Ruskin, Dante, and the Dark Waters of Praeterita

Abstract

Explains how a careful examination of the drafts of Praeterita reveal more fully than the final text Ruskin’s reliance on Dante as a model for the work. Understanding Praeterita’s relationship to The Divine Comedy helps readers see how Ruskin intended his reflections on his life to be understood, clarifies the precise meaning of his use of “pleasure,” and makes apparent how in revising the work for publication Ruskin reaches that state of “tolerance” which other critics have noted in the final version of the book.