Originally published in 1977. This book contains four essays by Professor Charles Singleton: "e;Allegory,"e; "e;Symbolism,"e; "e;The Pattern at the Center,"e; and "e;The Substance of Things Seen."e; These four essays treat four dimensions of meaning essential to understanding the substance and special texture of the poetry of the Divine Comedy. One might speak of "e;facets"e; or "e;aspects"e; of meaning if such terms did not suggest surface reflections dependent on the way a work (as a jewel) is turned for inspection. But for Singleton, each dimension has a depth that reaches to the core and substance of Dante's poetry, so they are, in Singleton's view, elements of its structure.