In the 16th century, when Dante's critical fortunes were at their lowest ebb, his use of metaphor was still considered remarkable enough to describe him as a poeta metaforcissimo. David Gibbon's book, which takes its title from this epithet, seeks to account for the specifically Dantean nature of that genius which Aristotle said was the mark of those who used the metaphor well.
In the 16th century, when Dante's critical fortunes were at their lowest ebb, his use of metaphor was still considered remarkable enough to describe h...