The essay examines closely the many and varied metaphors of Convivio 1 in relation to its "content." This approach contrasts with most prior work on the Convivio, which views it as a philosophical work, and pays little attention its form or rhetoric. Instead, the article shows that the Convivio draws on a variety of disciplines in orer to emphasize its author's subjectivity. Once we appreciate that Dante's multi-disciplinary approach, the novel literary and subjective qualities of the Convivio become much clearer. Dante's metaphors do not offer a final intellectual or philosophical demonstration but rather encourage a suspension of judgment that replicates for the reader the alienation of exile from which Dante writes
