An Irish Precursor of Dante: A Study on the Vision of Heaven and Hell Ascribed to the Eighth-Century Irish Saint Adamnán (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Charles Stuart Boswell

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0656158751 ISBN 13: 9780656158751

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Discover the Irish roots of a famous medieval vision.

This study traces how the vision of heaven and hell attributed to Saint Adamnan shaped later medieval thought, including echoes in Dante’s poetic universe.

This volume surveys the sources and traditions that fed the Irish Imrama, Fis Adamnanin, and related legends. It blends manuscript evidence with literary analysis to show how Irish writers framed the Otherworld, its geography, inhabitants, and moral lessons, and how these ideas circulated through European thought.

• Examines the Fis Adamnanin and its narrative structure, imagery, and theological emphasis.
• Maps the cross‑currents of Classical, Oriental, and Ecclesiastical traditions that influenced Ireland’s vision of the afterlife.
• Highlights how Irish visions compare to later medieval depictions, including parallels with Dante.
• Discusses the role of visions in Irish literature, religion, and cultural memory.

Ideal for readers of medieval studies, Irish lore, and the history of Christian eschatology who want a clear, scholarly connection between early Irish texts and later European imagination.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0656158751
• ISBN 13: 9780656158751
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 282