It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of world literature."
"The poem's imaginative vision of the afterlife is representative of the medieval worldview as it existed in the Western Church by the 14th century."
"It helped establish the Tuscan language, in which it is written, as the standardized Italian language."
"It is divided into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso."
"The poem discusses 'the state of the soul after death and presents an image of divine justice meted out as due punishment or reward.'"
"Allegorically, the poem represents the soul's journey towards God."
"The pilgrim Dante is accompanied by three guides: Virgil, who represents human reason; Beatrice, who represents divine revelation, theology, grace, and faith; and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who represents contemplative mysticism and devotion to Mary the Mother."
"The work was originally simply titled Comedìa, later adjusted to the modern Italian Commedia. The adjective Divina was added by Giovanni Boccaccio."
"Virgil... who guides him for all of Inferno and most of Purgatorio."
"Dante draws on medieval Catholic theology and philosophy, especially Thomistic philosophy derived from the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas."
"Saint Bernard of Clairvaux... guiding him in the final cantos of Paradiso."
"Erich Auerbach said Dante was the first writer to depict human beings as the products of a specific time, place, and circumstance, as opposed to mythic archetypes or a collection of vices and virtues."
"[This] along with the fully imagined world of the Divine Comedy, suggests that the Divine Comedy inaugurated realism and self-portraiture in modern fiction."
"Giovanni Boccaccio."
"The adjective Divina was added... owing to its subject matter and lofty style... The work was originally simply titled Comedìa."
"Virgil, Beatrice, and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux."
"Virgil... guides him for all of Inferno and most of Purgatorio."
"The work was originally simply titled Comedìa – so also in the first printed edition, published in 1472 – later adjusted to the modern Italian Commedia."
"[Dante] was the first writer to depict human beings as the products of a specific time, place, and circumstance."