In his dedicatory letter to the ruler of Verona, Cangrande della Scala, Dante does not hesitate to guide the reading of the "Divine Comedy" in a way that has outraged modern criticism: many pages have been spent questioning the authenticity of the text, and just as many for defending it.

The great poet's preference for interpreting his work based on its theological allegory —which is explicitly stated in the analysis of the introductory part of the First Canto of the "Paradise"— was bound to clash with modern views on the polysemy of major artistic creations.