Epistle to Cangrande

The exact date that the letter was written is unknown. The letter was cited by the Italian copyist in 1343 and then by the chronicler Filippo Villani around 1400. Some authors have suggested that cited the letter in the 1320s, but this is disputed. Nine manuscripts of the Epistle survive, though the earliest three contain only the dedication. == Content ==

The letter is divided into three parts: A dedication of Dante's Paradiso to Cangrande I della Scala, an accessus (i.e. introduction) to Dante's Divine Comedy, and an exposition of the first twelve lines of Paradiso, translated from Italian into Latin. == Authenticity ==

The question of whether or not the Epistle is a forgery is controversial among Dante scholars. Scholars such as Francesco D'Ovidio and have argued against its authenticity, whereas scholars such as , Robert Hollander, and Charles Singleton have argued in favor. John Ciardi, who wrote a translation of the Divine Comedy, argued that the framework provided by the letter is useful regardless of its authenticity. The scholar Teodolinda Barolini has described the Epistle as a red herring, writing that "frankly, I don't care if the Epistle is Dante's or not, since I think the answers that I seek regarding the [Divine Comedy] are to be found in the poem itself." In 2019, researchers for the Italian ''Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologie dell'Informazione'' attempted to use machine learning to determine authorship of the Epistle. Their results supported the theory that it was forged, though the authors noted that their study "should not be considered conclusive". == References ==