DEPARTMENT OF FRENCH AND ITALIAN

Paola Nasti is a scholar of medieval Italian literature whose work explores the intellectual and religious traditions that shaped medieval vernacular literature, with particular attention to the ways Dante engages biblical texts, exegetical traditions, and theological discourse. Her work has been particularly influential in demonstrating how Dante’s literary project is deeply embedded in the interpretive traditions of medieval scriptural culture. By exploring the intersections of vernacular poetics with practices of commentary, hermeneutics, and theological reflection, she has shown how Dante’s work is both shaped by and actively engages with the exegetical and intellectual traditions of the Middle Ages

She is the author of Favole d’amore e “saver profondo”: la tradizione salomonica in Dante (2007), a study of the Solomonic tradition and its influence on Dante’s poetic imagination, and of I morsi della carità: Dante e la Bibbia(2024), which examines the central role of biblical theology and scriptural interpretation in the Commedia. She is also the co-editor of Interpreting Dante: Essays on the Traditions of Dante Commentary (University of Notre Dame Press, 2013), a volume that helped foreground the importance of the medieval and early modern commentary tradition for understanding the historical reception of Dante’s works.

In addition to her books, Nasti has published numerous articles and chapters in leading journals and edited volumes on medieval and Dante studies. Her essays explore a wide range of topics, including Dante’s engagement with biblical exegesis and medieval religious culture, as well as ideals of sanctity, wisdom, governance, devotion, affectivity, and prophecy. Through these studies she has contributed to broader conversations about the relationship between literary form, scriptural studies, and intellectual history in the Middle Ages.