DOI: 10.65266/IRST1090
Full-text access available through the Modern Language Association (MLA) International Bibliography: https://about.ebsco.com/products/research-databases/mla-international-bibliography-full-text
Bibliographical Information: Song, Ruoci. “’Segni de l’antica fiamma’: Mapping Intertextuality between Virgil and Dante in the Divine Comedy.” Annali d’italianistica 43 (2025): 161-90.
Abstract: This study examines the intertextual relationships between Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy and the works of Virgil, integrating classical literary analysis with advanced computational methods. To overcome current challenges in cross-language intertextuality calculation, I selected and digitized Giovanni da Serravalle’s Latin translation of the Divine Comedy, making the intertextuality between Virgil and Dante computationally analyzable. By replicating and enhancing the Tesserae platform, we developed a custom program that calculates intertextuality scores using cosine similarity. This innovation allowed us to detect intertextual connections even when wording differs but semantic content is similar. Analyzing each canto against Virgil’s works, we generated an intertextuality map visualizing the density and distribution of Virgilian influence throughout the epic. Our findings reveal patterns of literary borrowing and transformation, demonstrating the potential of computational techniques to enrich understanding of classical texts and suggesting pathways for future research in cross-language intertextuality detection. Additionally, we propose developing a web-based platform to visually present our intertextuality results, providing a resource for other scholars.
Key Words: Dante Alighieri, Virgil, Divine Comedy, intertextuality, digital humanities, computational text analysis, n-gram, cosine similarity.
