Dante, Francesca, and the Lancelot , or How Arthurian Literature Should Not Be Read

This article reconsiders Francesca’s statement on the Libro Galeotto, traditionally read as conveying Dante’s moral condemnation of Arthurian literature. It argues instead that Inferno v offers a critique not of the book itself, but of a flawed mode of reading. By situating Dante’s knowledge of the Lancelot-Graal cycle within the context of its circulation in late medieval Italy, the study suggests that he was aware of the narrative’s broader trajectory, culminating in Lancelot’s mutatio vitae. Against this background, Paolo and Francesca’s error emerges as a ‘literary fault’: their reading ‘per diletto’, centred on aesthetic pleasure, leads them to subordinate reason to desire. Drawing on texts not previously considered in relation to Inferno v, such as Peter of Trabibus’s Quodlibet i, quaestio 18 and Dante’s Convivio iii. xi. 9, the article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the episode as a reflection on the ethical implications of reading.