Abstract
The essay describes a pedagogical approach to the rich poetic ground of the Commedia through a sustained artistic effort on the part of the students. In daily class preparation, students craft small-book “reflectories” that combine analytical interpretation with artwork and Danteinspired poetry, whether the students’ own or authored by others. Joining a tradition of “conversations with Dante” that began, in English literature, with Chaucer, students develop creative abilities and attitudes through reflection upon and disciplined participation in the creative process. Course assignments and discussion methods foreground the mutually reinforcing integration of creativity and analytical precision.