THE DEVIL AND THE INFERNO: APPROACHES IN THE AESTHETICS OF UGLINESS (UMBERTO ECO)
THE DEVIL AND THE INFERNO: APPROACHES IN THE AESTHETICS OF UGLINESS (UMBERTO ECO)
Author(s): Denis-Alin-Florin DiaconuSubject(s): Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Literary Texts, Foreign languages learning, Fiction, Studies of Literature, Novel, Philology, Theory of Literature, Italian literature, Sociology of Literature
Published by: Editura Arhipelag XXI
Keywords: aesthetics of the ugliness; the Devil; the Inferno; literary language; linguistics
Summary/Abstract: This article explores the evolving representations of the Devil and of the inferno in Western culture, highlighting how the Devil gradually became the aesthetic and symbolic embodiment of ugliness and evil. Drawing on Umberto Eco’s analysis from Istoria Urâtului (2007), the study examines the Devil’s metamorphoses through cultural history. Karl Rosenkranz’s O estetică a urâtului (1984) served as a guiding reference for this article. From biblical allusions and medieval infernal imagery to satirical or tragic portrayals in modern literature, the Devil serves as a reflection of humanity’s fears, vices, and moral struggles. Works by Dante, Milton, Goethe, and Bosch illustrate how the grotesque and the monstrous became essential tools for theological instruction, cultural critique, and artistic imagination. Ultimately, the Devil is not just a terrifying creature from religious tradition, but a complex cultural construct mirroring the ever-changing relationship between beauty, morality, and alterity. Several references were made to old and pre-modern Romanian literature, through which the theme under analysis was identified in Dosoftei’s Psaltirea în versuri and Budai-Deleanu’s Țiganiada.
Journal: Journal of Romanian Literary Studies
- Issue Year: 2025
- Issue No: 41
- Page Range: 280-286
- Page Count: 7
- Language: Romanian
