The best starting-point for this inquiry would probably be the entry on
Isidore in the _Enciclopedia dantesca_; that would certainly provide a
thorough bibliographical overview up through the early 1970s, when it
appeared. There are many _lecturae_ of _Paradiso_ X that touch on the
arrangement of the "sapienti" - a good basic one in English is Kenelm
Foster, "The Celebration of Order, _Paradiso_ X," in his _The Two Dantes
and Other Studies_ (London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1977). Giuseppe
Mazzotta deals extensively with Isidore in _Dante's Vision and the Circle
of Knowledge_ (Princeton UP, 1993), though less with his role as a
character in _Paradiso_ than with his general importance to Dante.
By the way, if you haven't done so already, you should definitely head over
to Notre Dame's Department of Romance Languages and introduce yourself to
Christian Moevs - few in the field are as knowledgeable about the
intellectual background of _Paradiso_ as he.
Best wishes,
Steven Botterill
Associate Professor of Italian Literature
Acting Chair, Department of Italian Studies
Acting Coordinating Chair, Italian/Scandinavian/Slavic Administrative Cluster
Department of Italian Studies
6303 Dwinelle Hall #2620
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-2620
(510) 642-6246 (voice)
(510) 642-9884 (FAX)
http://ls.berkeley.edu/dept/italian/botterill.htm
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