Exploring Dante in the Digital Age

Blending technology with classic literature for a unique learning experience

User Experience
User Interface
Front-end Development

Background

MyDante reimagines engagement with Dante's "Divine Comedy" through a digital learning platform built for reflective, communal learning.

Inspired by medieval manuscript practices, it lets students annotate, journal, and share media insights. That deeper exchange helps them work through complex literary and philosophical texts.

Back in 2000, Georgetown's MyDante project began with a bold vision: to change how students engaged with Dante's "Divine Comedy."

Under Professor Frank Ambrosio, the initiative aimed to deepen readers' connection with the work. It drew on the reflective habits of medieval monks.

Built as a digital version of old manuscripts, MyDante invited students to weave their thoughts into Dante's verses. Over time, that process formed a learning community in which each voice added to a wider set of views.

MyDante reading interface displaying Inferno Canto I in English and Italian with highlighted text and annotation tools

The Challenge

At the heart of MyDante was the idea of a "technology of contemplation".

We wanted more than a digital interface. We wanted a vivid space where students could work with Dante's text with focus.

We imagined MyDante as a communal hub. Each note, image, sound clip, and journal entry would add to a shared reading experience.

That design supports close, reflective reading. It also lets students layer their own insight onto Dante's verses, much like monks once did with manuscripts.

MyDante Inferno reading interface with bilingual Canto I text, annotation tools, and Gustave Doré’s illustration The Giant Antaeus
MyDante presents Dante’s original Italian text side-by-side with an English translation, as well as an audio version of the Italian text read aloud.
MyDante workbook interface displaying dated Purgatorio reading entries alongside images of Dante Alighieri
As you read, you can annotate the poem, just as medieval monks would have written notes in the margins of their texts. You can add bookmarks, annotations, and footnotes, all of which can be either private or shared.
MyDante workbook entry for Purgatorio with reading notes, editing controls, and a large photograph of Dante’s statue
MyDante bookshelf interface showing Inferno and Divine Comedy reading progress, engagement statistics, and reader comments
MyDante fosters a sense of community among readers by offering several ways to share ideas. Readers can choose to make their annotations and journal entries public, and can start topics on the site discussion board. Readers can share images and multimedia projects with one another.
MyDante tablet interface showing the Inferno cover and a bilingual Canto I reading screen with text annotation tools
MyDante workbook interface on two tablets, showing a list of reading entries and a detailed entry about Dante’s Purgatorio

The Result

MyDante balances solo and group reading inside a virtual community. It creates what has been called the "social thrill of shared immersion," while also bringing teaching and tech together.

The project reaches far beyond Dante's work. Our technology's flexibility and transferability remain two of its greatest strengths.

We hope this project, and later versions, will show what the framework can do. We also hope it will underscore the value of immersive, purposeful reading in the digital age.

Exploring a new digital experience?

Learn about our product strategy and innovation services

We feel strongly that careful use of technology can create deeper, more engaged interaction between students and difficult literary and philosophical texts.

— Francis J. Ambrosio , Associate Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University

Related

Kantola Training Solutions

Kantola

Engaging, innovative and easy-to-use online training solutions

Iterate.ai

Helping to connect established enterprises and startups