The Years of Transition. English Translations of the Commedia, 1900-1950

This chapter examines English translations of Dante’s Commedia produced between 1900 and 1950 as a transitional phase shaped by modernism, the World Wars, and the institutional consolidation of Dante studies. It traces the shift from Victorian models toward a plural landscape of translation strategies—ranging from prose and blank verse to experimental linguistic registers—driven by competing priorities of fidelity, readability, pedagogy, and literary innovation. By situating key translators and editions within broader cultural and scholarly developments, the chapter argues that this period established new audiences, critical tools, and aesthetic paradigms that decisively reshaped the Anglophone reception of Dante.